Steam is a digital platform that has a massive number of games in its database. You can purchase the games, based on your taste and play them. Moreover, you can also play online games on this platform. And, this digital platform, Steam also offers the gamers the DRM (Digital Rights Management). In the other words, the online multiplayer platform of Steam is also known as the Steam Friends Network. Sometimes, online games face a serious issue – Steam Friends network unreachable. To keep up with the pace, and play online games, you need to resolve the matter as soon as possible.
There are several reasons for this problem. Some of the main reasons are — the game is in beta mode, the presence of the game cache files, slow internet connection, ping losses and many more. As you have already got the most basic information regarding the issue, let’s move on to the solutions.
1. Move out from the Beta Mode
Every game, whether online or offline, as well as software first, gets the beta version. After that, it is being released to the public for its use. When people are satisfied with the beta version, the full version comes into the picture. If you are still in the beta version of the gaming platform, then you might not be able to enjoy all the features.
Moreover, there are also bugs that might lead to the Steam Friends network unreachable. So, open Steam, and log in to your own account, and the main interface will usually appear. On the top-left corner of the interface, the Steam button is present. Click on it and access the Settings from the drop-down menu.
In the Settings, open the Beta participation heading. In the participation box, you will see the Beta participation drop-down menu. Select the “opt-out of all beta programs” option, and click on OK to save the changes. Hopefully, the Steam Friends network unreachable will never occur again.
2. Eliminate all the Cache Files
During the runtime of any program, it always returns the value. The values can be binary or decimal. Unfortunately, those values are of no use to the system. That is why they are considered the cache or the junk files. A larger number of cache files block the game, as well as the system registry. Further, it also hampers some other functions of the gaming platform.
Thus, the Steam Friends network unreachable might occur. So, you have to eliminate the files as soon as possible. Access the system drive and find out the Users folder. In the folder, you will find another sub-folder named Megabyte. Here, the AppData is present in another sub-folder.
Now, open the Roaming folder and you will see a list of files present there. These are the junk files, select all and delete them all. If any files remain undeleted, then don’t worry, it might be still in use by Steam.
3. Delete all the Cookies
All web browsers contain cookies, this helps to save all the entered information. It might happen that the Steam Friends network unreachable due to the cookies. But, you must remember that this is just a trial and error method. Most of the users who have faced the issue of Steam Friends network unreachable say that near about 7 out of 10 times, the issue has been resolved by deleting the cookies.
Open the Steam platform on your computer and navigate to the Settings. On the left-hand side, the list of options is present. Select Web Browser and you will get two options — One is for clearing the browser cache and the other is for browser cookies. Now, select and delete the browser cookies.
4. Alter the Steam’s Properties
The Steam Friends network unreachable due to the misplacement of Steam’s Properties. So, here you need to change the Steam path. Right-click on the Steam icon that is present on the desktop. The Properties window will eventually open. A certain path is given in the target, click on it to edit. Now, add -nofriendsui at the end of the path.
After that, click on the OK, and then Apply to save changes. If the Steam Friends network unreachable, once again, then delete the previous path extension and add -nofriendsui-nochatui. Save the changes and check whether the gaming platform’s network is working properly or not.
5. Check the Internet Connection
When there is no issue in the Steam, then the internet connection must be in a troublesome situation. On the very first note, you have to check the router whether the connections are active or not.
On the other hand, turn over to the system and diagnose the internet connection. If you see any issues in the diagnosis, run the troubleshooter to resolve all the internal network issues.
Necessary Precautions
First, you need to have a router that can provide enough data streaming for online games. The flow of data packets can only be handled by some sophisticated designed router. Thus, it’s better to use this kind of routers for online gaming.
Now, coming to the internet connection, you can easily connect to the internet via a 4G network from your mobile phone. The dedicated hotspot of your mobile phone allows you to do that. But, in the case of online gaming, the hotspot will not be enough.
So, a good internet connection is just mandatory. Before starting the game, it’s better to clear all the cache and junk files. In doing so, there will be no barrier while playing any game. As Steam is a gaming platform, you have to do something more while downloading and installing a game.
Give the desired amount of time to download and install the game. The total completion will allow the game to install all the plugins and .dll files on the computer. An incomplete download will hamper the playing session. Last but not least, you need to install a security application to secure the system while playing.
