WheelMates Friend's Pass

WheelMates is a mandatory two-player game that launched with Friend’s Pass on Steam. Firevolt’s own launch FAQ is blunt: your friend can join for free. That is the feature that makes a $19.99 co-op adventure (10% off until 15 September 2026) realistic for pairs who do not want to buy the same story twice. This page explains what the pass actually does, how it differs from owning two copies, how split-screen fits, and where Steam Remote Play Together still helps. Pair it with Getting Started if you still need to find a human, and with How to Play once you are in a lobby and the camera starts arguing.

Friend’s Pass does not add a solo mode. It does not let three people pile into Bloom’s house. It does not replace Discord. It is a guest ticket for player two so the campaign’s hard rule (exactly two drivers) does not also demand exactly two wallets.

What Friend’s Pass is

One player buys the full game from the Steam store page. That owner is the host. The second player downloads the separate free Friend’s Pass listing (Steam shows it as WheelMates - Friend’s Pass) and joins the host’s session as a guest. Together you can play the full campaign: Kitchen, Garage, Backyard, laboratory, and the rest of the house, including gadgets and story. You are not locked to a demo slice.

Local split-screen on the owner’s PC also needs only one copy. Player two sits on the same couch with a second controller. That is still “one purchase, two players,” just without the guest app. Friend’s Pass is the online version of that promise. Firevolt described it the same way in Q&A: two people, one copy of the game.

The guest cannot start a story session without a host who owns the full game. If both of you only install the pass, you will not magically unlock the campaign. Someone has to buy WheelMates. After that, you can replay with the same guest or invite a different friend later. The pass is for the session, not a one-time trial coupon.

Online guest versus buying two copies

Buy one copy plus Friend’s Pass when:

• You have a stable host and a friend who is happy to be player two.
• You want the launch discount to cover the pair, not two store carts.
• You mostly play together and do not need two independent libraries.

Buy two copies when:

• You both want to host on different nights without coordinating whose PC is on.
• You want the game in both Steam libraries for later, gifts, or Family Sharing setups that do not mix cleanly with a guest pass.
• You plan to mix and match partners and hate relying on one person’s install.
• You want the Supporter Pack cosmetics on both accounts (the pack is a separate purchase; it is not granted to the guest as a permanent locker).

Two copies do not make the puzzles easier. They do not add solo. They only change who is allowed to press Host. For a single dedicated pair, Friend’s Pass is the value proposition the launch review keeps circling: It Takes Two-style design with a Re-Volt toybox, priced so the second chair is free.

Split-screen, online, and Remote Play Together

Three legal ways to sit in the same house:

1. Local split-screen on one PC. One copy. Two controllers. Best voice, one physics world, worst keyboard rebinds for player two. Read How to Play before you try dual keyboards.
2. Online co-op with Friend’s Pass. One copy. Guest app on the second Steam account. Each player has a full screen and their own pad. This is the intended long-distance setup. Open Discord; the game has no voice chat.
3. Steam Remote Play Together. The host streams the running game to a friend. The guest does not need the full install in the same way as a native online client. Input and video ride the stream. This is a fallback if you want a “couch” session across the internet, or if a guest cannot get the pass working. The cost is stream quality. The gain is sharing one simulation.

You can mix social setups across a week (Friday split-screen, Sunday Friend’s Pass) as long as the owner is present when a guest is required. Saves live with the campaign you are playing; do not assume a guest can open the owner’s story later on a different host without that owner. When in doubt, keep the same host for the whole six-to-eight-hour run.

Practical join order

1. Owner installs the full game, boots it, and confirms DirectX 12 and a controller.
2. Guest installs Friend’s Pass from Steam (search WheelMates and look for the free pass listing on the same hub).
3. Both of you join the same voice channel. No in-game voice exists.
4. Owner hosts. Guest accepts the invite or joins through the in-game flow Steam shows that day. We will not invent button labels that Firevolt can still rename in a patch.
5. Pick colors. Drive the Kitchen. If the guest cannot move, stop and fix binds before you touch a two-station puzzle.

If the invite fails, verify both clients updated, that the owner actually owns the full game (not only the old demo), and that you are not both waiting in the pass app. Try Remote Play Together as a backup. Try split-screen if you are in the same room. Try swapping who owns the game only if you were planning to buy a second copy anyway.

What Friend’s Pass is not

It is not a reason to skip a partner. It is not cross-play with the unreleased PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, or Switch versions planned for the first half of 2027. It is not a substitute for the walkthrough when you are stuck on a crane. It does not include the Supporter Pack’s exclusive car by default. It does not fix a sensitive camera. It does not add in-game voice.

Used honestly, Friend’s Pass is the launch feature that matches the design: the puzzles already require two cars, so the store page should not require two receipts. Once the guest can steer, forget the pass and play the house. The Garage does not care who paid. It only cares who is holding the magnet.