Many users are having issues with Steam Workshop. While some say they can’t browse the mods, some users can’t upload or download the mods, maps, and other content. If Steam Workshop is not working for you today, keep reading this article as we’ll walk you through some potential solutions to fix the issue.
Steam is one of the most popular online video game distribution services. It has thousands of high-quality games. Apart from downloading and updating the games, players can access the Workshop section on Steam to browse and download tons of content that other users have created such as maps, skins, weapons, and game modes. Players also have the option to create their own content and upload them on the Steam Workshop for other players.
Steam has integrated the Workshop into many popular games and with a few clicks, players can easily access the custom content. The Workshop has become an essential part of the Steam community. If you are more into customizing your favorite game, the Workshop should be something you’d be visiting quite often. However, there are times when the Steam Workshop does not work. Before you start scratching your head, go through the solutions in this article and apply them to get the Steam Workshop up and running again.
Before you directly jump to the troubleshooting steps, let me talk you through the possible reasons that could be causing issues with Steam Workshop.
Reasons Why Steam Workshop Is Not Working Today
These are the possible reasons stopping you from accessing Steam Workshop:
- Issues with Steam servers: Steam Workshop may have stopped working for you for the first time. But, the problem has occurred many times in the past. One of the common reasons why it occurred was ongoing issues with Steam servers. Probably, sometime similar could be playing around this time. We’ll tell you how to check if there is something wrong with Steam servers in the solutions below.
- Unstable or weak Internet connection: You require a fast and stable Internet connection to access and download content from Steam Workshop. Not having a stable connection might end in content not loading properly or download failure.
- Corrupted Steam installation: Another reason why the Steam Workshop is not working is a corrupted Steam installation. The best way to fix this issue is to uninstall and install Steam again.
- Corrupted game files: If you are having issues downloading maps, mods, or other content for a particular game, it is likely that the game has some issues. You can try updating the game. If it does not help, repair it to fix issues like missing or corrupted game files.
Steam beta errors: The beta version of Steam allows you to test new features before they are made available to all users. But, the beta users, generally, are the ones who face more problems. If you have opted for the beta version, opting out could fix the problem.
These are some common problems that could trigger issues with viewing, downloading, or uploading content on Steam Workshop. In the next section, we have shared a curated list of effective solutions that should help you throw the problem out of your device.
Steam Workshop Not Working Today? Here’s How to Fix It
The solutions below should be followed in the order that they are presented. Without further ado, let’s begin our troubleshooting.
1. Check if Steam Has Server Issues
If Steam Workshop is not working for you today, this could be a result of server problems. It has been the case multiple times in the past. And therefore, the possibility can’t be ignored this time around. When there is a server outage, most Steam services get affected. And sadly, you can’t do very much other than wait for the engineers to fix it.
Unfortunately, Steam does not have an official page where we can get the real-time of their servers. However, you can make use of third-party tools such as Steamstat and Downdetector.com to check if there are ongoing issues.
2. Restart the Steam Client
Often minor system glitches cause issues with the application, which can be easily fixed by closing and launching the app again. You could try this solution to fix the Steam Workshop not working issue on your PC. First, close the Steam Client and any games that are running. Before you launch Steam again, we would recommend restarting your device once so that all running Steam processes get cleared from the memory.
3. Use the Big Picture Mode in Steam
Some say the Steam Workshop downloads the content but has a display issue due to which the app does not show the download progress in the default interface of Steam. To check if bots or any other content are downloading, switch to the Big Picture mode. To enter this mode, click the big picture mode icon. It is located to the left of the minimize icon in the upper-right corner.
4. Check Your Internet Connection
As mentioned in the earlier part of this article, a bad internet connection may fail to load the Steam Workshop or may not download content at all. To use the Workshop and download mods, maps, skins, or other content, you require a fast and stable internet connection.
Run an internet speed test via speedtest.net. If the connection is not good, try rebooting your router. You can do this either via the router’s settings page or simply unplug the router’s power cable for a minute and then plug in the cable again. Now, connect your PC to the internet and check if you can access Steam Workshop and download items.
5. Clear Steam Download Cache
There might be a lot of pending downloads on Steam or some error has occurred with the downloader. Due to this reason, Steam might not be allowing new downloads. You can try clearing the download cache to check if it can solve the problem.
Follow these steps to clear the download cache:
- Launch the “Steam” client on your device.
- Click on “Steam” at the top of the screen and select “Settings” from the available options.
- Tap on “Downloads” from the left pane.
- Now, you can see the “Clear Download Cache” option on the right side of the window.
- Click “Yes” to confirm.
After you have cleared the download cache, try downloading an item from the Steam Workshop, and do let us know if this method fixed the issue.
6. Remove Broken/Corrupted Mods
If you can’t download content for a specific game, it’s likely because some mods are corrupted. If the mods files get corrupted, Steam may not download any new mods until you remove or fix the corrupted ones. Here’s how you can check and delete corrupted mods:
- Turn off the “Steam” client.
- Launch “File Explorer” by pressing the “Windows + E” buttons.
- On Windows 10, go to the View tab and check the “Hidden items” box. Windows 11 users should go to View > Show and click “Hidden items”.
- Type the following path in the search box and hit the Enter button to navigate to the mod folder:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\*Game*\!Workshop
[Note: Make sure to replace *Game* with the actual name of the game which may have issues with mods.]
To check if the mod is corrupted or broken, double-tap on each mod. The mods which are showing the “Location is not available” error are the ones causing the problem. Remove them.
Now that you have removed all problematic mods from your computer, we’ll Verify the integrity of game files. This will ensure that the game has no missing files.
Here’s how to verify the integrity of game files:
- Launch the “Steam” client and navigate to the “Library” tab.
- Right-click on the game and tap on “Properties”.
- Now, go to the “LOCAL FILES” tab and click “VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES”.
Once it is done, open the Steam Workshop and you should be able to download your favorite mods and other content.
7. Change the Download Region
The download might fail if the download region of your Steam account is too far away from the actual region. Changing the download region to a closer one could fix the issue.
Here are the quick steps you need to follow:
- Launch the “Steam” client on your device.
- Tap on “Steam” at the top of the screen and select “Settings” from the available options.
- Tap on “Downloads” from the left side menu.
- Change the “Download Region” to an appropriate country and click “OK” to save the change.
You should now be able to download the bots. However, if the problem persists, try other solutions below.
8. Opt-out of Steam Beta Programs
Generally, the beta builds are intended for people who want to get an early hands-on with new features. Although this may sound exciting, the beta version can cause many problems. It’s therefore recommended to have the regular version of Steam.
Many users were able to fix issues with Steam Workshop by opting out of the Steam beta program. Here’s how you can do it too:
- Launch the “Steam” client.
- Click “Steam” at the top of the screen and tap on “Settings”.
- Tap on “Account” from the left side menu.
- Click the “Change” button under “Beta participation”.
- Select “None – Opt out of all beta programs” from the dropdown options.
Once you’ve opted out of all beta programs, launch Steam again and re-subscribe to the mods that were causing problems before.
9. Uninstall and Reinstall Steam
If the Steam Workshop is still not working for you, try uninstalling and reinstalling the Steam Client as a last resort. This should all the issues with Steam and you might eventually have a functioning Steam Workshop.
Here’s how to reinstall Steam on your PC:
- Right-click on the Windows logo at the bottom and select “Settings”.
- Tap on “Apps” and click “Installed apps”. You will see a list of all apps on your PC.
- Find Steam, tap the three-dot icon next to it, and click “Uninstall”.
- Click “Uninstall” again to confirm.
To completely remove Steam, restart your computer. Now, visit this page and grab the latest version of Steam. Sign into your account, download the game, and visit Workshop to download mods.
We hope you were able to fix the Steam Workshop not working today issue using one of the solutions from this guide. Do let us know which method worked out for you in the comments below.
