Why is Steam down right now? Here’s what we know

Steam, one of the world’s largest digital game distribution platforms, has unexpectedly gone down, with users across the globe reporting various connectivity issues on X (formerly Twitter) and through Downdetector.

The issue appears to have started within the last hour, impacting thousands of users who’ve seen game launches, purchases, and general platform access temporarily halted.

Is Steam down right now?

Many users on X and Downdetector have reported the sudden outage, experiencing problems with connecting to Steam’s main servers, logging into accounts, and accessing the Steam store.

The Steam outage seems to be affecting players in various regions globally, hinting at a possible backend issue affecting multiple servers at once.

Some unofficial server reports claim that the Steam outage is part of scheduled server maintenance, though this hasn’t yet been confirmed by Steam’s official channels. Steam often performs maintenance every Tuesday, but this downtime is unusual for a Wednesday.

Additionally, these issues coincide with Riot Games servers also experiencing downtime, leading some users to speculate whether this is an isolated maintenance event or if it may be related to a broader network problem impacting multiple game servers.

(Image credit) Riot Games servers down as well

Riot Games, the developer behind popular titles like League of Legends and Valorant, is also facing server issues according to community and social media reports. Given the scale of outages across multiple gaming platforms, there is speculation that a widespread network issue or DDoS attack could be at play, though there is currently no official confirmation to support this theory.

What can you do?

When experiencing issues with Steam, here are some steps users can take to confirm that the problem is not on their end:

• Check Downdetector or similar outage trackers: Sites like Downdetector show real-time user reports on outages across platforms. If many people report issues with Steam, it’s likely a server-side problem rather than an individual one.
• Visit Steam’s official status page or social media: The Steam Status page provides live updates on server status, including individual regions and platform services. Steam’s social media accounts (e.g., on Twitter/X) may also post about known issues or maintenance.
• Check community forums: Steam’s forums or community threads on Reddit can be useful for seeing if other players report the same issues. This can help verify if it’s a widespread problem.
• Try accessing other online services: Access a few other online services to rule out local internet issues. If other platforms load normally, it’s more likely a Steam-specific issue.
• Restart network devices: To eliminate the possibility of a local connectivity issue, restart your router and modem, or run a speed test. If Steam remains inaccessible while other services work, the issue is likely with Steam’s servers.
• Use command prompt or terminal to ping Steam’s server: For more tech-savvy users, running a ping test to Steam’s server (e.g. ping store.steampowered.com in Command Prompt or Terminal) can confirm if the server is reachable.

Potential causes of Steam outage

1. Routine maintenance: Unofficial sources claim the outage may be a part of server maintenance, which typically occurs during off-peak hours. However, unannounced maintenance could suggest more urgent backend upgrades or fixes.
2. DDoS attack or network disruption: Multiple platforms facing issues at the same time can sometimes indicate a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack or network problem. However, as of now, neither Steam nor Riot Games has confirmed this.
3. Unexpected server issue: Technical difficulties can arise without warning, and Steam’s large-scale infrastructure may occasionally experience downtime due to unexpected backend issues.

Steam and Riot Games have yet to make an official announcement regarding the outages, leaving users speculating about possible explanations and timelines for resolution. In the meantime, Steam users can keep an eye on updates via Downdetector and Steam’s social media channels for any official statements.

This is a developing story.

Update

Problems with Steam have been resolved, the downtime was 25 minutes.

Riot Games’ case turns out to be a preparation for the upcoming patch of League of Legends and they have shared the following statement on the official Riot Games Status page:

We’re aware of a problem causing login attempts to fail and are working on a fix.

 

Starting at 11/06/2024 01:30 PST Ranked Queues will be disabled in preparation for patch 14.22. At 11/06/2024 03:00 PST the servers will be shut down and all games currently in progress will end in a draw and stats will not be recorded. We estimate the battlegrounds will be unavailable for 4 hours.

Featured image credit: Emre Çıtak/Ideogram AI