Some Steam users are having trouble accessing their library this morning, instead getting stuck on the same screen with an endlessly spinning loading wheel. It isn’t clear yet what has caused the issue, and it seems that simple fixes such as uninstalling then reinstalling Steam aren’t helping.
What is happening with Steam?
It looks like users are unable to access their library or open the Steam app at all. Making an attempt only results in being trapped on a “Loading user data…” screen. Users on the Steam community page have mentioned that they were able to use Steam with no issues yesterday, so the problem just started this morning.
According to users on Reddit, other storefronts like the Epic Store are working just fine, and the problem is spread across both PC and the Steam Deck. It also appears to be impacting users all over the world, with posters from the United States, Japan, Poland, and Indonesia checking in to report the same issue.
On X, searching up “Steam” brings up plenty of posts discussing the issue. One post states that the Store and Community pages still seem to work, while the Library itself remains inaccessible. The official Steam account on X hasn’t yet mentioned the issue, and Valve itself has not released a statement yet, either.
Although the Steam storefront still appears to be working, being unable to get into the Library can be stressful and confusing. One Reddit user commented that they bought a game and the payment went through, but because they can’t access the Library, they have no idea if the game they purchased is there or not.
Some users have reported the problem after downloading a new game, but that doesn’t look to be the sole cause of the issue. On the Steam community page, one user explained they had been playing Deadlock when they were disconnected, and now are stuck on the “Loading user data…” screen.
Looking on DownDetector, reports started to come in at around 6 a.m. the morning of October 26, with a spike at 9:55 with a total of 1,134 reports being made on the site. The most reported problem according to DownDetector is a login issue, with 74% of the reports centering around that problem.
According to TechRadar, some users are finding success fixing the problem by quitting Steam, removing their PC from their network before reconnecting to the WiFi, has helped, but that isn’t a fix for everyone. On X, another user shared that they have tried reinstalling Steam, changing their password, and running Steam as an administrator – all to no avail.
Hopefully, Valve will be able to fix the issue for everyone soon, or explain what the problem might be and how long it can be expected to last.
The post Is Steam Down? Everything We Know About the October 26 Outage. appeared first on vice.
