The Cooperative Heist Experience

Dumpster Gang is built from the ground up as a social, slapstick multiplayer experience. While tackling neighborhoods solo offers a tense, methodical stealth challenge, gathering a four-raccoon squad transforms the sandbox into a hilarious playground of coordinated heists, chaotic blunders, emergency jailbreaks, and frantic getaways.

The game features dedicated peer-to-peer peer-routed networking with automatic host migration. Whether you are playing with friends across town or joining public lobbies across the globe, understanding how matchmaking, lobby hosting, and crossplay connections work is essential.

Here is the complete guide to establishing multiplayer lobbies, cross-platform party invites, network optimization, and squad communication.

Crossplay Support & Roadmap

Because Dumpster Gang is releasing across different storefronts and hardware waves, crossplay follows a clear rollout:

Wave 1: PC Crossplay (Live December 3, 2026)

Full cross-play compatibility between all PC storefronts:

  • Steam <-> Windows Xbox Store <-> PC Game Pass.
  • Players can invite each other seamlessly regardless of which PC launcher they purchased the game on.

Wave 2: Full Crossplay Ecosystem (March 2027)

Upon the release of the console editions, crossplay expands to unite all gaming communities:

  • PlayStation 5 <-> Xbox Series X|S <-> Nintendo Switch 2 <-> PC.
  • Full opt-in/opt-out crossplay toggles will be provided in the Network Settings menu.
Platform Matchup Crossplay Status Method of Connection Voice Chat Support
Steam to PC Game Pass Full Support at Launch 6-Digit In-Game Heist Code Integrated In-Game VoIP
Steam to Steam Full Support at Launch Steam Friends List / Overlay Integrated / Steam Voice
PC to PS5 / Xbox Series Arrives March 2027 Universal Curve Games Account Cross-Platform Party Chat
Switch 2 to All Platforms Arrives March 2027 Curve Network ID In-Game Proximity VoIP

How to Host and Join a 4-Player Lobby

Setting up a cooperative heist takes less than 30 seconds:

Step 1: Hosting a Session

  1. From the main menu, select Play Co-Op and choose Host Gang Session.
  2. Choose your lobby privacy setting:
    • Friends Only: Only visible to friends on your platform platform friends list.
    • Private (Code Only): Requires an alphanumeric room code to join.
    • Public: Listed on the worldwide matchmaking server browser.
  3. You will spawn into your personal Campfire Hideout.

Step 2: Generating a Heist Code

  1. Press the pause button to open the Lobby Overview screen.
  2. In the top-right corner, click Generate Heist Code.
  3. A unique 6-digit code will appear (e.g., RAC-784). Share this code with your friends via Discord, text, or voice.

Step 3: Joining via Code

  1. Your friends launch Dumpster Gang, select Play Co-Op, and click Join with Heist Code.
  2. They enter the 6-digit code.
  3. Within 3 seconds, their custom raccoons will burrow out of a molehill directly inside your campfire hideout.

Squad Coordination & Role Division

To maximize success in high-difficulty raids, four-player squads should divide responsibilities:

  • The Scout (1 Player): Moves ahead through ventilation ducts and rooftops. Unlatches gates, disables breaker boxes, and marks heavy loot caches.
  • The Pack Mules (2 Players): Carry large Tier 2 and Tier 3 furniture items. Coordinate two-raccoon lifts on appliances and manage the conveyor belts.
  • The Enforcer / Decoy (1 Player): Stays near the perimeter. Hoards skillets, boomboxes, and bricks to intercept John Exterminator and disarm traps before they endanger the carriers.

Voice Chat & Ping Communication

Dumpster Gang features both high-quality spatial proximity voice chat and a non-verbal ping wheel:

  • Proximity Voice Chat: Raccoon voices are muffled when inside ventilation ducts and echo when speaking inside tiled bathrooms. Speaking too loudly near sleeping guard dogs can alert them.
  • The Raccoon Ping Wheel (Middle Mouse / D-Pad Up): Tap to ping an object, door, or guard. Hold to bring up context commands: "Carry This", "Trap Here!", "John Approaching!", and "Need Lockpick Help!".

Pro Tip

If playing with crossplay friends on PC Game Pass, create the room code first, but do not launch the mission until everyone gathers around the Campfire to roast marshmallows together. The pre-mission roasting buff applies to all players present in the hideout at launch.

Coordinate your co-op play with our complementary system guides:

Official Sources & Verified Evidence