Multiplayer guide / friends & lobbies
MECCHA CHAMELEON is at its best when a lobby turns into a shared story: someone paints themselves terribly, someone survives in a spot that should never have worked, and the hunters argue about how they missed a hider standing right in front of them.
This guide shows how to play MECCHA CHAMELEON with friends online on Steam. It covers private server creation, joining a friend's lobby, game modes, lobby settings, and what to do when something breaks.
The goal
Get everyone in. Start playing. Stop wasting time in menus.
24
max players
3
game modes
PC
only
Before you start
Three common session types — pick the one that matches your group before you create anything.
Private
Friend Lobby
Friends only. Voice chat. Controlled settings. Best for beginners and practice.
Public
Open Lobby
Strangers welcome. Faster to fill. More chaotic. Less predictable.
Viewer
Community Lobby
Streamers and community hosts. Rotating players. Bigger, louder rounds.
Quick start
If you just want the short version, here is the complete sequence from launch to first round.
One player hosts
The host is the player who creates the room and controls match settings.
Choose Create Server
From the main menu after launching the game.
Set name & password
Pick a name your friends can spell. Set a password to keep the room private.
Set max players & region
Hard limit is 24. For a first lobby, stay under 12.
Create & share details
Send the server name and password to your friends via chat or voice.
Friends: Find Private Server
Click Find Server → Find Private Server, enter name and password.
Everyone joins
Wait for the server to appear in search results, then click Join.
Host configures the match
Map, mode, timers, taunts — all set from the podium inside the lobby.
Start the round
If your group is new, use a simple map and longer prep time.
First lobby tip
Don't set the room to 24 just because you can.
The developers advise possible instability above 14 players. Start smaller.
Host setup
The host controls the room. Every field on the creation screen matters for whether friends can find you and whether the session runs smoothly.
According to the multiplayer guide, after launching MECCHA CHAMELEON the host selects Create Server. The creation screen presents several fields — each one affects a different part of the experience.
Step 1
The name other players see in the lobby. It may default to your Steam name — change it if you want something different.
Step 2
Your friends will type this exactly. Keep it short, unique, and easy to spell. Avoid generic names like "test" or "friends."
Avoid
test · friends · game1
Better
gecko42 · paintcrew · noodleroom
Step 3
Set a password to keep the room private. Skip it only if you want a fully open public lobby. For friend groups and practice rooms, always use a password.
Step 4
Hard limit is 24. The developers advise instability above 14. GameRant describes 2–12 as the smoother range for most groups. Don't max it out by default.
Step 5
Tags help players find appropriate public rooms. For private lobbies, the name and password matter more — but tags still help if you want to signal language or lobby type.
Step 6
Create the server and wait in the lobby. Share the server name and password with your friends via voice chat or a message.
Joining flow
Friends do not create their own server. They need the exact server name and password from the host — then follow this sequence.
Click Find Server from the main menu.
Choose Find Private Server — not the public server list.
Enter your display name.
Enter the host's server name exactly as given.
Enter the password.
Search for the server and click Join when it appears.
Private vs Public
Use Private When
Use Public When
Game modes
There are three current modes. Only the host can choose. The mode shapes the entire feel of the round — pick based on your group's experience and what kind of chaos you want.
Start here
Mode 01
The classic mode. Players split into hiders and hunters. Hiders get time to paint and find a spot. Hunters are then released and search the map. If at least one hider survives until the timer ends, hiders win.
This is the cleanest version of the game's core loop — painting, hiding, hunting, and the reveal. Everything else builds on what Basic teaches.
Best for
New players · First friend lobbies · Learning maps · Understanding the hider vs hunter rhythm
Mode 02
Infection starts like a normal round, but the key twist is what happens after a hider is caught. When a hunter finds someone, that player immediately joins the hunters and helps search for the remaining hiders.
As the round continues, the hunter team grows and the pressure on the last surviving hiders becomes enormous. The final hiders are the hardest to find — but they are also the most outnumbered.
Best for
Groups that want rising pressure · Medium or larger lobbies · Players who dislike sitting out after being caught
The twist
Caught hiders become hunters. The round ends when everyone is caught — or one hider survives.
Rising pressure
Everyone hides
Mode 03
Double changes the structure more dramatically. In Double, everyone hides at the start. After the hiding timer ends, everyone becomes a hunter and starts searching for the others simultaneously.
You are hiding from the same people you are hunting. The winner is whoever finds the most players — or finds everyone first. Trust nobody. Everyone is lying.
Best for
Groups who know the basics · Chaotic lobbies · Players who want to hide and hunt · Anyone who enjoys betrayal and mutual suspicion
Basic
Hiders vs Hunters
Fixed roles. Classic loop. Best starting point.
Infection
Snowball Pressure
Caught hiders join hunters. Pressure builds.
Double
Everyone vs Everyone
Hide and hunt simultaneously. Pure chaos.
Lobby settings
Creating the server only gets everyone into the room. The host still needs to configure the match. Walk to the podium with the light blue button to access map and match settings.
The important point: the host shapes the match experience. A lobby with the wrong mode, too little hiding time, too many players, or a taunt setting that fires every ten seconds can feel bad even if everyone joined successfully.
The host controls map selection, game mode, number of hunters, search time, and other custom rules from this same interface.
Player count
The hard upper limit is 24. That does not mean every lobby should use 24.
Learning, testing maps, small friend groups.
Comfortable for most casual friend lobbies. Recommended start.
More chaotic but still manageable for many groups.
Possible, but depends on host performance. Note possible instability above 14.
Paint / Prep Time
Longer prep when
Shorter prep when
Search Time
Longer search when
Shorter search when
Advanced setting
Forced Taunt makes hiders reveal themselves through sound at set intervals. Hosts can configure how often this fires.
Use when hunters struggle to find anyone, map is large, or room has many players.
Be careful with new players — if it fires too often, hiding feels pointless.
Update 2.3.0
Update 2.3.0 introduced Ammo Limit. Designed to stop hunters from blindly firing at every suspicious spot.
1–99
Ammo range
5
Default
0
Hunters lose
Wrong shots consume ammo. Hitting a chameleon restores hunting power. If all hunters run out, chameleons win the round.
Soften or disable for new hunters who are still learning what good camouflage looks like.
Presets
There is no one perfect setup. Use settings based on what kind of session you want to run.
Pick your chaos level.
Five lobby presets below
Preset 01
Goal: teach everyone the game
Preset 02
Goal: relaxed fun and funny reveals
Preset 03
Goal: loud, messy, unpredictable
Preset 04
Goal: keep a bigger group playable
→ Clear server name and tags
→ Region tag matching host / audience
→ Player count the host can handle
→ Larger or clearer maps
→ Enough search time
→ Forced Taunt to prevent endless hiding
→ Careful use of Ammo Limit
Remember
24 players is the limit, not the target.
Preset 05
Goal: learn maps and settings
Troubleshooting
Most multiplayer problems fall into three categories. Work through the checklist for your issue before recreating the lobby.
Check these first, in order:
Server name spelling — exact match required.
Password spelling — case sensitive.
Host actually created the server (not just opened the menu).
Lobby is not already full.
Friend is searching private servers, not public.
Region or tag mismatch filtering the result.
If the room still does not appear: have the host recreate the lobby with a simpler name and password, then try again.
Lower the player count first.
Choose a region closer to the group.
Try a different host with a better connection.
Avoid 14+ player rooms if stability is already poor.
Use simpler maps with less visual complexity.
Quick answers
What is the max player count?
24 players per lobby. The developers advise possible instability above 14. GameRant describes 2-12 as a smoother range for most groups.
Is it cross-platform?
No. MECCHA CHAMELEON is not cross-platform. It is currently only available on PC via Steam.
Is there a mobile or browser version?
For platform questions, use the official FAQ rather than unofficial search results. The game became popular quickly and there are already misleading pages around it.
Settings keep changing?
The game is updating quickly. Maps, mechanics, and balance details may change — always check the latest in-game information and official channels for current details.
Stability note
Very large lobbies depend heavily on host connection and performance.
Treat 14+ player rooms as experimental rather than default. Start smaller and scale up once the group is comfortable.
The real value is social. MECCHA CHAMELEON gives friends a machine for making clips, arguments, betrayals, compliments, and running jokes.
— Multiplayer guide
Go deeper
Once your group understands the basics, these are the topics worth expanding into. Each one has its own dedicated guide.
Lobby setup
Game modes