How to Fix Steam Error Codes 53 and 101 on Windows PC

Here is a full guide on how to fix Steam error codes 53 and 101 on Windows 11/10 PC. While Steam provides a hassle-free experience most of the time, sometimes you may also run into some errors. Some users have reported experiencing error codes 53 and 101 on Steam. Now, if you are also encountering one of these error codes, this post is for you. In this article, we will be discussing Steam errors 53 and 101 in detail and how you can fix them up.

What is error code 53 on Steam?

The error code 53 on Steam is basically triggered when the Steam servers are too busy to handle your request and end up throwing this error. However, it is not necessarily a problem with servers and there can be different reasons for this error. If you are also facing this error code on Steam and looking for a solution to get rid of this error, follow this guide. Here, we are going to discuss all the possible solutions that will help you resolve this error. Let us checkout!

How to fix Steam error code 53

Here are the fixes that you can try to resolve error 53 on Steam:

Try some general tips.
Check the status of Steam.
Locate the AMDAS4 device.
Disable your antivirus.
Make an Exception for your Steam game on your antivirus.
Change Download Region.

Let us discuss the above methods in detail now.

1] Try some general tips

If there is some temporary glitch that is causing error 53 on Steam, you can try some general tricks to resolve it. Here are the first few things you can try to resolve the error:

Restart the Steam game and check if the issue is gone.
Restart your device, it might fix the error for you.
Check your internet connection and make sure you are connected to a strong and stable network.

If the above tricks don’t work, you can proceed to the next method to fix this error.

2] Check the status of Steam

If you continue getting error 53, make sure it is a server error. Simply check the network status of Steam using a free website status checker tool. If the server is currently down in your region, it is indeed a server issue. However, you can’t do much to fix it up except for waiting for some time until the issue is fixed from Steam’s side.

If the server status is showing fine, then there might be some other problems that are triggering error 53 on Steam. In that case, try some other solution from this post.

Read: Fix Steam stuck on Allocating disk space.

3] Locate the AMDAS4 device

The AMD chipset users can try locating the AMDAS4 device and if not found, install it. One of the users reported that the Steam error 53 was caused due to an “AmdAS4 Device” not installed on your system. He was able to fix the error by installing the AMDAS4 device driver. Let us discuss the steps to install it on Windows PC:

Firstly, open the Run dialog box using Windows +R, enter devmgmt.msc in the Open field, and press OK.
Now, in the opened Device Manager windows, try finding the AmdAS4 device driver. In case you don’t find it, it is not installed and might be a cause of this error. Even if you find it, reinstalling might help you resolve the error for you.
Next, go to the Action tab and then click on the Add Legacy Hardware option.
After that, press the “Install the hardware that I manually select from a list (Advanced)” option and then click the Next button.
Then, press the Show All Devices option and hit on the Next button.
Finally, locate the AMDAS4 device and finish the installation using the onscreen instructions.

You can also manually download and install the AMDAS4 device driver manually from the official website.

See if the error is gone after AMDAS4 driver installation.

4] Disable your antivirus

If you have enabled real-time antivirus protection, there are chances that it might be interfering with Steam. Some users have reported that their McAfee antivirus was interrupting with Steam and was causing problems in properly connecting to the internet while being on Steam. So, try disabling your antivirus and then check if the issue is gone. If you can resolve the issue by turning off antivirus protection, the error was indeed caused due to your antivirus.

5] Make an Exception for your Steam game on your antivirus

You might not want to completely disable your antivirus as then you will be risking the security of your entire system. But, there is a solution to that as well. You can add your Steam game to the exception list on your antivirus and then see if the error 53 is fixed.

Open your antivirus program and then add Steam to the exception or exclusion list. Different antivirus has a different location for exception settings. For example:

For Avast antivirus, go to the Home > Settings > General > Exclusions option.
In AVG, you can navigate to Home > Settings > Components > Web Shield > Exceptions.

In the Exceptions settings, enter the location of your Steam game that you are trying to play. Enter the location of the game properly. You will most likely find your Steam game at the following location: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\NameOfTheGame

After adding the Steam game to the exception list of your antivirus, restart Steam and check if you are able to play the game without error 53.

Tip: Defender Injector adds Add An Exclusion context menu item for Windows Defender

6] Change Download Region

The error 53 might be triggered due to your download region and thus causing a halt in your gaming experience. Try changing your download region and see if it fixes up the issue for you. Here are the steps to change the download region on Steam:

Start Steam.
Go to Settings.
Move to the Download tab.
Under the download region, select a different region that is close to you.
Relaunch your game and see if the error is gone.

See: Fix Steam error Initializing or Updating Transaction

What is error code 101 on Steam?

Some users specially Windows users have reported experiencing error code 101 on Steam. This error prompts a similar message to the below one:

Could not connect to the Steam network. Error Code 101.

Now, there can be multiple reasons for this error. Let us try to understand scenarios that trigger Steam error code 101.

What causes error code 101 on Steam?

According to many reports, here are some common causes for this error on Steam:

It can be caused due to server problems. You are likely to receive this error if the Steam server is down for maintenance or some technical work.
In an unfortunate scenario, if you were assigned a bad IP range, you might receive this error code. Or, it might be a case that your router can’t open the port that is used by Steam.
Another cause for this error can be corrupted Steam installation.
If you are using Steam on a restricted network connection, there are chances that this might be a reason for error 101.
Some other reasons for the error code 101 on steam can be corrupted or bad cache data or firewall interference with Steam.

Let us now discuss the fixes to resolve error 101 on Steam.

How to fix error code 101 on Steam

You can follow the below solutions to resolve Steam error 101:

Check if the Steam server is down.
Restart or reset your router.
Clear up your web browser cache in Steam.
Try reinstalling Steam.
Disable your firewall or add Steam to Whitelist.
Use a VPN if using a restricted network.

Let us have a look at the above solutions in detail now!

1] Check if the Steam server is down

First of all, make sure if the Steam server is down and the problem is caused due to that. In case the Steam server is currently under maintenance or there is some technical work going on at their end, you will need to wait to enjoy gaming without error 101. You can use a free website to detect if the Steam website is down or not.

2] Restart or reset your router

If you make sure that Steam servers are not down, then network inconsistency might be the reason for error code 101 on Steam. So, switch off your router and then unplug it. Wait for some time and then again plug it back in and restart the router. If this doesn’t work, reset your router and check if the issue is gone.

See: How to Reset Network Adapters using Network Reset feature.

3] Clear up your web browser cache in Steam

As discussed earlier, bad cache data can be a reason for this error. If this is the case, you should be able to fix the error by deleting the browser cache in Steam. To do that, you can follow the below steps:

Firstly, open the Steam app and then sign in with your account.
On the dashboard, press on Steam and then click on the Settings option.
In the Settings window, go to the Web Browser tab.
Then, click on the Delete Browser Cache option.
Lastly, press the OK button.
When the browse cache is removed, restart Steam and check if the issue is gone.

4] Try reinstalling Steam

If there are corrupted files associated with Steam installation, you might receive this error. So, uninstall the Steam app and then try to do a fresh installation of the Steam client. See if this works for you, else try some other method from this guide.

5] Disable your firewall or add Steam to Whitelist

Firewall interference may cause error 101 on Steam. So, try turning off firewall protection for some time and check if the error is gone. If yes, you can be sure that the error is triggered due to your firewall.

Now, if you don’t want to turn off firewall protection, then whitelisting Steam might help you. So, add the Steam app to the Whitelist of your firewall program and see if the issue is resolved.

Tip: How to blacklist or whitelist a program in Windows 10

6] Use a VPN if using a restricted network

If you are using Steam on a restricted school or work network and getting this error, try using a VPN client to avoid network or ISP blocks. There are a lot of free VPN software for Windows 11/10. To name a few, you can try TunnelBear, Globus Free VPN, Betternet VPN, Neorouter, or ProtonVPN. You can check the full list of free VPN clients for Windows and choose the one you want to use.

What is Steam Error Code 105?

The Steam error code 105 is basically a connection error caused due to slow internet connection or bad DNS configurations. If you are receiving this error, you can fix it up using the right solutions.

That’s it!

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