Friends must be on the same server to use the official cross-server invitation workaround. If an invitation says your friend is on another server, Kefir directs you to surrender and switch from prison. Discuss the destination before making that choice: a server change can have consequences.
Join the same server
- Agree on the server with your friends and compare the server shown in game.
- If the game says a friend is on another server, open the world map and select Prison.
- Choose Surrender to Feds, switch to your friend’s server once imprisoned, and send the invitation again.
This is Kefir’s documented route for the specific different-server message. Read the in-game confirmation carefully: community reports warn that possessions, clan membership and unclaimed mail may be affected. The official FAQ does not detail all possible losses, so the exact consequences remain unconfirmed.
Make a party
Community guidance reports a party limit of three and describes sending invitations from the global map or a settlement. This is community-reported, not an independently tested or officially confirmed limit. A clan is a separate system: Kefir’s Steam FAQ describes clans as server-specific and allows up to 100 members. A large clan does not imply the same size for an activity party.
If your party cannot enter a location
Players have reported being able to enter individually but failing as a party. That report does not establish whether matchmaking, a server incident or another issue caused the failure, and a universal fix has not been verified. Check the current official notices and compare the exact message each player sees. Restart the game and Steam using Kefir’s general loading guidance, then retry when the service is stable.
Do not surrender repeatedly merely because a location fails to load: switching servers is a different action from restarting a connection. Check the server status and loading guide first, and use the wipe guide to plan around your current cycle.
What if four friends want to play?
A community discussion reports a three-person party limit. A player suggested splitting four friends into two pairs and meeting at a shared location, but whether everyone can enter the same instance and the available locations were not independently verified. Treat that suggestion as community-reported rather than a guaranteed workaround.
Collect useful details before retrying
Compare the exact server names, not just the region, and record whether the failure occurs when sending, accepting or entering a location. Kefir’s error guide describes E-0401 as a Steam authentication failure and recommends checking that Steam is online and signed into the correct account, then restarting Steam and the game. A different error can require a different response; record the code rather than assuming every failed invitation means a server mismatch.