Some PC gamers on Steam platform are reporting the issue whereby when trying to access the Steam Friends List, they receive the error message FRIENDS NETWORK UNREACHABLE even though they are certain there’s no internet connectivity issue, and they’re signed into their Steam account on their Windows 11 or Windows 10 system. This error remains despite refreshing the window many times. In this post, we provide the most suitable solutions.
When you encounter this issue, you’ll receive the following full error message;
FRIENDS NETWORK UNREACHABLE
This failure may indicate that your local network is offline or that the Steam Friends servers are currently offline.
Investigations reveal that the most likely culprits include;
- Bugs present in Steam Chat beta mode.
- Corrupted Steam cache.
Why does my Steam say Friends Network unreachable?
As a PC gamer, if you have encountered the Friends Network Unreachable error on your Windows 11/10 gaming rig, it’s most likely due to a bug in the current version of Steam installed on your computer. As a workaround, you could modify the properties and revert the client to an older version to see that fixes the issue.
How do I fix Steam Friends list not working?
If you’re experiencing issues with Steam Friends list not working, you can fix the issue by opening the Steam client, navigate to the Settings > Download settings. In the downloads settings tab, you need to find the option to clear the Steam cache – once you have the Steam cache cleared, your Steam Friends list should be working now.
Fix FRIENDS NETWORK UNREACHABLE Steam error
If you’re faced with this FRIENDS NETWORK UNREACHABLE – Steam error on your Windows PC, you can try our recommended solutions below in no particular order and see if that helps to resolve the issue.
- Opt-out of Steam Beta
- Clear Steam cache
- Configure Google Public DNS on your PC
- Fix Steam Server connection issue
- Fix Network & Internet connection problems on Windows 11/10
Let’s take a look at the description of the process involved for each listed solution.
1] Opt-out of Steam Beta
If you are currently participating in the Steam beta, you’re likely to encounter this FRIENDS NETWORK UNREACHABLE error. In this case, you can try opting out of the Steam Beta program/mode.
Do the following:
- In Steam, click on Steam in the upper left, then choose the Settings menu.
- Click the Account tab.
- Click the Change button under Beta Participation.
- From the drop down list, select the NONE – Opt out of all beta programs option.
- Click OK.
- Click the Restart Steam button on the prompt that appears.
The issue at hand should be resolved; otherwise, try the next solution.
2] Clear Steam cache
To clear/delete Steam cache on your Windows 11/10 PC, you need to delete the AppData folder contents for the Steam application. Here’s how:
- Log into your PC with your user account.
- Once logged in, press Windows key + R to invoke the Run dialog.
- In the Run dialog box, type the environment variable below and hit Enter.
%appdata%
- At the location, find (you may need to show hidden files/folders) the Steam folder.
- Right-click the folder and select Delete. Confirm any additional prompts.
- Exit File Explorer.
See if the issue at hand is resolved. If not, try the next solution.
3] Configure Google Public DNS on your PC
This solution simply requires you to configure Google Public DNS on your Windows 11/10 PC. If the issue persists, you can try the next solution.
4] Fix Steam Server connection issue
As the error prompts also indicated that the Steam Friends servers may be currently offline, you can use our guide on Steam is having trouble connecting to Steam servers to troubleshoot and see if that helps. Otherwise, try the next solution.
5] Fix Network & Internet connection problems on Windows 11/10
Here too, as the error prompt indicates that the failure may be that your local network is offline, you can check your internet device (router/modem) and restart the device. And then, you can use our guide to troubleshoot and fix any Network & Internet connection problems on your Windows 11/10 gaming rig.
You can also try Complete Internet Repair Tool to if you cannot connect to the Internet.
Hope this helps!
How do you fix Cannot connect to Steam servers?
Suppose you have encountered the “Cannot connect to Steam servers while gaming on your PC” error, to fix this issue. In that case, you can follow these instructions: exit Steam, navigate to your Steam installation directory, which is by default located at C:\Program Files (x86)\ Steam. At the location, delete everything in that directory except the following: steam.exe, the steamapps directory (all of Steam’s game files are stored here) and finally, restart Steam.
Can’t connect to Steam Friends Network?
If you can’t connect to Steam Friends Network when Steam reports that you have lost your connection to the Steam Friends network, you can resolve the issue by first confirming that there is no outage by checking the Steam Server status, then exit and relaunch the Steam client on your Windows PC.
Related post: Fix Error adding Friend on Steam.
