How to use it
- Read the live status above. It tests Steam from outside your network.
- Open the official Steam Support page for confirmed incidents.
- If Steam is up, work through the fixes below, cheapest first.
- Press the report button if it still fails, so other visitors see it.
Is Steam down for everyone or only for you?
Steam is the store website, the community site, the desktop client that logs you in and a download network that delivers game files. The store can load while the client cannot reach its login servers, and downloads can crawl while everything else works. Steam Support even has a dedicated topic called Steam Can't Contact Login Servers.
Our check requests the Steam store and a public Web API endpoint from outside your network. If both answer, Steam's web side is up. Valve does not publish a public status page that we could verify, so trouble that survives the checks below is usually local.
The live check on this page requests store.steampowered.com and api.steampowered.com from our servers every few minutes. A normal answer from those addresses means the service is reachable from outside your network. It does not prove that every feature inside Steam works, which is why the problem reports and the fixes below matter.
What usually breaks with Steam
Client cannot log in
The client says it cannot connect or sits on the sign-in screen. The login servers are separate from the store website.
Store or Community pages blank
Pages hang or show an error inside the client while the browser works. The built-in web view uses its own cache.
Slow or stuck downloads
Downloads crawl or restart. Game files come from a content network, and the download region setting matters.
Friends and chat offline
Your friends list does not load or messages fail, while games still launch.
Steam Cloud and sales traffic
Saves do not sync or the store is slow. Steam Support has a Steam Cloud topic for sync problems.
How to fix Steam when it only fails for you
Start at the top. The first steps are the cheapest and fix most cases that are not a real outage.
- Restart Steam completely. Choose Steam, Exit in the top left of the client, then reopen it. Check the system tray too.
- Change the download region. Open Steam, Settings, Downloads and change Download Region to a nearby city. This often fixes slow or stuck downloads.
- Clear the download cache. In Settings, Downloads, click Clear Download Cache.
- Flush DNS on Windows. Open Command Prompt and run ipconfig /flushdns, then restart Steam. Stale DNS can break the connection for only your PC.
- Allow Steam through the firewall. Make sure steam.exe and steamwebhelper.exe are allowed on private and public networks in Windows Security.
- Turn off VPN or proxy. Disconnect them and test, since they can block or slow the connection to Steam.
- Use the Steam Support wizard. Open help.steampowered.com, choose Steam Client and then Steam Can't Contact Login Servers for Valve's own steps.
If none of this helps and the live check above shows the service as up, read our guide on why a website is not loading, or see how to flush DNS.
Common Steam error messages
| Message or code | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Steam Can't Contact Login Servers | This is a Steam Support help topic for clients that cannot reach the login servers. | Follow the topic on help.steampowered.com, then test your network and firewall. |
| Error -118 | Users report the message Unable to connect to server on store or community pages, often tied to firewall, DNS or software conflicts. This comes from community discussion, not a Valve article. | Flush DNS, allow Steam in the firewall, delete web browser data and restart your router. |
| Error -105 | Users report this as a failure to resolve Steam's address, which points at DNS. This comes from community discussion, not a Valve article. | Flush DNS and set your adapter's DNS to automatic or a public resolver. |
Official Steam status and support
The company itself has the final word on outages. Check Steam Support for confirmed incidents and use Steam Support if your account has a problem that is not an outage. We are not affiliated with Steam.
Facts and menu names on this page were checked against the official sources below on October 28, 2026. Apps change their menus, so a setting may sit in a slightly different place in your version.
Other services people check
- Is Epic Games down?
- Is Xbox Live down?
- Is PlayStation Network down?
- Is Discord down?
- Is Battle.net down?
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if Steam is down or if it is just me?
Run the live check above. If the store answers from our server but your client fails, open store.steampowered.com in a browser on your phone using mobile data. A working browser points at your client or home network.
Does Steam have an official status page?
We could not verify an official public status page from Valve, so this page points to Steam Support. Third-party trackers exist but are not run by Valve.
Why does the store work in my browser but not in the client?
The client uses its own web view with its own cache. Delete web browser data in Settings and restart.
Why are my downloads slow when everything else works?
Change the download region and clear the download cache. Also check whether another device on your network is using the bandwidth.
Will I lose games if I reinstall Steam?
Your library belongs to your account, not the client. Game files may need to be downloaded again unless you keep the steamapps folder.