Steam Friends Network unreachable – How to fix

Steam possesses some social features, which allows users to interact with each other. Such features include the friends list, and the chat function. Steam users can send and accept friend requests, and chat with said friends from within Steam.

Sometimes, the friends and/or chat features will fail to work properly. In such cases, you may be unable to connect to Steam network.

Steam Friends Network unreachable

The Friends network unreachable error is a common occurrence with Steam users.

Fortunately, you can usually fix this by clearing your cache and ensuring you’re connected to the internet properly. It could also be an issue with the Steam servers.

We’ll be covering ways in which to can troubleshoot this dilemma, along with some possible reasons for the connection error.

Check Steam Server

If you’re unable to connect to Steam network, Steam’s servers may currently be down. If Steam’s servers are down, you’ll be unable to reach Steam Network to talk with your friends.

You can check on Steam’s server status by going to https://www.issteamdown.com/. At the top of the page, it should state whether Steam’s servers are down.

steam-server-status

If the servers are indeed currently down, wait half an hour so before attempting to reach the Steam network once more. This can also result in Steam not downloading updates, which is also easily resolved.

Check Internet Connection

If you’re struggling to connect to Steam network, there may be an issue with your internet connection. If you’re internet connection is unstable or failing to work, you may be unable to reach Steam network.

Check your internet router to see if all the indicators are green. If they are, it means the router should be functioning correctly.

If any of the indicators red or amber, the router may be experiencing difficulties. If so, try restarting the router. If this doesn’t solve the issue, try unplugging the router from the socket after shutting it off.

Then, wait a minute or so before re-plugging it and starting it up again. This is a more thorough method of restarting the router.

Once the router has fully started up again, try connecting to Steam network to see if the issue has been remedied.

Clear Cache

You may be unable to reach Steam network due to your accumulated Steam cache and browser cookies. Such data can sometimes become corrupted over time, which may interfere with how Steam functions.

To resolve this dilemma, try clearing your Steam cache and cookies. To do so, first open the Steam application. Then, go to Steam > Settings and navigate to the Web Browser tab.

web-browser-tab

In the tab, there should be two options available. Click the ‘Delete web browser cache‘ option to clear your cache, and click the ‘Delete all browser cookies‘ to clear your cookies. When you’re finished clearing the data, click ‘ok’.

Related: Restart Steam

Afterwards, close Steam and restart the application. Check to see if you can now connect to Steam network.

Stop Using Steam Beta

If you’re currently using Steam Beta, it may be the cause for you being unable to reach Steam network. This is a fairly common cause of the Steam friends network unreachable error.

Steam Beta is a mode available in Steam, which allows users to experience Steam and game updates before they go live officially.

Due to the nature of the program, Steam Beta can experience bugs that could be causing issues for Steam network. In order to solve this issue, try to opt out of using Steam Beta.

In order to stop using Steam Beta, open the Steam client and go to Steam > Settings. Then, go to the ‘account’ tab.

account-settings

Look underneath the ‘beta participation’ section. There should be a drop-down menu there labelled ‘change’. Click the drop-down menu. A new window should pop up.

opt-out-of-steam-beta-option

Beneath the ‘beta participation’ section in the new window, there’s a drop-down menu. Click on the drop-down menu.

Select the ‘NONE – opt out of all beta programs’ option. This will stop you from using any beta programs in Steam. When you’re done, click ‘ok’ to confirm the changes.

Afterwards, relaunch Steam and try reaching Steam network once more. The Beta is often a cause of small issues, like problems with your overlay.

See Also: Steam Overlay not working

Alternatively, it may be the official version of Steam that’s experiencing bugs.

If you weren’t already using Steam Beta when you started experiencing issues with Steam network, the problem may lie with the official version of Steam.

In this case, try using Steam Beta. To opt into a beta program, select the ‘Steam beta update’ option in the drop-down menu. Then, click ‘ok’ to finalise the changes.

opt-into-steam-beta-option

Afterwards, relaunch Steam and try reaching Steam network once more to see if the friends network unreachable error ha been resolved.

Update Drivers

You may be unable to connect to Steam network because you’re using outdated drivers. Using outdated drivers can cause your device to experience compatibility issues with certain programs.

In order to check whether your drivers need updating, you must first find out what drivers you’re using. In order to find out, open the Task Manager (Windows-Key + ‘x’ and click ‘task manager’).

After opening the Task Manager, expand the window by clicking ‘more details’ in the bottom left corner.

Then, click the ‘performance’ tab, and click ‘GPU 0’ on the left side tab. Your graphics card name should be now be displayed in the top right corner.

GPU-settings

The name of your graphics card should also include the provider’s name. For instance, the picture above shows that the provider is Intel.

Any driver updates available should be accessible from the provider’s website. Go to your graphics card provider’s website, and look for your graphics card.

See if any updates are available, and download them if so. Afterward you’re done updating your drivers, try connecting to Steam network once more.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Steam network may be unreachable because of an issue with the Steam app or Steam’s servers.

In these cases, try using another version of Steam or check on Steam’s server status. If the issue doesn’t seem to lie with Steam, it probably comes from your end.

Check that you’re internet connection is stable, and that you’re drivers are all up-to-date. If none of the solutions worked in solving your dilemma, try reaching out to Steam Support for help.

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Author

Jenny

I love reading, writing, drawing, and other creative pursuits. I wish to travel more and do extreme activities, such as bungee-jumping and skydiving. I'm a casual gamer with an affinity for narrative-driven games and unique art styles. I like watching a variety of different media, but I particularly enjoy animations and musicals. My favourite genre, for both books and visual media, is psychological-thriller.

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