diff --git a/src/client/components/LobbyPlayerView.ts b/src/client/components/LobbyPlayerView.ts
index 5dcd3eef0..231fef396 100644
--- a/src/client/components/LobbyPlayerView.ts
+++ b/src/client/components/LobbyPlayerView.ts
@@ -340,6 +340,7 @@ export class LobbyTeamView extends LitElement {
           c.clientID,
           false,
           c.clanTag,
+          c.friends ?? [],
         ),
     );
     const assignment = assignTeamsLobbyPreview(
diff --git a/src/core/Schemas.ts b/src/core/Schemas.ts
index 46610373c..f14a39c76 100644
--- a/src/core/Schemas.ts
+++ b/src/core/Schemas.ts
@@ -156,6 +156,7 @@ const ClientInfoSchema = z.object({
   clientID: z.string(),
   username: UsernameSchema,
   clanTag: ClanTagSchema,
+  friends: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
 });
 
 export const GameInfoSchema = z.object({
@@ -192,6 +193,7 @@ export interface ClientInfo {
   clientID: ClientID;
   username: string;
   clanTag: string | null;
+  friends?: ClientID[];
 }
 export enum LogSeverity {
   Debug = "DEBUG",
diff --git a/src/server/GameServer.ts b/src/server/GameServer.ts
index 59673e2fd..3ae18efab 100644
--- a/src/server/GameServer.ts
+++ b/src/server/GameServer.ts
@@ -731,29 +731,21 @@ export class GameServer {
     // if no client connects/pings.
     this.lastPingUpdate = Date.now();
 
-    const publicIdToClientID = new Map<string, ClientID>();
-    for (const c of this.activeClients) {
-      if (c.publicId) publicIdToClientID.set(c.publicId, c.clientID);
-    }
+    const friendsFor = this.buildFriendsLookup();
 
     const result = GameStartInfoSchema.safeParse({
       gameID: this.id,
       lobbyCreatedAt: this.createdAt,
       visibleAt: this.visibleAt,
       config: this.gameConfig,
-      players: this.activeClients.map((c) => {
-        const friendClientIDs = c.friends
-          .map((pid) => publicIdToClientID.get(pid))
-          .filter((id): id is ClientID => id !== undefined);
-        return {
-          username: c.username,
-          clanTag: c.clanTag ?? null,
-          clientID: c.clientID,
-          cosmetics: c.cosmetics,
-          isLobbyCreator: this.lobbyCreatorID === c.clientID,
-          friends: friendClientIDs.length > 0 ? friendClientIDs : undefined,
-        };
-      }),
+      players: this.activeClients.map((c) => ({
+        username: c.username,
+        clanTag: c.clanTag ?? null,
+        clientID: c.clientID,
+        cosmetics: c.cosmetics,
+        isLobbyCreator: this.lobbyCreatorID === c.clientID,
+        friends: friendsFor(c),
+      })),
     });
     if (!result.success) {
       const error = z.prettifyError(result.error);
@@ -966,12 +958,14 @@ export class GameServer {
   }
 
   public gameInfo(): GameInfo {
+    const friendsFor = this.buildFriendsLookup();
     return {
       gameID: this.id,
       clients: this.activeClients.map((c) => ({
         username: c.username,
         clanTag: c.clanTag ?? null,
         clientID: c.clientID,
+        friends: friendsFor(c),
       })),
       lobbyCreatorClientID: this.lobbyCreatorID,
       gameConfig: this.gameConfig,
@@ -981,6 +975,23 @@ export class GameServer {
     };
   }
 
+  // Maps each active client's publicId-based friends list to in-game
+  // clientIDs, dropping friends not present in this game. Returns undefined
+  // when no friends are present so the field can be omitted from the wire
+  // payload.
+  private buildFriendsLookup(): (client: Client) => ClientID[] | undefined {
+    const publicIdToClientID = new Map<string, ClientID>();
+    for (const c of this.activeClients) {
+      if (c.publicId) publicIdToClientID.set(c.publicId, c.clientID);
+    }
+    return (client: Client) => {
+      const friendClientIDs = client.friends
+        .map((pid) => publicIdToClientID.get(pid))
+        .filter((id): id is ClientID => id !== undefined);
+      return friendClientIDs.length > 0 ? friendClientIDs : undefined;
+    };
+  }
+
   public isPublic(): boolean {
     return this.gameConfig.gameType === GameType.Public;
   }
diff --git a/src/server/ServerEnv.ts b/src/server/ServerEnv.ts
index 012d360af..365f9a325 100644
--- a/src/server/ServerEnv.ts
+++ b/src/server/ServerEnv.ts
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ export class ServerEnv {
     return 100;
   }
   static gameCreationRate(): number {
-    return ServerEnv.gameEnv === GameEnv.Dev ? 5 * 1000 : 2 * 60 * 1000;
+    return ServerEnv.gameEnv === GameEnv.Dev ? 50 * 1000 : 2 * 60 * 1000;
   }
   static workerIndex(gameID: GameID): number {
     return simpleHash(gameID) % ServerEnv.numWorkers();