Quick answer
[Official] Update both PCs, restart Steam, have the host create a private server, and use the in-game friend-server search. Update 3.5.0 added friend-server search, while fix3.5.1 restored the Friend List and prioritizes online friends.
[Unverified] There is no current official universal repair for a private server that stays invisible or ignores an invitation. The EULA and Find Server-screen methods below are player reports, not official requirements.
This is an unofficial review draft verified on 2026-08-12. No multiplayer session was personally reproduced for this draft.
Use the supported join path
- Exit MECCHA CHAMELEON on both PCs. Let Steam finish any pending update, then restart Steam so both players begin from the same current announcement stream.
- Ask the host to create a private server and remain inside the lobby. The Steam store confirms that players can create servers and play with friends.
- On the joining PC, open the server browser and use the friend-server search added in update 3.5.0. Check the Friend List for the online host before relying on a Steam overlay invitation.
- If the host appears, select the host's room. If the room does not appear, stop and record that as a discovery failure; if it appears but joining does nothing, record that as an invitation/join failure.
- Swap host and guest once. A failure tied to one PC is more useful diagnostic evidence than repeated retries with the same host.
Community-reported workarounds
[Community-tested] In one Steam thread, a group reported that the invitee waiting on the Find Server screen before the host used the in-game Steam-friend invitation made the invitation appear. This was reported before the current update stream and may no longer be necessary.
[Community-tested] Another participant reported that restarting and having both players accept the game's EULA allowed them to join. The store confirms that MECCHA CHAMELEON requires a third-party EULA, but neither the store nor the reviewed patch notes say EULA state is a documented lobby requirement.
Try each workaround once and write down the result. Do not combine several changes at once, because you will not know which one affected the outcome.
Firewall check without unsafe port changes
- Open Windows Security, then Firewall & network protection, then Allow an app through firewall.
- Only consider an entry that resolves to the installed MECCHA CHAMELEON executable. Never allow an unfamiliar executable because it has a game-like name.
- Use the network profile you actually trust. Do not disable Windows Firewall globally.
- Do not open arbitrary ports based on a forum reply. Microsoft says allowing a recognized app is less risky than opening a port, because an open port remains available until it is closed.
Read the result
If friend search cannot see the online host, the failure happens before connection. Capture both Steam online states, the visible game/update labels, and a screenshot of the friend list.
If the room is visible but an invitation does nothing, record whether the invite appeared in Steam, in game, or nowhere. If joining starts and then returns to the menu, use the separate public/server-return diagnostic because that is a different intent.
[Unverified] The reviewed sources do not establish that NAT type, router ports, Epic account linking, system clock, VPN software, or a reinstall is the general cause. Do not present any of those as a fix without new official evidence or controlled reproduction.
Bug report checklist
- Record the official announcement/update label shown for each PC; note that the 2026-08-12 announcement page literally displays fix7.3.2 after fix3.7.1, so do not silently normalize that label.
- Record host and guest Windows versions, whether each user appears online in Steam, and whether the host appears in friend search.
- State whether the failure is room not visible, invitation absent, invitation accepted with no response, or load followed by main menu.
- Attach screenshots or a short recording and list each workaround attempted once.