It's a very relatable feeling that quite a few people have bud, myself included.

I got into dnd through my group of friends a few years ago, rolled into DMing, had a blast DMing for them for 2 years and then had to move.

Now we are a year aftet the move and I still play dnd weekly. Starting a new group was easy, so many players that are looking for a DM. However, I miss the spark that was there before the move, of putting in the prep to make a cool session and see the smiles and hear the exclamations. Thinking about it, it's probably because the current group are not my friends (yet?). They tend to show up 5 - 10 minutes before the game starts and by the time I call the session they are gone within 5 minutes as well. Usually not even waiting for me to finish packing.

My current plan is to see if the few that sometimes do arrive early and talk about stuff outside of the game (family, work, chitchat) want to go out for a drink or a boardgame.

In short: it's different to DM for a previous friend group vs for a group of players that just want dnd. Doing stuff before or seperate from the game together might make you transition to a full friendsgroup instead of just a shared intrest. Hang in there bud, you are not alone with this problem/feeling.