How to Play Hood Warfare 2 With Friends
Quick answer
Hood Warfare 2 has no party system or invite button yet. To play together, one of you creates a private match: Play, then Create Game, switch Private Match on and type a password of at least 3 characters. Your friends choose Join Game and enter the password. Bots can fill the empty spots, and push-to-talk is on T.
Checked October 15, 2026 against the Create Game screen in YoThatsEJ's October 14 stream, the 1.0.1.4 patch notes and the game's Steam discussions.
Is there a party system in Hood Warfare 2?
No, not yet. You can't group up in the menu and queue Quick Play together, and there's no invite button. Players have asked for one since launch: "We need an option to invite friends to a party and join games" (October 12), and "Please fix so we can inv our friends to lobby or something" (October 14, after private matches had arrived).
The main menu does show a Friends list with your Steam friends who are online and what they're doing, such as "In the Menus" (YoThatsEJ's stream at 10:00). Until a party system arrives, the way to play together is a private match.
How do you create a private match?
Private matches arrived in patch 1.0.1.4 on October 13, 2026. One of you hosts:
- Update the game. The version is in the bottom-right corner of the main menu. If it's behind, fully exit Steam and open it again.
- In the main menu, go to Play, then Create Game.
- Pick the mode and the map, for example Gangbang on The Trenches.
- Set the points to win, and turn bots on or off.
- Switch Private Match to On.
- Type a password of at least 3 characters. The game rejected a two-letter one.
- Press Start Match, pick your loadout and send the password to your friends.
From the Create Game screen in YoThatsEJ's October 14 stream, where he set up two private matches for his viewers (10:06 and 30:40).
Create Game settings
| Setting | What we saw |
|---|---|
| Mode | Turf War, Gangbang, Chain Snatch and the other game modes |
| Map | Downtown, The Trenches, The Strip and the other maps |
| Points to win | 350 in Turf War, 100 in Gangbang and Chain Snatch (defaults) |
| Bots | On or off. With bots on, two more options appear, set to "Regular" and "5v5" by default, which look like bot difficulty and team size |
| Private Match | Off by default |
| Password | At least 3 characters |
How do your friends join?
Send them the password over Discord, Steam chat or a text. Each friend goes to Play, chooses Join Game and types the password when the game asks for it. YoThatsEJ told his viewers to "enter the code when you push join" (12:25).
- Everyone needs the same version. If a friend can't find or join the match, have them restart Steam so the latest patch downloads.
- The host's connection matters. Players report that matches run on one player's PC, so the friend with the best internet should create the match.
- "Couldn't connect to [name]'s game" means the match ended or the host's connection dropped (Steam discussions). Create a new private match and try again.
Can you play with friends against bots?
Yes. Leave bots on when you create the match and they fill the empty spots, so even two or three friends get a full match. The Steam store page also says you can "add bots to fill out the teams". We haven't confirmed whether you can choose which team each player is on.
Can you talk to your friends in the game?
Yes. Patch 1.0.10 added voice chat for the whole lobby or just your team. Push-to-talk is on T by default, and you can switch to open mic in the settings. Plenty of groups use Discord instead. See our audio settings.
Does each friend need their own copy?
Yes. Hood Warfare 2 is a paid Steam game ($5.99), and everyone in the match needs their own copy on a Windows PC or a Steam Deck, where one owner says it's "playable in private matches". Steam Family Sharing doesn't get around it: one copy can only be played by one family member at a time, so two people playing together need two copies (VGC on Steam Families). There's no PS5, Xbox or mobile version, so there's no crossplay to worry about.
FAQ
How do you invite friends in Hood Warfare 2?
There's no invite button yet. Create a private match with a password (Play, then Create Game, with Private Match on), send your friends the password, and they join and type it in.
Is there a party system in Hood Warfare 2?
Not as of October 15, 2026. Players keep asking for one in the Steam discussions. For now, private matches are the way to play together.
How many players are in a Hood Warfare 2 match?
The Create Game screen's default is 5v5 when bots fill the teams. We haven't seen an official maximum lobby size.
Do my friends need to own Hood Warfare 2?
Yes. Everyone needs their own copy on Steam. A Family Sharing copy can't be played by two people at the same time.
Sources
- Patch 1.0.1.4 notes, Trapstar Games on Steam, October 13, 2026: private matches with a password
- YoThatsEJ's Hood Warfare 2 stream on YouTube, October 14, 2026: the Friends list (10:00), the Create Game screen and password (10:06 to 12:25), and Gangbang on The Trenches with bots off (30:40 to 31:15)
- Steam discussions asking for parties and invites: October 11, October 12 and October 14; join errors (October 13); Steam Deck (October 13)
- Patch 1.0.10 notes, Trapstar Games on Steam, October 12, 2026: voice chat and push-to-talk
- Hood Warfare 2 on Steam: custom matches with bots (checked October 15, 2026)
- Steam launches Families, VGC: one copy can be played by one family member at a time