Stuck with Steam Game Won’t Update? Here’s What to Do

Stuck with Steam Game Won’t Update? Here’s What to Do

/ Sed Galope

If you’re a frequent user of Steam, you’ve probably experienced the frustration of a game that won’t update. Whether the update is stuck on a certain percentage or refuses to start altogether, this issue can damper your gaming experience. If you’re wondering what you can do to fix the problem, you’ve come to the right place.

In this blog post, we’ll go over some of the most common reasons why Steam games won’t update and provide simple solutions to help you get back to gaming. We’ll cover steps such as checking your internet connection, verifying the game files, and ensuring that your system meets the game’s requirements. By the end of this guide, you’ll better understand how to troubleshoot the issue and keep your games up-to-date.

So if you’re tired of dealing with Steam game updates that refuse to cooperate, keep reading to find out how to solve the problem and get back to playing your favorite games.

Clear Download Cache

If you get an error code, i.e., the Steam game won’t update, it could be due to low storage or high CPU storage, causing the Steam client to end up restricting steam update. To fix the Steam update issue, clear the download cache can serve the purpose. Here is how you can clear/remove the steam download cache from the device.

Step 1: Launch the Steam application on the device, and on the main page, reach the steam menu in the top right corner of the screen. Select the option of settings from the menu.

steam settings

Step 2: In the setting menu, navigate to the option of downloads.

Step 3: In the downloads window, reach the option of clear download cache. Click the option and click yes to confirm clearing the download cache for Steam library folders.

clear steam download cache

Verify the Integrity of Game Files

Sometimes, it’s just one game in the Steam client, causing trouble in seam servers and delaying the steam updates. In this context, any corrupted game file (local files) in Steam library folders can result in an error. To settle the update error and fix Steam, you need to check the integrity of game files. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Launch Steam from the Windows main menu and click the option of the library in the header menu.

steam library

Step 2: Right-click the game from the Steam library, causing an update error. Select the option of properties from the drop-down menu.

steam game properties

Step 3: In the properties window, head to the tab of local files and click the option of verify integrity of games files. It will run a diagnostic scan. Wait for the scan to complete and check if the error is resolved.

verify game integrity

Change Download Region

It is possible that the update you are trying to install/download on the steam client is not available for your download region. Therefore, you need to change the steam servers’ downloads region to resolve the steam update stick error. Here is how you can perform the action.

Step 1: Launch Steam and click the steam menu to select the settings option from the context menu.

steam settings

Step 2: In the settings menu, click the download tab, and under the section of download regions, select an appropriate region from the drop-down list. Click ok to continue.

steam download regions

Step 3: In the next UAC, click restart steam to complete the action.

restart steam

Whitelist Steam in Windows Firewall

It could be third-party antivirus software or you’re built-in Windows firewall defender causing the steam update error. In this regard, adding the steam client to the Windows firewall whitelist or exclusion list can resolve the problem. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: In the Windows main menu, type Allow an app through Windows Firewall and double-click the option in the list to launch the menu.

search allow app through firewall

Step 2: Click the change settings option in the window of allowed apps.

change settings in firewall

Step 3: In the option of change settings, click allow another app.

allow another app

Step 4: It will launch a pop-up window to add an app. Click browse to select steam.exe from the list. Click open, followed by clicking add.

browse to add app
stream launcher

Step 5: This will add Steam to the Windows firewall whitelist. Click ok to complete the action.

add steam

Clear Package Folder

The suck steam update error can be resolved by clearing the file clutter from the device. It could be done from Windows file explorer. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Launch file explorer from the Windows main menu. Type file explorer in the taskbar’s search box and double-click the utility to launch.

Step 2: In the file explorer menu, type C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\package in the address bar and click enter to continue.

steam package address

Step 3: This will open a Window for Steam packages. Press Ctrl+ A shortcut key from the keyboard to select all content from the window and right-click to select delete from the context menu.

select all steam package

Run Steam as Administrator

Running the steam client with administrative privileges on the device can resolve the issue if your steam update is tucked and results in an error. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Launch file explorer from the Windows main menu. Type C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\package in the address bar and click enter to continue.

Step 2: Click the steam.exe folder and right-click it to select properties from the context menu.

steam launcher properties

Step 3: In the properties window, head to the compatibility tab, and under the section of settings, check the box for the option of run this program as an administrator. Click apply, followed by clicking ok to save changes.

set steam game to run as administrator

Repair Steam Library Folder

To fix the steam issue of stuck download, one can always go for repair of the Steam library folder from the steam client. It might fix the problems with file corruption or missing folders restricting the update from downloading. Here is how you can perform the action.

Step 1: Launch steam from the Windows main menu. In the app, click the steam menu to select settings from the context menu.

steam settings

Step 2: From the settings list, click the download tab, and under the section of content libraries, click the option of steam folder library.

steam library folders

Step 3: In the library window, click the three-dot menu and select the option of repair folder.

repair library folder

Change Location of Installation Drive

Due to low storage on the existing installation drive, you may get a stuck update error for the Steam client. To avoid the issue, one can easily change the installation drive location. Here is how you can change the location.

Step 1: Launch steam from the shortcut in Windows main menu. Click the Steam menu to select settings from the drop-down menu.

steam settings

Step 2: In the settings menu, click the download tab, and under the section of content libraries, click the option of steam folder library.

steam library folders

Step 3: In the section storage manager, select the appropriate installation drive location and click move to complete the action.

Update Windows

Outdated Windows can lead to stuck steam updates for the steam client. Hence, updating Windows on the device can resolve the steam update error. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Launch settings via Windows key+ X from the keyboard. In the settings menu, select the option of update and security

windows update and security

Step 2: In the update and security window, select the option of Windows update. And check for updates. Select update to resolve errors. 

check updates

Check Hard Drive for Damage

The hard drive may get corrupted due to corrupted/damaged files. In this context, running a diagnostic tool scan for the hard drive can pinpoint the real cause of corruption errors. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Launch this PC from the Windows main menu.

Step 2: In the window, right-click the faulty hard drive and select the option of properties from the context menu.

open disk properties

Step 3: In the properties window, navigate to the tools tab, and under the section of error checking, click check. Click apply followed by clicking ok to initiate the scan.

Frequently Asked Questions About Steam Game Won’t Update Error

Why Isn’t Game Files Showing in Steam’s Downloads Tab?

The Downloads tab in Steam is a convenient way to track all the games you’ve downloaded and installed on your computer. Sometimes the game files can fail to show up even though the game is installed. This issue could be caused by factors such as corrupted or missing game files or temporarily unavailable Steam servers.

Sed Galope
Meet the author

Sedfrey is an experienced writer and editor. He's also a PC hardware and gaming enthusiast. In his spare time, he enjoys reading about the latest innovations in the PC market and finding fixes to hardware and software errors.