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Steam is broken: It’s still up but some users can’t log in
Steam users are reporting problems signing in, with some getting stuck on a “loading user data” screen. The disruption has lasted for several hours, though its cause remains unclear and Steam’s status page shows services as operational.
Reports began around 6 am ET and continued to rise on Down Detector, with similar complaints on Reddit. Some users say running Steam as an administrator helped, while others say it did not; one test account eventually loaded after nearly five minutes, and downloads appeared to work. Valve had been contacted for comment.
In short
- Some Steam users are stuck at “loading user data”.
- Reports began around 6 am ET and kept growing.
- Waiting or running Steam as administrator may help some users.
Explained simply
Steam is a digital shop and community platform run by Valve, where people buy and download computer games, sign in to play online and connect with other users. Its desktop app also manages game libraries, updates and friends lists.
Signing in lets Steam link a person to their account, games and settings. The platform serves users around the world, so a login problem can affect access even when other features, such as downloads, appear to work.