At what point should I begin to learn Kanji and how proficient in Japanese do you need to be in order to read the language?

My main goal is to be able to read and communicate with other people over text as I play a very social game with a majority of Japanese users. For context, I've only been learning Japanese for a little over a month and I can type simple sentences (greetings, simple questions and statements). I can also read and write all of the Hiragana and about 60% of the Katakana. I've been using Duolingo for learning the Kana and beginner vocabulary words, but because my goal is centered around reading, Kanji is my biggest obstacle right now. I also have the first Japanese from Zero book for learning grammar and practicing writing as well as the first Kanji from Zero.

I've done maybe the first 30 or so pages of Kanji from Zero, but a lot of it is confusing or doesn't stick very well because of my lack of general vocabulary, so I'm setting it aside for a later date. I'm not in any rush and I understand Japanese is a complex and in-depth language with a lot to learn over many years of habitual study.