How to Play with Friends

Meccha Chameleon is at its best with people you know. Public lobbies are fun, but nothing beats watching a friend stand perfectly painted against a bookshelf while another friend walks past them three times. The good news is that setting up a private game takes a minute once you know how the current system works. The less good news is that the joining process changed completely in update 4.1.0, so a lot of older advice online no longer applies. Here is how it works today, what to set up as a host and how to fix the usual problems when your friends cannot get in.

How Many Players Do You Need?

The developer recommends 2 to 12 players, and lobbies can grow larger when the host has a strong connection. Two people can technically play, but the experience really starts at four or five, when there are enough Hiders for a Hunter to feel pressure and enough Hunters to cover the map. The practical limit depends on the host’s internet connection, because the host’s machine has to keep everyone’s movement, voice and paint data in sync.

Step 1: Make Sure Everyone Is on the Same Version

Meccha Chameleon only lets players with matching game versions play together. The developer ships updates very often, sometimes several times in one week, so this is the most common reason a friend cannot join. Updates download automatically through Steam the next time you launch the game. Before you start, ask everyone to restart Steam and let the download finish. If the Steam library shows “Update queued”, the game is not ready yet.

Step 2: Host a Server and Share the Join Code

Since update 4.1.0 the old list of servers has been replaced by a join code system. When you host, the game gives your server a five-character code made of letters and numbers. Your friends type that code into the search screen and connect directly. The code can be checked inside the game before connecting, which saves a lot of “which one is yours?” confusion.

• Send the code through Discord, a Steam message or voice chat and read it back once. Codes are short, so a single wrong character is easy to miss.
• If you stream, you can simply show the code on screen and let viewers join. This is one of the reasons the new system was introduced.
• Codes from before update 4.1.0 no longer work, so ignore old codes in guides or chat history.

Step 3: Pick the Right Region

Choosing a region tag is now required before searching for a match. For private games, the host and friends should all pick the same region, ideally the one closest to the host. Picking different regions can lead to confusing search results and laggy matches, so it is the first thing to check when something goes wrong.

Step 4: Set the Rules as Host

Hosting gives you control over the whole match. With friends, it is worth taking a moment to adjust the settings to your group instead of playing with public defaults.

• Maps. Choose a map yourself or let the map lottery decide. With newcomers, start on a map where the rooms are easy to read, then move on to busy ones such as the Art Museum.
• Hunter ammo. If your Hunters keep losing because they run dry, give them a few more bullets. If the Hiders never survive, cut the ammo. Since update 4.1.0 your ammo setting no longer resets every match.
• Body sizes. Cube, Plump and Petit Chameleon only work if the host allows them. Petit (half size) is great for experienced groups but frustrating for beginners, so consider saving it for later.
• Workshop maps. Custom maps from the Steam Workshop can be used in private lobbies. Since the August hotfix, mod maps update automatically, and a full download is only needed the first time.
• In-progress games. By default, games that have already started are hidden from public search. That keeps random players from landing in the middle of your round.

Voice Chat Settings Worth Knowing

Voice chat is a big part of the fun, but update 4.1.1 changed its defaults. Incoming voice is now muted by default, so if you cannot hear your friends, the fix is usually in the settings rather than your headset. The same update added an option to switch voice chat off completely and a microphone icon at the top of the screen that shows when your mic is picking up sound. Update 4.1.0 also added a small sound effect when you toggle voice chat on or off, which helps you notice when you mute yourself by accident.

Many groups prefer Discord for talking and keep in-game voice for close-range trash talk. Whatever you choose, agree on it before the first round, because Hiders chatting about their spots on an open channel ruins the game for the Hunters.

House Rules That Make Private Games Better

• Rotate the Hunter role. Hunting is the harder job for new players. Swapping every round keeps the game fair and teaches everyone both sides.
• Use “Mo Eeyo” politely. The unanimous skip vote is handy when everyone is ready, but give slower painters a fair chance before voting.
• Watch the reveal together. The answer reveal at the end of each round is where your group learns the best spots on every map.
• Try other modes once everyone is comfortable. Infection works well in bigger groups, while Double and Reverse Chicken Race are good changes of pace after a series of normal rounds.

Troubleshooting: Friends Cannot Join

Playing With Friends on Switch 2

Meccha Chameleon is also available on Nintendo Switch 2, and the main game fully supports cross-play with Steam, so a mixed PC and console group can share one lobby. Workshop mod maps are the exception for now: cross-play for them is planned for the end of 2026. On the Switch 2 version, the maximum number of players a Switch 2 host can have was temporarily lowered from 12 to 10 in update 4.1.1 while the developer investigates a crash. If your group is large, let a PC player host for now. Switch 2 players can also paint with the touch screen, which is surprisingly handy for fine details.

Quick Setup Summary

1. Everyone updates the game and restarts Steam.
2. The player with the best connection hosts and picks a nearby region.
3. The host shares the five-character join code.
4. Friends select the same region and enter the code.
5. The host sets map, ammo and body sizes for the group.
6. Agree on voice chat and start with Normal mode.

Keep reading: How to Play: Beginner's Guide.