diff --git a/.changeset/lobby-fail.md b/.changeset/lobby-fail.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..434daf23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/lobby-fail.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+"@empirica/core": patch
+---
+
+Fix lobby fail strategy and similar straight to exit steps cases.
+
+There was a check for the presence of the `player.game` object in front of the
+exit steps. If the game never starts, the `player.game` object is never
+created, and the exit steps are never executed. This also addresses the case
+where the player is never assigned a game at all (custom assignment).
diff --git a/lib/@empirica/core/src/player/classic/react/EmpiricaContext.tsx b/lib/@empirica/core/src/player/classic/react/EmpiricaContext.tsx
index 4e4a3038..2da24241 100644
--- a/lib/@empirica/core/src/player/classic/react/EmpiricaContext.tsx
+++ b/lib/@empirica/core/src/player/classic/react/EmpiricaContext.tsx
@@ -258,6 +258,16 @@ function useGameReady() {
   const players = usePlayers();
   const game = useGame();
 
+  // Player was never even assigned to a game, so no game.
+  if (player && !player.get("gameID")) {
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  // Game never started, so no player.game.
+  if (player && game && !game.get("start")) {
+    return true;
+  }
+
   if (!player || !players || !game || !player.game) {
     return false;
   }
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index b92f15d9..b416d25d 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@
       }
     },
     "lib/@empirica/core": {
-      "version": "1.9.9",
+      "version": "1.11.0",
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
       "dependencies": {
         "@empirica/tajriba": "1.7.0",
diff --git a/tests/stress/experiment/client/package.json b/tests/stress/experiment/client/package.json
index 3fda8a10..4b7efed5 100644
--- a/tests/stress/experiment/client/package.json
+++ b/tests/stress/experiment/client/package.json
@@ -26,7 +26,10 @@
   },
   "version": "0.0.0",
   "volta": {
-    "node": "20.10.0",
-    "npm": "10.2.3"
+    "node": "20.12.0",
+    "npm": "10.5.0"
+  },
+  "engines": {
+    "node": ">= 20.12.0"
   }
 }
diff --git a/tests/stress/experiment/server/package.json b/tests/stress/experiment/server/package.json
index 63c5a477..d48788fa 100644
--- a/tests/stress/experiment/server/package.json
+++ b/tests/stress/experiment/server/package.json
@@ -14,7 +14,10 @@
     "serve": "node --trace-warnings --enable-source-maps --unhandled-rejections=warn-with-error-code index.js"
   },
   "volta": {
-    "node": "20.10.0",
-    "npm": "10.2.3"
+    "node": "20.12.0",
+    "npm": "10.5.0"
+  },
+  "engines": {
+    "node": ">= 20.12.0"
   }
 }
diff --git a/tests/stress/tests/lobby.spec.js b/tests/stress/tests/lobby.spec.js
index db89242f..8bbb587b 100644
--- a/tests/stress/tests/lobby.spec.js
+++ b/tests/stress/tests/lobby.spec.js
@@ -2,9 +2,10 @@
 /// <reference path="./index.d.ts" />
 
 const { test } = require("@playwright/test");
-import { Context } from "./context";
 import { adminNewBatch, quickGame } from "./admin";
+import { Context } from "./context";
 import {
+  playerSignIn,
   playerStart,
   submitStage,
   waitGameFinished,
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ test("lobby shared ignore", async ({ browser }) => {
       lobbyConfig: {
         name: "Fast shared ignore",
         kind: "shared",
-        duration: 5_000_000_000,
+        duration: 2_000_000_000,
         strategy: "ignore",
       },
     })
@@ -67,3 +68,41 @@ test("lobby shared ignore", async ({ browser }) => {
 
   await ctx.close();
 });
+
+// This test is a test for the lobby with configuration shared/fail, which
+// means that all players share a timer and we fail the game if not enough
+// players to start the game.
+// To test this, we set a very short duration for the lobby.
+test("lobby shared fail", async ({ browser }) => {
+  const ctx = new Context(browser);
+
+  const playerCount = 2;
+  const roundCount = 1;
+  const stageCount = 2;
+
+  await ctx.start();
+  await ctx.addPlayers(playerCount);
+  ctx.players[0].logWS();
+  ctx.players[0].listenScope("game");
+  ctx.logMatching(/HERE/);
+
+  await ctx.applyAdmin(
+    adminNewBatch({
+      treatmentConfig: quickGame(playerCount, roundCount, stageCount),
+      lobbyConfig: {
+        name: "Fast shared fail",
+        kind: "shared",
+        duration: 2_000_000_000, // 2s, in ns...
+        strategy: "fail",
+      },
+    })
+  );
+
+  await ctx.players[0].apply(playerSignIn);
+  await ctx.players[0].screenshot("start-game");
+  await sleep(2500);
+  await ctx.players[0].screenshot("end-maybe");
+  await ctx.players[0].apply(waitGameFinished);
+
+  await ctx.close();
+});
diff --git a/tests/stress/tests/player.js b/tests/stress/tests/player.js
index 16fd2e06..d8b5ebf4 100644
--- a/tests/stress/tests/player.js
+++ b/tests/stress/tests/player.js
@@ -490,6 +490,7 @@ function playerReceivedPrinter(actor) {
           console.log(receive, "UNKNOWN", change["__typename"], change);
       }
     } catch (e) {
+      console.error(e);
       console.log(receive, "FAIL", payload);
     }
   };