Hood Warfare 2 Private Matches and Playing With Friends

What is verified right now

Check version 1.0.1.4 before looking for private matches

1. 01

   Read the version in the lower-right corner of the menu

   The developer specifically tells players to confirm 1.0.1.4 there. Do not assume the update installed because Steam showed a completed download.

2. 02

   If the number is older, fully exit Steam

   Use Steam in the top-left of the desktop client and choose Exit Steam, then reopen it. This is the update step given in the official announcement.

3. 03

   Return to the Play screen after updating

   Older recorded menus show Quick Play, Create Game, and Join Game. The recording predates private matches, so the next post-patch control still needs direct evidence.

If your lower-right version is already 1.0.1.4 and a private option is absent, record an uncropped screenshot of the Play and Create Game screens before reporting it. That is more useful than following a guide written from a pre-patch menu.

Creating the room: the verified text-only route

An October 12 recording shows Create Game on the Play screen. Patch 1.0.1.4, released later, says players can create a private password-only lobby with friends. Together, those sources support starting from Play and Create Game, then choosing the private/password option shown by the current build. They do not publish the new switch label, password field label, confirmation button, or order of map and mode selections.

1. 01

   Open Play and choose Create Game

   Create Game is visible in pre-patch menu footage and is the documented custom-match entry point. If the current screen differs, follow the current in-game label rather than an old screenshot.

2. 02

   Choose the private password option shown in your build

   Patch 1.0.1.4 confirms that private lobbies are password-only. The developer does not publish the exact field name, so this page does not invent one.

3. 03

   Set only the options you can verify on screen

   Steam confirms map, mode, match settings, and bots for configurable matches. It does not confirm that every custom option is available in every private lobby.

4. 04

   Communicate the password required by the current screen

   Use the password mechanism actually shown by the installed build and send that password directly to the intended players. The official announcement establishes password access, not whether the host chooses or receives the password, and not a Steam invitation workflow.

5. 05

   Start after the intended players appear in the lobby

   Check the visible lobby roster before starting. No unsupported maximum player count or host-only control is stated here.

Friend joining and invitation status

The official sources confirm online friend play and password-only private lobbies. They do not say whether the password prompt is reached through Join Game, a lobby browser, an in-game friends panel, or more than one route. The safe instruction is therefore to use the current in-game join route that presents the private-lobby password prompt.

An October 14 Steam discussion asks the developer to fix friend invitations and has no replies. Steam displays a localized discussion time, so this page does not claim that the post came before or after the UTC-timestamped patch. It is one unresolved community report, not proof that invitations fail for every player. It does mean this guide should not promise “Invite through Steam” as the supported route. Exchange the password directly and record the exact join screen if entry fails.

What “password-only” confirms

The patch wording supports two narrow facts: the lobby is private, and access uses a password. It does not publish password length, permitted characters, whether the host chooses the password, whether it can be changed after creation, how failed entries are reported, or whether the password is case-sensitive.

Do not share a private-lobby password publicly if the goal is to limit entry. Beyond that basic security practice, this guide cannot yet tell the user what to type into an unseen field or where that field appears.

Bots and match settings: confirmed feature, incomplete controls

Steam says players can set up a match against bots, choose a map, mode, and match settings, and add bots to fill teams. That is enough to confirm a configurable practice match. It is not enough to publish bot difficulty, count limits, team-assignment controls, progression behavior, or compatibility with every private setting.

The beginner guide explains why bots are useful for objective and interface practice. Exact bot controls can be added here later if a current room-creation recording shows them; they are not required for this text-only status guide.

If a friend cannot join

First compare the displayed version on both PCs. Patch 1.0.1.4 reports fixes for various join-game issues and advises a full Steam exit when the update is missing. If both players show 1.0.1.4 but the problem continues, use the symptom-based join failure checklist rather than changing unverified lobby settings.

Capture the exact error text, both displayed versions, which player hosted, and whether the failure occurred before or after password entry. Those details distinguish an update mismatch from a current connection or lobby issue.