Fix Steam Friends Network Unreachable Error on PC

Steam is one of the most popular video gaming digital distribution services owned by Valve Corporation. In a couple of years, Steam has emerged as a very reliable gaming platform for purchasing and playing video games, mostly for PC. It offers digital rights management (DRM), multiplayer server connectivity, video streaming, social networking, and more for users. However, some unfortunate users are getting Steam Friends Network Unreachable Error on PC, which is irritating a lot.

If you’re also experiencing the same, check out this troubleshooting guide to fix it quickly. According to the Steam users, the ‘Friends List’ isn’t available even the internet connectivity is working well. The particular error occurs even after signing into the account properly and refreshing the window multiple times. There are a couple of possible reasons behind this issue which include beta mode and cache issues.

Fix Steam Friends Network Unreachable Error on PC

It can possible that your Steam client is in beta mode that mostly tests out some of the newly added features. So, the beta version always seems buggy enough and unstable, which can easily cause multiple issues to the users. Alternatively, a temporary cache of the Steam client can also cause issues with the system performance. Now, without wasting any more time, let’s get into it.

1. Delete the Cache of the Steam Web Browser

• Launch the Steam client on your PC > Make sure you’ve logged into a valid account.
• Once inside the Steam interface, click on the ‘Steam’ tab.
• Click on ‘Settings’ from the drop-down > Select ‘Web browser’ from the window’s left pane.
• Now, you’ll need to click on ‘Delete Web Browser Cache’ and ‘Delete All Browser Cookies’ one by one to clear cookies & cache from the Steam web browser.
• Once done, close the Steam client > Restart your PC to refresh the system.

However, if in case, the above method doesn’t work for you, try getting out of Beta Mode by following the next method below.

2. Opt-Out of Steam Beta Mode

• Open the Steam client > Sign in to your valid account.
• Click on the Steam tab from the top left corner.
• Then click on Settings > Click on Change from the Account Settings. [Here you’ll find Beta Participation – Steam]
• Now, click on the drop-down list and select NONE – Opt-out of all beta programs.
• Then click on OK to save changes. Now, you’ll not get beta updates anymore.
• Simply restart your computer and try checking for the Steam Friends Network Unreachable Error again.

Still, the problem persists? Try following another method to clear the cache of the Steam desktop app.

3. Clear Steam Desktop App Cache

• Launch the File Explorer (This PC) > Go to the Windows OS installed drive. [By default, it’ll be in C: drive]
• Open the Users folder > Open the PC username folder.
• Inside the folder, click on the View tab and click on Hidden items to checkmark it.
• Now, open the AppData folder > Go to the Local folder.
• Here you’ll find the Steam folder. Simply click to select this folder and press the Delete key to remove this folder.
• Next, go back to the previous page and open the Roaming folder.
• Here you’ll also find the Steam folder > Make sure to Delete this folder also.
• Finally, restart your computer and launch the Steam client again to check for the issue. [Steam will automatically add all the deleted Steam folders]

4. Check Your Internet Connection

If none of these methods worked for you, try checking your internet connection properly. It seems that plenty of connectivity issues can happen due to network glitches or instability. If you think that the internet speed is slow enough or have some technical issues then contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) for further assistance.

5. Update Networking Drivers

• Press the Windows + X keys to open the Quick Access Menu.
• Click on Device Manager > Double-click on Network adapters to expand the list.

• Now, right-click on the active networking device > Select Update driver.
• Click on Search automatically for drivers > If there is an update available, it’ll automatically download and install the update.
• Wait for it to complete > Once done, make sure to restart your computer to change effects immediately.

6. Go Back to an Older Version of Steam

Sometimes going back to an older version of the program can also fix multiple issues if there is a stability issue or bugs available on the latest version. To do so:

• Right-click on the Steam launcher executable (shortcut).
• Click on Properties > Click on the Shortcut tab.
• From the Target location, type -nofriendsui at the end of (…steam.exe).
• Then click on OK to apply the changes.
• Next, open the Steam client > Cross-check if you can access the friends’ list or not.
• If in case, the problem still persists, then repeat the same steps again and this time you’ll need to type -nochatui at the end of (…-nofriendsui).
• Finally, click on OK to apply the changes.

This should fix the Steam Friends Network Unreachable Error on your Windows PC. If not, follow the next method.

7. Try Performing a Power Cycle Wi-Fi Router

It may possible that there is something causing an issue with your Wi-Fi router or its system. That’s why the connectivity or network unreachable error is occurring a lot. To fix it, you can try performing the power cycle on your Wi-Fi router by following the steps below:

• Switch off the Wi-Fi router first and let the LED indicators turned off completely.
• Once done, unplug the power adapter from the router.
• Wait for around 30 seconds and then plug back the power adapter again.
• Turn it on and check for the issue again.

8. Check Steam Service Status

It may possible that Steam service is down or having an outage in some of the regions unexpectedly. So, it’s always a good idea to check the Steam Service Status as a last resort if nothing seems working for you. You can visit the unofficial Steam Status Twitter handle or unofficial Steam Status website or even the third-party Down Detector website to check the status in real-time.

At the time of writing this article, we can see that there is a huge outage problem for Steam service in specific regions that users are complaining about on multiple online forums. If you find that there is a problem with the Steam service at that specific time then make sure to wait for a couple of hours or so and then try accessing the website or client again.

9. Use Google Public DNS

The chances are also high that your ISP has issues with the DNS which may eventually cause connectivity or stability-related issues whatsoever. If you’re also feeling the same thing then make sure to use the Google Public DNS on your computer to fix multiple networking issues.

• Press the Windows + R keys to open up the Run dialog box.
• Type ncpa.cpl and click on OK to open the Network Connections page.
• Now, right-click on your active network adapter > Click on Properties.
• Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) > Click on Properties.

• Click to select Use the following DNS server addresses.
• Now, enter 8.8.8.8 for the Preferred DNS server and 8.8.4.4 for the Alternate DNS server.
• Once done, click on OK to save changes.
• Just restart your computer once and check for the network unreachable problem again.

10. Reinstall Steam

If none of the mentioned methods worked for you, you can finally try uninstalling and reinstalling the Steam client on the PC to resolve the issue. Well, it may possible that there is an issue with the installed Steam files or any system glitch or even the cache data of the system, which is somehow causing problems with the program directly. So, it’s always better to install the Steam client freshly.

• Press Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Now, click on Apps > From the Apps and Features section, scroll down the list of installed programs.
• Click on the Steam game and select Uninstall.
• If prompted, proceed with the uninstallation process and complete it.
• Once done, make sure to restart your computer to change effects immediately.
• Finally, head over to the official Steam website and grab the latest version of the desktop client for your Windows computer.
• Reinstall the Steam client just like other programs and sign into the existing account.
• Voila! Check for the issue again and this time it should be fixed completely.

That’s it, guys. We assume you’ve found this guide pretty helpful. If you’ve some queries, you can comment below.