How to Add Friends on VRChat: Step-by-Step Guide

Exploring a new virtual world is always fun with your friends. VRChat is becoming a popular virtual world platform where you can play mini-games, interact with your friends and participate in events virtually. You can create a VRChat avatar to represent yourself and make friends while exploring the world. Playing VRChat with friends will make your experience even more immersive.

But to invite someone to your chat room, you must be friends with them first. Setting up VRChat and adding friends on in the game isn’t the most intuitive but hopefully, we can change that. In this article, we’ll explain how to find and add friends to VRChat manually and with a VR headset.

What Is VRChat?

VRChat is an immersive virtual world where you can interact with other people through your 3D avatar. It’s a game that grants you access to a whole universe where you can travel through interconnected worlds and do whatever you want. VRChat is a free-to-play social game that you can download and sign up for through Steam.

This virtual world was launched in 2017 and has become very popular on streaming sites like YouTube and Twitch. VRChat has no special requirements for you to enter and play the game. For a more immersive experience, you can use a VR headset, but you can still play VRChat without VR using your computer. With VRChat, you’ll be able to use your own custom avatar and create your own world with your friends.

Getting Started with VRChat

There are many ways you can get on board with VRChat and connect with people worldwide. You can download the game from Steam or sign up directly on the website. We always recommend starting with a Steam account to sign up for VRChat. That way, you can jump right into the action. Using a Steam account is also easier than creating it directly on VRChat.

The game is pretty forgiving and has pretty low hardware requirements. You can also play sitting or standing as VRChat supports full-body tracking. Your 3D avatars have a wide range of movement and can lip-sync while interacting with other players. Additionally, you can discover and explore hundreds of worlds with your custom avatars.

Your avatar will need to be designed with full body tracking in mind but there are plenty of places to find custom avatars for a reasonable price. A lot of players in need of custom VRChat avatar commissions will turn to professional artists to make it for them. This is a great way to bring your ideas to life without the hassles of having to design them yourself.

Need A VRChat Avatar?

Adding Friends on VRChat

Obviously, with the addition of a VR headset, the controls will be vastly different compared to those on a mouse and keyboard. So we thought it would be a good idea to show you how to add friends for both users.

Adding Friends via a VR Headset 

To get the best VRChat experience you should use a VR headset. A lot of people have reservations about paying hundreds of dollars for a piece of equipment they rarely use. Or they’re not sure which one to go for. We outline the best VR headsets for VRChat in more detail in another article. These headsets have motion controls and buttons. To add friends on VRChat with a headset, you must use a combination of buttons and pointing. Here is how to add friends using a VR headset like Oculus Rift.

Adding Friends in the Same Room

The process is relatively straightforward if you want to add a person in the same game room as your friend. Here is how you can do it.

• Open the ‘Quick’ menu in VRChat by clicking the B button on your right controller.
• Now, point your selection laser at the player you want to add as a friend.
• A menu will open where you can select the option to send them a request.
• Once the player accepts your friend request, you’ll be able to see them in the ‘Social’ menu of VRChat.

Adding Friends through Their Username

It’s much easier to add friends in the same room as you, but this is not always the case. Sometimes you’re going to have to add your friends via username. You need to follow a few more steps to add them as your friends. Here is how to add friends in VRChat who aren’t in the same room.

• To add friends, you must first open the quick menu in the game. You can do this by pressing the B button on the right controller.
• Point to the ‘Social’ option and press the trigger to select it.
• In the search bar, type the friend’s name you want to add on VRChat. Click “Ok” when you’re done entering the name.
• You’ll see a list of players with similar usernames. Select the correct player from the list.
• Click on the player’s name and send them a friend request from the pop-up menu.
• Once the player accepts your friend request, you’ll be able to see their name in the ‘Social’ menu of the game.

Adding Friends via a Keyboard and Mouse

As mentioned earlier, you don’t need a VR headset to experience this game. Although headsets make things a lot more immersive, many people don’t like them because of nausea and disorientation. Because of this, some gamers still prefer the two-dimensional gaming experience with a keyboard and mouse.

Here is how to manually add friends on VRChat using a keyboard and mouse.

Adding Friends in the Same Room

Like a VR headset, adding friends in the same area is much easier with a keyboard and mouse. You just need to follow a few steps to send them a friend request. Here’s how you can do it.

• Press the ‘Esc’ key on your keyboard to bring up the ‘Quick’ menu of the game.
• Click your mouse on the player you want to add as a friend.
• Send them a friend request from the pop-up menu.
• Once the player accepts the request, you’ll be able to see their name in the ‘Social’ menu of the game.

Adding Friends through Their Username

You can also search for your friend’s usernames and add them to your VRChat profile. However, the process is a bit more tedious, and you should know their name on the platform to find their avatar. Here is how to manually add friends on VRChat using their usernames.

• Press the ‘Esc’ key to access your in-game keyboard.
• Use your mouse to click the ‘Social’ option on the screen.
• In the search bar, type the username you want to add to your friend list. When you’re done, click the ‘Ok’ option.
• The game will generate a list of profiles with similar usernames.
• Select the right player from the list that you want to add.
• Select the player and send them a friend request from the pop-up menu.
• Once they accept your friend request, you’ll be able to view their profile in the ‘Social’ menu of the game.

Accepting Friend Requests on VRChat

You can also add friends to your VRChat by accepting requests from other players. You’ll be notified when another VRChat player sends you a friend request. You can accept a friend request in-game using your VR headset or a keyboard and mouse.

Accepting Friend Requests with a VR Headset

Like when you send a request, you use a combination of motion controls and buttons to head to the notification and accept it. Here’s how you can do it.

• Once you receive a friend request notification, you need to open your ‘Quick’ menu. As discussed earlier, you can do that by clicking the B button on the right controller.
• Point to the ‘Social’ menu and click on the trigger to select it.
• If you want to add the person to your friend list, point to the ‘Accept’ option and click the trigger.
• Now you can view their profile in the Social menu and invite them to your chat room.

Accepting Friend Requests with a Keyboard and Mouse

If you’re not a fan of 3D reality, you can use your keyboard & mouse to add friends and accept in-game friend requests. Here is how you can do it.

• When you receive a notification about a friend request on your screen, you need to go to the ‘Quick’ menu. You can access it by clicking the ‘Esc’ key on your keyboard.
• Navigate with your mouse to the ‘Social’ option and click on it.
• You can then see all the friend requests that users have sent. If you want to add them to your friend list, click the ‘Accept’ option on the screen.
• Check out their profiles in the ‘Social’ menu and explore the virtual world of VRChat with them.

Adding VRChat Friends on Steam

Once you’ve added a person to your VRChat profile, it becomes easier to add them as your Steam friend as well. This way, you can see the other person’s game profiles and join them every time they’re online on VRChat. You can add your VRChat friends to Steam in a few different ways.

Using a Friend Code

One of the most straightforward ways is to use a friend code to add your VRChat friends on Steam. This allows you to connect with them directly on Steam without much hassle. Here’s how you can do it.

• Once you’ve added your friend on VRChat, you can ask them to give you a Steam Friend code.
• After you get the code from your friend, you can launch Steam in your browser.
• Click on the ‘Friends’ option that you can see in the upper left half of the screen.
• Select the ‘Add Friend’ option from the menu bar.
• Now copy and paste the code your friend sent you via VRChat.
• Click on the ‘Send Invite’ option.
• Once the player accepts your invitation, you’ll be added to each other’s friend list on Steam.

Using Quick Links

You can also use Quick Links to add your friends to your Steam account. However, remember that these links work only once and expire within 30 calendar days. Here is how you can add friends using Quick Links.

• When you’ve added your friend on VRChat, you can create an exclusive chat room with them.
• Now launch Steam in your browser.
• Click on the ‘Friends’ option in the upper left half of the screen.
• Generate a new Quick Link from the menu and copy it to your clipboard.
• Paste it into the chat room and send the link to your friend.
• Once he uses the link you provided, he’ll be automatically added to your friend list on Steam.

What to Do with Your Friends on VRChat?

VRChat is much more fun when you play and interact with your friends in the virtual world. You can create your world with their help and even travel to their world. As you add more and more friends to VRChat, the game becomes more captivating for you. You can even create private rooms with your friends and hang out with them.

The community has created several VRChat worlds to find avatars, play games and just hang out. You can choose something that fits the mood and hobbies of your circle of friends. Here are a few popular VRChat worlds you can enjoy with friends. 

Zombie Tag

If you feel like playing a game with your friends, Zombie Tag is a fantastic world to visit. Here, a person starts as a zombie and must infect as many players as possible. The game ends with everyone turning into a zombie.

Sky Camp

If you have a smaller group of buddies and are looking for a quiet chat with your friends, you can visit this world. It’s a unique virtual campsite with a campfire where you can sit and chat with your friends in peace. 

The Great Pug

The Great Pug is an exciting virtual world known for its pub aesthetic. It’s a classic pub with food, drinks, bars, music, and much more. You can enjoy the vibe of this place and hang out with your friends.

Takeaway

VRChat is an immersive virtual world that makes it much more fun to play with friends. If you’re just starting and getting to know the different interconnected worlds, it’s a great way to meet new people. You can add those people to your friend list and hang out with them more often. Whether you use a keyboard and mouse or a VR headset, you can easily add friends or accept requests on VRChat.