I’ve been building Hideout, a browser-based hangout space for friend groups where you can jump in and play games together instantly.
The idea came from something I kept noticing.
Whenever you try to play games with friends online, there’s always too much setup:
downloading apps or games
making accounts
joining lobbies
switching between chat and the actual game
And by the time everyone is ready, people lose interest or the moment is gone.
What I’m building
Hideout is a real-time hangout space where:
you join with a link
your friends join the same room instantly
you can talk and interact in real time
and play built-in multiplayer games inside the same space
Everything is inside the browser.
No installs. No switching between apps. Just one place where everyone is together.
Where it started
It started as a social deduction game (Mafia-style), but I kept expanding it.
Now it’s more like a general space for friend groups to hang out and play without setup getting in the way.
What I’ve learned so far
A few things I noticed while building this:
friction kills multiplayer way faster than bad gameplay
people don’t really care about “features”, they care about getting into the same experience quickly
the hardest part isn’t the game itself, it’s getting everyone in the same place at the same time
groups matter more than individual users when it comes to retention
What I’m working on next
Right now I’m focusing on:
making it faster to start a session with friends
making rooms feel more active and alive
figuring out what actually makes people come back with the same group
Feedback
Would love feedback from anyone who has built:
multiplayer games
real-time apps
social platforms
Especially around what makes people actually stick around and come back.
Link: [The Hideout(https://hideout-fa01d.web.app/)
Thank you!!
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