Steam Error Code 118 – What Is It and What Can You Do?

The dreaded Steam error code 118 is going to cause issues for players attempting to access Steam’s in-depth game library. Here’s what you need to know.

The dreaded Steam error code 118 is a troublesome one. It’s going to prevent players from getting into their favorite game’s library and even getting to the store page to make additional purchases. It’s a problematic situation for any avid fan to find when they want to explore the store and access information about the game on the product’s store page. Here’s what you need to know about it and what you can do.

Steam Error Code 118 – What You Need To Know

Now, when users get the message, they’re going to get told they cannot connect to Steam’s server. What this means is users are not adequately communicating with Valve’s storefront, or they’re not giving access for Valve’s servers to reach them. Whatever is going on, it’s a communication issue from either side. A user needs to find out how to properly communicate with the servers, and here’s what they can do from their side.

Double-check their Firewall settings. A firewall around their internet could easily prevent Steam from communicating with them. It’s best to look through your set up’s firewall settings to properly adjust them to allow Steam to talk with your internet and let your internet know it’s a trusted user.

Is your internet working? Your internet may be having a minor hiccup. What you can do is go to your router and unplug it. Make sure to keep it unplugged for at least ten seconds. After that time, replug it back in and wait. Your internet will not return immediately, but when it does, make sure it’s working by opening up a generic browser page like Google. When you do, and you have access, try logging into Steam again and see if you continue to get the error.

Do you have any background applications going on at the same time? These could be preventing a computer from properly communicating to Steam due to having too much going on at the time. Close any background tasks you’re not concerned with like a movie, music, a game, or even another browser. If you’re having issues still and having turned everything off, give your computer a decent restart and let it sit for a few minutes before turning it back on and trying again. This process could give it enough time to clear out anything you’re not doing and return to the page.

The final problem could revolve around viruses. If you have a virus scanner on your computer, we suggest running it to make sure no malicious applications are plaguing your hardware. The process of thoroughly scanning your equipment is going to take a great deal of time. Give your scanner some space and do another activity while you’re waiting. This process is going to depend on what application you’re using but check back to your computer regularly. If it does turn up anything, make sure to follow the virus scanner’s steps to clean your computer up and get it working correctly.

Does none of this work for you? If you’ve done all of these steps and go through them all, it could be on Steam’s side. It’s a good idea to check out Steam’s Twitter page to see if they’re dealing with an outage or check out the Steam status page to see what other users are dealing with. If you’re noticing a trend of downed users in your region, you may have to wait for Valve to handle it on their side.

For any issues you’re having, make sure to reach out to Steam’s support page to ask them directly. You’ll have to detail everything out to them in a proper, in-depth fashion, but they should be able to assist you as soon as possible with whatever issues you’re having. You can also follow their Twitter page to see if they have any current issues occurring across their service.

Hopefully, any of these steps properly assist Steam users in preventing this code from popping on their application or their browser. When contacting Steam’s support, make sure to detail all attempted steps and any updates you may have. They’re likely going to need all the information they can use to assist you.