Fix: An Error Occurred While Installing or Updating Steam Games

Steam is the ultimate destination for playing and discussing Windows PC games as it’s one of the popular video game digital distribution services from Valve. PC users love to purchase games from Steam and the Steam launcher is good enough to get started. Although the Steam client and its services are too good, several users may sometimes encounter an error while Installing or Updating Steam Games.

If you’re also receiving the same error notice while trying to install or update games from the Steam client, follow this troubleshooting guide. It’s quite frustrating for all PC gamers not to get installed or update their favorite games whatsoever. Luckily, here we’ve mentioned a couple of possible workarounds that should work for you. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.

1. Run Steam as an administrator

It’s highly recommended to run the Steam client as an administrator on your Windows computer to give the admin access to the Steam launcher easily. Sometimes without having the proper admin privilege, the Steam client may not work as expected. To do that:

Right-click on Steam exe shortcut file on your PC.
Now, select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.

Make sure to click on the Run this program as an administrator checkbox to checkmark it.
Then click on Apply and select OK to save changes.
Once done, you can try running the Steam client again to check for the issue.

2. Update the Steam client

It’s recommended to check for Steam client updates, and if there is an update available, make sure to install it right away. To do that:

Open the Steam client on your PC > Now, click on the Steam tab from the top-left corner.
Click on Go Online (if it’s offline) and check for Steam client updates.
It should show you the “Check for Steam client updates” option.
If any update is available, download and install it.
Finally, close the Steam client, and re-open it to refresh the changes.

3. Clear Steam Download Cache

You should also try clearing the Steam download cache from the client itself to resolve any download-related issues or glitches. To do this:

Open the Steam launcher > Click on the Steam tab from the top-left corner.
Now, click on Settings > Go to the Downloads section.
Click on Clear Download Cache > If prompted, click on OK to confirm the action.
Finally, click on OK to save changes and restart the Steam client.

4. Repair Steam Library Folder

Maybe there is something wrong with the Steam client or its library folder that you can’t understand. So, it would be best if you tried repairing the Steam Library folder on the client by following the steps below:

Open the Steam launcher > Click on the Steam tab from the top-left corner.
Now, click on Settings > Go to the Downloads section.
Click on Steam Library Folders > Look for the specific game installation directory causing an issue.
Next, right-click on that specific game folder and select Repair Library Folder.
If prompted by Steam, allow the permissions to start the repairing process.
It may take some time. So, have some patience.
Once done, restart your computer to change the effects immediately.

5. Change Download Region on Steam

Make sure to change the download region on the Steam client if in case, you’re having issues with the currently selected region. Changing the download region may help you to easily fix the issue which is also related to the installation or updating games. To do so:

Open the Steam client > Click on Steam from the top-right corner.
Next, go to Settings > Select Downloads.
Click on Download Region > Select another region except for your current one.
Once selected, make sure to close the Steam client, and re-open it.
Now, you can now try downloading or updating Steam games.

6. Verify Games Files on Steam

It’s quite common these days to have some issues with the installed game files because either they’re corrupted or missing for some reason. If you’re also feeling the same thing then it’s always a better idea to just verify the game files on the Steam client properly. To do that:

Open the Steam client on your PC.
Click on Library > Right-click on problematic game title from the installed games list.
Now, click on Properties > Go to Local Files.

Here you’ll have to click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
Once done, make sure to restart your computer.
Finally, launch the Steam launcher again to check for the game installation or update issue.

7. Disable Antivirus and Firewall Protection

Even if you don’t use the Windows Firewall or Defender tool on your PC, then disable the security program on your Windows computer. Most game launching or updating issues may be resolved by temporarily disabling the security protection. To do that:

Click on the Start menu > Type Control Panel and click on it.
Now, type firewall in the search box > Click on Windows Firewall.
From the left pane, click on Turn Windows Firewall on or off.
Select Turn off Windows Firewall for the Private and Public Network Settings.
Finally, reboot the PC to apply changes and try checking the issue.

Now, you’ll have to disable the anti-virus protection (Windows Defender) as well by following the steps below:

Head over to Windows Settings > Privacy and Security.
Now, go to Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
Click on Manage settings >Then turn off the Real-time Protection option.
Once done, reboot your PC to check for issues again.

8. Disable Unnecessary Background Tasks

An unnecessary third-party background running task can always trigger multiple issues with the system performance because it consumes a higher CPU/memory usage all the time in the background. So, it’s highly recommended to close the background running tasks by following the steps below:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open up the Task Manager.
Now, click on the Processes tab > Click to select the task that’s unnecessarily running in the background and consuming enough system resources.

Click on End Task to close the task.
Do the same thing for every unnecessary task to close. [Do not close system-related tasks which are important]
Once all is done, restart your computer to check for the issue.

9. Update Networking Drivers

If the networking driver becomes outdated, then update it to the latest version (if any). To do so:

Press Windows + X keys to open the Quick Start Menu.
Now, click on Device Manager from the list > Double-click on Network adapters.
Right-click on the active networking adapter that you’re currently using.

Next, select Update driver > Choose to Search automatically for drivers.
If an update is available, it’ll automatically download & install the latest version.
Once done, restart the system to apply changes and check if that fixes the issue.

10. Reinstall Steam

If none of the methods worked for you, uninstalling and reinstalling the Steam client on your Windows PC. Many reports are there that reinstalling the Steam launcher has completely resolved the game installing/updating issue. To do this:

Press Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.
Click on Apps > Scroll down the list of installed apps and locate Steam. [You can also directly type steam and search for it]

How To Fix a Steam Service Error

Click on Steam and select Uninstall.
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the uninstallation process.
Once done, make sure to restart your PC to change effects.
Next, head over to the Steam Installation webpage and grab for your Windows.
Open the Steam launcher > Sign in to your existing Steam account again.
Finally, re-install the problematic game and check if that helps or not.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.

Fix: An Error Occurred While Installing or Updating Steam Games