Update: As of 3:35 PM PT, Steam services appear to have been restored, allowing the store fronts to be properly downloaded in both browser and client.
Original story follows …
If you’ve been having problems with the Steam store, it’s not just you. Valve’s online storefront seems to be down, with sites like DownDetector and the site of unofficial Steam status on Twitter reporting a service outage. According to DownDetector, the amount of reports today shot up from about 6 to 4,500 at 1:50 PM PT. About an hour later, that number currently needs to grow and grow to about 14,500. Not only is there a server outage – some strange thing is going on as well.
Trying to connect to the Steam homepage via browser brings up a blank screen with the words, “Sorry. The page is currently unavailable. Please try again later.” The Steam desktop client is not responsible and has started displaying the blank screen and message pairing. Refreshing the Steam homepage sometimes brings up a page full of branded text – one copy showing what appeared to be patch notes for Rainbow Six Siege. Other users have reported similar instances of random text, screenshots, and jumbled news items. You can see some examples on the Steam subreddit.
Despite all this, it appears that you can still use the Friends & Chat feature in the Steam client to send messages and launch games in your library. One of our editors was even able to submit a code and install a new game. However, the store and other community features like Steam Workshop and your user profile remain inaccessible, and some users have reported issues related to online games.
We’ll let you know when Steam’s services return online.
