diff --git a/electron/renderer/components/sidebar/characters/sidebar-item-characters.tsx b/electron/renderer/components/sidebar/characters/sidebar-item-characters.tsx
index cd5e69c5..6096ec9d 100644
--- a/electron/renderer/components/sidebar/characters/sidebar-item-characters.tsx
+++ b/electron/renderer/components/sidebar/characters/sidebar-item-characters.tsx
@@ -78,7 +78,6 @@ export const SidebarItemCharacters: React.FC = (): ReactNode => {
         closeModals();
         setCharacter(character);
         await playCharacter(character);
-        // TODO navigate to game grid so user can play the character
       });
     },
     [closeModals, playCharacter]
diff --git a/electron/renderer/components/sidebar/sidebar.tsx b/electron/renderer/components/sidebar/sidebar.tsx
index 699fe0cc..438e934d 100644
--- a/electron/renderer/components/sidebar/sidebar.tsx
+++ b/electron/renderer/components/sidebar/sidebar.tsx
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@ export const Sidebar: React.FC = (): ReactNode => {
     setShowSettings(false);
   }, []);
 
+  useSubscribe(['sidebar:hide'], () => {
+    closeSidebar();
+  });
+
   useSubscribe(['sidebar:show'], (sidebarId: SidebarId) => {
     closeSidebar();
     switch (sidebarId) {
diff --git a/electron/renderer/context/game.tsx b/electron/renderer/context/game.tsx
index 2076e72c..df217b1d 100644
--- a/electron/renderer/context/game.tsx
+++ b/electron/renderer/context/game.tsx
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import type {
 } from '../../common/game/types.js';
 import { useQuitCharacter } from '../hooks/characters.jsx';
 import { useLogger } from '../hooks/logger.jsx';
-import { useSubscribe } from '../hooks/pubsub.jsx';
+import { usePubSub, useSubscribe } from '../hooks/pubsub.jsx';
 import { runInBackground } from '../lib/async/run-in-background.js';
 
 /**
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ export const GameProvider: React.FC<GameProviderProps> = (
 
   const logger = useLogger('context:game');
   const router = useRouter();
+  const pubsub = usePubSub();
 
   const quitCharacter = useQuitCharacter();
 
@@ -62,6 +63,7 @@ export const GameProvider: React.FC<GameProviderProps> = (
 
   useSubscribe(['character:play:started'], async () => {
     setShowPlayStartingOverlay(false);
+    pubsub.publish('sidebar:hide');
     await router.push('/grid');
   });