Is it NECESSARY to use Advanced Session Plugin with UE5?

[RianeN]

I’m creating a simple lobby where one player can host and the other can join. Works fine on LAN, but sessions aren’t showing up when searched without LAN. I realize this is a frequent issue but it seems like literally everyone uses Advances Sessions Plugin and the answers are catered to that a lot of the time. Or they’re just outdated now.

I’ve tried packaging in development as well as shipping.

I added the following to my DefaultEngine.ini:

[/Script/Engine.GameEngine]
+NetDriverDefinitions=(DefName="GameNetDriver",DriverClassName="OnlineSubsystemSteam.SteamNetDriver",DriverClassNameFallback="OnlineSubsystemUtils.IpNetDriver")

[OnlineSubsystem]
DefaultPlatformService=Steam

[OnlineSubsystemSteam]
bEnabled=true
SteamDevAppId= **my game's app id**
bInitServerOnClient=true

[/Script/OnlineSubsystemSteam.SteamNetDriver]
NetConnectionClassName="OnlineSubsystemSteam.SteamNetConnection"

** changed the app id to my game’s steam app id

I also added a steam_appid.txt file with nothing by the app id in it, which I have one copy in my root directory and another in the package folder (Windows/steam_appid.txt).

I have ensured in my plugins that Online Subsystem Steam and Steam Shared Model are enabled.

This is the code:

[STRiFE.x (STRiFE)]

I’ve spent 2 years working on a matchmaking plugin. Trust me, the basic session nodes are pretty much useless. I don’t even know why they are in the engine. I guess they are fine for local testing with the Null Online Subsystem, but that’s about it. Your setup is fine, but you are missing the bUsePresence (or bUseLobbiesIfAvailable as of UE4.27) settings when creating the session, and the basic nodes don’t give you access to them.

[RianeN]

Yeah, it looks like you’re right. I was trying to avoid addons, but I finally did just get it and swapping nodes made it work just fine.