diff --git a/ui/frontend/src/lib/screens/lobby-create-screen.svelte b/ui/frontend/src/lib/screens/lobby-create-screen.svelte
index 29a5711..61e9bf9 100644
--- a/ui/frontend/src/lib/screens/lobby-create-screen.svelte
+++ b/ui/frontend/src/lib/screens/lobby-create-screen.svelte
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 	import { i18n, type TranslationKey } from "$lib/i18n/index.svelte";
 	import { loadCore } from "../../platform/core/index";
 	import { session } from "$lib/session-store.svelte";
+	import { lobbyData } from "$lib/lobby-data.svelte";
 
 	const DEFAULT_MIN_PLAYERS = 2;
 	const DEFAULT_MAX_PLAYERS = 8;
@@ -102,9 +103,17 @@
 				turnSchedule: trimmedSchedule,
 				targetEngineVersion: targetEngineVersion.trim() || DEFAULT_TARGET_ENGINE_VERSION,
 			});
-			// Land on the private-games panel where the freshly created
-			// game shows up — the lobby-data store will refresh on next
-			// mount.
+			// Refresh the lobby-data cache so the freshly-created game
+			// shows up in the private-games panel the moment we land
+			// there. The shared store is otherwise lazy (ensure-on-
+			// first-mount) and would render a stale list across the
+			// navigation.
+			try {
+				await lobbyData.refresh();
+			} catch {
+				// Refresh failure does not block the navigation —
+				// the panel will retry on its own mount.
+			}
 			appScreen.go("games-private-games");
 		} catch (err) {
 			formError = describeLobbyError(err);
diff --git a/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/game-shell-map.spec.ts b/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/game-shell-map.spec.ts
index c26ab2b..436faf6 100644
--- a/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/game-shell-map.spec.ts
+++ b/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/game-shell-map.spec.ts
@@ -250,9 +250,12 @@ test("missing-membership game drops back to the lobby with an unavailable toast"
 	);
 
 	// Back on the lobby (game shell unmounted), with the unavailable toast.
+	// F8-04b moved the `create new game` button into the `private games`
+	// sub-panel; the always-present lobby chrome signal is the identity
+	// strip, so assert that instead.
 	await expect(page.getByTestId("toast")).toContainText(
 		"this game is no longer available",
 	);
-	await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-create-button")).toBeVisible();
+	await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-account-name")).toBeVisible();
 	await expect(page.getByTestId("game-shell")).toHaveCount(0);
 });
diff --git a/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/inspector-ship-group.spec.ts b/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/inspector-ship-group.spec.ts
index a9989e3..7de4963 100644
--- a/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/inspector-ship-group.spec.ts
+++ b/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/inspector-ship-group.spec.ts
@@ -136,9 +136,13 @@ test("synthetic-report loader navigates from lobby to map and renders", async ({
 	page,
 }) => {
 	await seedSession(page);
-	// Seeded session → the dispatcher renders the lobby; the synthetic
-	// loader lives there behind the dev-affordances flag.
+	// Seeded session → the dispatcher renders the lobby. F8-04b moved
+	// the synthetic-report loader off of Overview into its own
+	// dev-only top-level screen; jump straight to it via the dev nav
+	// surface so the spec is viewport-agnostic.
 	await page.goto("/");
+	await page.waitForFunction(() => window.__galaxyNav !== undefined);
+	await page.evaluate(() => window.__galaxyNav!.go("synthetic-reports"));
 	await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-synthetic-section")).toBeVisible();
 
 	const file = page.getByTestId("lobby-synthetic-file");
diff --git a/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/lobby-flow.spec.ts b/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/lobby-flow.spec.ts
index 5e9d9cf..8ebf251 100644
--- a/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/lobby-flow.spec.ts
+++ b/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/lobby-flow.spec.ts
@@ -271,8 +271,11 @@ test.describe("Phase 8 — lobby flow", () => {
 		// Default landing is `games-recruitment` (empty, no public games).
 		await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-recruitment-empty")).toBeVisible();
 
-		// Paid tier exposes the `private games` sub-panel; navigate to it.
-		await page.getByTestId("lobby-nav-games-private-games").click();
+		// Paid tier exposes the `private games` sub-panel; navigate to
+		// it via the dev nav surface so the spec is viewport-agnostic
+		// (the mobile sidebar hides the desktop submenu behind a
+		// dropdown — that UX is covered by lobby-submenu specs).
+		await page.evaluate(() => window.__galaxyNav!.go("games-private-games"));
 		await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-games-private-empty")).toBeVisible();
 
 		await page.getByTestId("lobby-create-button").click();
@@ -348,14 +351,16 @@ test.describe("Phase 8 — lobby flow", () => {
 		});
 		await completeLogin(page);
 
-		// Navigate to the invitations sub-panel.
-		await page.getByTestId("lobby-nav-games-invitations").click();
+		// Navigate to the invitations sub-panel via the dev nav surface
+		// (viewport-agnostic — the mobile sidebar hides the desktop
+		// submenu behind a dropdown).
+		await page.evaluate(() => window.__galaxyNav!.go("games-invitations"));
 		await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-invite-accept")).toBeVisible();
 		await page.getByTestId("lobby-invite-accept").click();
 		await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-invite-accept")).toBeHidden();
 
 		// Active-past now has the invited game.
-		await page.getByTestId("lobby-nav-games-active-past").click();
+		await page.evaluate(() => window.__galaxyNav!.go("games-active-past"));
 		await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-my-game-card")).toContainText("Invited Game");
 		expect(mocks.inviteRedeemCalls).toEqual([
 			{ gameId: "private-1", inviteId: "invite-1" },
diff --git a/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/lobby-tier-gate.spec.ts b/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/lobby-tier-gate.spec.ts
index 156f75e..ae2ab93 100644
--- a/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/lobby-tier-gate.spec.ts
+++ b/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/lobby-tier-gate.spec.ts
@@ -181,8 +181,10 @@ test.describe("F8-04b — tier gate", () => {
 		await expect(privateGamesEntry).toBeVisible();
 
 		// Free-tier callers reach the create form via the DEV-visible
-		// entry, but the backend still rejects the POST.
-		await privateGamesEntry.click();
+		// entry, but the backend still rejects the POST. Use the dev
+		// nav surface so the assertion works on mobile too (the mobile
+		// sidebar tucks the private-games entry behind a dropdown).
+		await page.evaluate(() => window.__galaxyNav!.go("games-private-games"));
 		await page.getByTestId("lobby-create-button").click();
 		await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-create-form")).toBeVisible();
 
@@ -198,7 +200,7 @@ test.describe("F8-04b — tier gate", () => {
 		});
 		await completeLogin(page);
 
-		await page.getByTestId("lobby-nav-games-private-games").click();
+		await page.evaluate(() => window.__galaxyNav!.go("games-private-games"));
 		await page.getByTestId("lobby-create-button").click();
 		await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-create-form")).toBeVisible();
 
@@ -227,7 +229,7 @@ test.describe("F8-04b — tier gate", () => {
 		const mocks = await mockGatewayTier(page, { isPaid: true });
 		await completeLogin(page);
 
-		await page.getByTestId("lobby-nav-games-private-games").click();
+		await page.evaluate(() => window.__galaxyNav!.go("games-private-games"));
 		await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-games-private-empty")).toBeVisible();
 		await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-create-button")).toBeVisible();
 		await page.getByTestId("lobby-create-button").click();
diff --git a/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/profile-screen.spec.ts b/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/profile-screen.spec.ts
index 476992d..c67c089 100644
--- a/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/profile-screen.spec.ts
+++ b/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/profile-screen.spec.ts
@@ -330,10 +330,10 @@ test.describe("F8-04 — profile screen", () => {
 		await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-account-name")).toContainText("Pilot");
 
 		// Navigate back to the games section. F8-04b replaced the bare
-		// `Overview` page with a `games` parent + sub-panels; clicking
-		// the parent resolves to the first visible sub-panel
-		// (`recruitment` for a no-games session).
-		await page.getByTestId("lobby-nav-games").click();
+		// `Overview` page with a `games` parent + sub-panels; the dev
+		// nav surface goes straight to the canonical landing
+		// (`games-recruitment`) so the assertion is viewport-agnostic.
+		await page.evaluate(() => window.__galaxyNav!.go("games-recruitment"));
 		await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-recruitment-empty")).toBeVisible();
 		await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-account-name")).toContainText("Pilot");
 
diff --git a/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/ship-group-send.spec.ts b/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/ship-group-send.spec.ts
index 6ef068b..2894743 100644
--- a/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/ship-group-send.spec.ts
+++ b/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/ship-group-send.spec.ts
@@ -135,9 +135,13 @@ async function bootSession(page: Page): Promise<void> {
 }
 
 async function loadSyntheticGame(page: Page): Promise<void> {
-	// Seeded session → the dispatcher renders the lobby; the synthetic
-	// loader lives there behind the dev-affordances flag.
+	// Seeded session → the dispatcher renders the lobby. F8-04b moved
+	// the synthetic-report loader off of Overview into its own
+	// dev-only top-level screen; jump straight to it via the dev nav
+	// surface so the spec is viewport-agnostic.
 	await page.goto("/");
+	await page.waitForFunction(() => window.__galaxyNav !== undefined);
+	await page.evaluate(() => window.__galaxyNav!.go("synthetic-reports"));
 	await expect(page.getByTestId("lobby-synthetic-section")).toBeVisible();
 	const file = page.getByTestId("lobby-synthetic-file");
 	await file.setInputFiles({