If you’re a Steam user, you may have noticed the service is down for a few minutes on Tuesdays. Or that certain service features and options are not working properly.
If you’re wondering why that is, read this guide to learn the answer.
Why does Steam go down every Tuesday?
The Steam servers undergo routine maintenance every Tuesday at 7 PM EST or 4 PM PT. That’s why Steam often goes down on Tuesdays. The good news is that the service should go back online in under 10 minutes.
Regular Maintenance to Prevent Major Unexpected Outages
Steam has millions of active users. When the service is affected by outage issues, many players get irritated or even angry.
By doing regular server maintenance work every Tuesday, Steam is actually trying to improve the quality of their service and prevent major long-term outages.
In this manner, Steam avoids major unexpected outages that may affect tens of thousands of users.
It’s like having a mechanic check your car once a year to ensure everything works as intended.
How to Check Steam Service Status
To check whether Steam servers are up and running or not, Go to SteamStat and check their stats.
You can also get information on the server status for specific games, as well as data about server load in different regions.
How long is Steam routine maintenance?
Steam routine maintenance starts at 7 PM EST or 4 PM PT (more or less) on Tuesdays and usually takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete.
Keep in mind that some service issues may sometimes occur shortly after maintenance. Restarting your computer should solve the problem.
How long are Steam servers down for maintenance?
Steam servers are down for maintenance anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes. The servers may remain unresponsive for 15 or 20 minutes if the company is rolling out hefty updates.
If you can’t connect to Steam servers after 20 minutes, this indicates the problem is a general one, and it’s not caused by the servers’ temporary unavailability during maintenance.
How do I know if Steam is under maintenance?
If you receive the message “The Steam Servers are currently unavailable” this usually indicates the Steam servers are under maintenance.
The “Disconnected from Steam” error that gamers typically get every Tuesday around 6 PM EST or 7 PM EST indicates that Steam’s servers are under weekly maintenance.
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Updated in June 2023.