Most gamers will have heard of Steam, which is a popular platform for purchasing video games. The client also allows its users to play Steam games using the its own game launcher.
Users can purchase games on either the Steam website, or using the Steam application. Though sometimes your Steam client can have issues, with their pending transaction error being one of the most common when making a purchase.
Steam transaction pending error – Why does it happen?
Steam transactions usually occur without a hitch, but issues can sometimes arise during the process. One such issue is when a transaction fails to process correctly, and is left pending indefinitely.
There are a few reasons for why this could occur and why you’re stuck with a pending purchase – it’s usually a connection issue, or in some cases your transaction is being blocked by another.
We’ll cover some of those reasons in more detail, as well as some methods for solving this dilemma.
1. Other Transactions
Your transaction could be pending due to other transactions you’ve made. These transactions could also be experiencing issues, and may be pending as well.
These other transactions could belong to items you purchased within the same cart as the pending transaction. Or, the other transactions could be previous ones you’ve made and have yet to check up on.
2. Poor Internet Connection
Your transaction could be pending due to a faulty internet connection. In order to make a successful transaction, Steam requires access to the internet.
If your internet connection is failing to work properly, Steam will struggle to process your transaction. Therefore, the transaction will start pending.
3. Using a VPN
VPNs (virtual private networks) usually don’t hinder the abilities of other programs, but there are times where using a VPN can cause errors within those programs. This generally causes a connection issue, which can stop your transaction from going through.
How do I fix a pending transaction?
The good news is that if you’re getting the pending transaction Steam error, there are plenty of things you can do to try and get your Steam client to process the transaction. This includes switching to a different payment vendor and checking the Steam servers are working properly.
Now, we’ll cover some different ways to solve a pending Steam transaction.
Change Your Payment Method
One method for solving a pending Steam transaction is by altering your initial payment method. If your Steam transaction is struggling to process itself, the issue may lay within your method of payment.
The payment method may not be supported on Steam, or there could be other underlying issues with the method itself.
For example, if you’ve opted for using PayPal as your payment method; there may be an issue with PayPal or your account. Try choosing a different method of paying, such as a Credit/Debit card.
Use the Steam Website Instead
If you originally used the Steam application to make your purchase, try using the Steam website to make the transaction instead. This is only a temporary fix for the Steam pending transaction error, but it usually works to clear pending purchases.
The Steam client usually opens on startup for most people, so close it down and switch to the web version for this transaction.
There may be fundamental issues with Steam app that could be causing the transaction to pend, or the app could be experiencing bugs that are preventing the transaction from processing.
The bugs could also be causing the transaction to appear as pending, when the transaction has actually processed.
You can check whether your transaction went through by looking at your bank account (or other relevant account). You can usually check your bank transactions through online banking.
To access the Steam website, go to https://store.steampowered.com/login/ and log into your Steam account.
Suspend Other Transactions
Check your other Steam transactions to ensure that none of them are pending also. If you find that you have other pending transactions, try cancelling them. Doing so could allow your initial pending transaction to process correctly.
If you have more than one pending transaction, Steam can struggle to process all of them simultaneously.
Cancelling all but one pending transaction will allow Steam to put all its power into processing the single transaction, as opposed to multiple transactions at once.
See Also: Move Steam Games to New Hard Drive
In order to cancel your other transactions, open Steam and click on your username in the top right. Then, click on ‘account details’.
Click ‘view purchase history’. This should showcase a list of your Steam transactions.
If any transactions are pending, click on them to view their details. Click ‘cancel this transaction’ to suspend the purchase.
Contact Steam Support
Below the transaction details, there are a list of options you can click on if you have an issue with purchase.
You can click the relevant option for you, or press the bottom-most option to showcase more options.
After selecting the right options for your problem, you will be taken to a form. Fill in the details about your issue, and submit it to contact Steam Support for help.
Check Steam Server Status
Your Steam transaction may be pending because Steam is currently not working. Steam’s servers could be down or experiencing issues, which can prevent certain functions from working correctly.
You can check whether Steam’s servers are down by going to https://www.issteamdown.com/. Steam’s server status should be stated at the top of the website.
If Steam’s servers are indeed down, try using Steam again after an hour or so. At this point, the servers should have been fixed and the Steam pending transaction error will likely disappear.
Turn Off VPN
VPN software can, at times, interfere with your other programs. Therefore, your pending Steam transaction could be caused by your VPN.
Try disabling your VPN software to see if it causes your Steam transaction to process. Or, you could disable your VPN and make the transaction again after cancelling it.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Steam transaction usually occur due to a connection error of some sort. This may be an issue with the internet, or with Steam Network.
The latter could mean that Steam’s servers are currently down. If so, all you do is wait an hour or so for the servers to be up and running again.
Related: Reset Your Steam Password
The transaction could also be pending due to a more personal issue, such as the payment method or the Steam app.
Try using different payment methods to make the transaction, or using the Steam website as opposed to the app. If all else fails, contact Steam Support for help.
