One of the main problems faced by MMO players is not being able to connect to their beloved game. Final Fantasy XIV players suffer with that from time to time, especially if they’re playing not through a Square Enix account but through Steam itself. While it might be more practical, there are many issues that come along with that.
One of the most common of those is the “Could Not Connect to Steam” error, which often comes back to haunt players. Here are some of the possible solutions for it.
How to Fix the FFXIV Could Not Connect to Steam Error
This error will appear regardless if you’re launching the game directly from Steam or through the XIVLauncher plugin. It basically means that the Steam servers are going through issues at the moment and the game cannot connect itself to them. It also appears whenever there’s maintenance currently going on or a few moments after it’s done. You can try one of the following solutions to get rid of it.
1 – Confirm the Server Status
You can use sources such as Is Steam Down? website or the unofficial Steam Status Twitter account to see what’s currently going on with the server. As the first source also mentions, if it’s currently around 16:00 PT on a Tuesday, Steam is probably down due to its scheduled maintenance.
Final Fantasy XIV’s own maintenance will obviously also deny you access to the game, but the error message you get is different.
2 – Reconnect to Steam
The problem might be with your own connection to Steam, so you might as well log out and try entering again. If it doesn’t help, try restarting your own internet connection this time.
Related: Last Chance Tickets Available for FFXIV Fan Fest 2023
3 – Change Your Steam Name
Steam players had a strange issue some months ago where they would only be able to log in if they changed their Steam names to contain only alphabetic letters with no numbers or symbols. The issue should be solved by now, but you never know if it has come back. If your name has some symbol in it, try removing it just to be safe.
4 – Verify your Files
The last attempt is to go to your Steam Library, right-click on Final Fantasy XIV and select Proprieties > Local Files > Verify integrity of game files…
The process will take quite some time, but it’s bound to solve any other technical issues that might have been disrupting Steam from doing its job.
5 – Just Keep Trying
Sometimes Steam servers get messy and you cannot connect immediately, but attempting a few more times will eventually result in a successful login. It won’t work every time, but just give it a try.
If you’re still getting the error message and you know that more people are also getting it, chances are that a recent Steam or even an FFXIV update is difficulting connection, and your best bet is to wait for a fix to roll out.
If you’re the only Steam player with this error and you’re sure the problem is not with your connection, there might be a problem with your installation as a whole, so you might have to download it all again.
