How to play WheelMates together

Two players, two ways to get together

On one PC: choose local split-screen. On separate PCs: use online co-op. One full-game owner can bring a friend along with the free Friend's Pass.

You need exactly two players and an arranged partner; there is no automatic matchmaking. These instructions cover the Steam version.

Which setup is yours?

Online play with Friend's Pass

Have the owner launch the full WheelMates game and the friend install WheelMates Friend's Pass. These two versions use different menu routes. Follow your own column below, then pass the invitation code from the owner to the friend.

Already own two copies? Use online play in your full games. The guest column above is specifically the Friend's Pass menu route.

Watch the invitation in under a minute

Local split-screen on one PC

Choose local split-screen when both players are sharing one PC. Start the game on that PC and follow its on-screen prompts to bring in the second player.

The Steam page confirms split-screen support. For supported keyboard and controller combinations, check the prompts in your installed game; the published FAQ does not give a complete device setup.

If joining locally triggers a Fatal Error, check the 6 September hotfix and your installed version.

Before you start

• Update both installations. The developer asks online partners to compare the version at the bottom left of each menu, including the Pass player's version.
• Agree how you will talk. There is no built-in voice chat; the developer recommends Discord.
• Keep the code unchanged. Send the copied invitation to your partner and enter it as supplied.

Spend five minutes learning the car together

Once you are both in the game, use an open area to practice before taking a narrow route. This short routine adapts the driving and interaction topics in the community controls guide; five minutes is a suggested practice session, not a measured tutorial length.

1. Read your own prompts. Check the current controls for driving, reversing and interacting. Compare the action names with your partner, since your input devices may differ.
2. Turn, stop and reverse in open space. Take turns describing where you intend to move. Practice lining up with a target before adding a difficult route.
3. Recognize the interaction. Compare a button you drive onto with a handle that needs a rope. Try the interaction the game has introduced and watch for its response.
4. Agree on the next move. Point out the target and route, then decide who acts first. For simultaneous actions, choose one person to give the countdown.

Ready to try a coordinated mechanism? Follow the two-player lever example, with separate attachments and a visible success signal.

Questions before your first session

Answers come from the official invitation thread, Launch FAQ and English press-kit FAQ.

If you cannot continue

A failed invitation, a local co-op crash and an unresponsive tutorial input are different problems. Read the dated issue guide before treating a fix for one of them as a solution for all three.

The developer's local co-op Fatal Error hotfix is dated 6 September in Steam's displayed announcement. A separate DualSense input problem was acknowledged on 6 September (UTC); the sources checked for this guide do not provide a confirmed fix for that report.