Fix Steam Error Code 118 Unable To Connect To Server (2025)

Updated: 11/29/2025

You open Steam and click on the Store or Community tab, only to see Error Code 118 with a message like Unable to connect to server, server may be offline or you may not be connected to the Internet. Other games or apps might still be online, which makes the problem confusing and annoying. Error 118 almost always points to a local connection, DNS, or firewall problem between your PC and Steam’s web services, rather than a broken Steam account.

Method 1: Verify Steam Server Status And Test Other Online Apps

Before changing anything on your PC, make sure Steam is not simply having a temporary outage. If Valve’s servers are down or under maintenance, you will not be able to fix Error 118 from your side and just need to wait.

Step 1: Test Another Online Game Or Website

Open a browser and load several unrelated websites, then try an online game that does not use Steam, if nothing connects, the issue is your internet, not Steam. If everything else works and only Steam’s Store and Community fail, the problem is likely specific to Steam’s connection path.

Step 2: Check Unofficial Steam Status Pages

Use a monitoring site that lists Steam server status and look for widespread issues with the Store, Community, or Web API. If lots of users are reporting problems for the same region, wait until the status page shows normal again, then restart Steam and retest.

Step 3: Try Steam On A Second Device Or Network

If possible log into Steam on a laptop or another PC using a different connection, such as mobile hotspot, if the Store loads there, Steam is up and the issue is local to your main PC or home network.

Method 2: Repair Local Network, DNS, And Proxy Settings

Steam Error 118 is often caused by broken DNS cache, misconfigured proxies, or a flaky router. Resetting these pieces gives your PC a clean route to Steam’s web servers.

Step 1: Turn Off VPN, Proxy, And Custom DNS Temporarily

If you use a VPN app, browser proxy, or manual proxy in Windows, disconnect from it and revert to automatic settings. Open Windows Internet Options, click Connections, then LAN settings, uncheck Use a proxy server unless required, and leave Automatically detect settings enabled.

Step 2: Flush DNS Cache And Reset Winsock

Press the Windows key, type cmd, right click Command Prompt, and choose Run as administrator. Run the following commands one by one.

This clears any bad DNS records and rebuilds the Windows network socket catalog that applications like Steam use.

Step 3: Restart PC And Router For A Clean Reconnect

Reboot your PC, then power off your router and modem for 20 seconds and turn them back on, wait until the internet is fully restored. Launch Steam again and open the Store tab to see whether Error 118 is gone.

Method 3: Adjust Firewall, Antivirus, And Steam Client Files

If the network itself is fine, a local firewall, antivirus, or corrupted Steam web cache can still block Store and Community pages while games launch normally. Allowing Steam through security tools and cleaning its web cache usually fixes this.

Step 1: Allow Steam Through Windows Defender Firewall

Open Control Panel, go to System and Security, then Windows Defender Firewall, click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall. Click Change settings and make sure Steam has both Private and Public boxes checked, add Steam.exe manually if needed.

Step 2: Temporarily Disable Web Shield In Third Party Antivirus

In your antivirus program, look for modules like Web Shield, HTTPS scanning, or URL filtering. Turn them off for a short test, then restart Steam and open the Store, if it works, add Steam’s folder to your antivirus exclusions.

Step 3: Clear Steam Web Browser Cache And Cookies

Open Steam, click Steam in the top left, then Settings, go to the Web Browser section and click both Delete web browser cache and Delete all browser cookies. Restart Steam afterward so its internal browser reloads cleanly.