Is Steam down? Gamers reporting server issues on platform

On DownDetector, more than 1,000 users have said they are facing problems with the gaming platform.

Some 70% of the problems are related to the server connection, 12% to login and 10% to purchases.

Issues began to be reported shortly after 3pm this afternoon.

is Steam store down or what? https://t.co/zpFP4RPxTS

— Jigyanshu✌️ (@iamjigyanshu) October 21, 2026

You can see the full report on DownDetector.

Is Steam down?

Several users of Steam have taken to social media to report issues.

One said: "Is Steam store down or what?"

A second added: "Steam is reportedly down for some gamers right now."

Another wrote: "Seems like the store is down, every page gives error E502 L2.

"Does this have to do with the PHP vulnerabilities that were found and (many) sites are waiting on a patch for?"

National Cyber Security Centre update amid PHP issue

It comes as today, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued a warning encouraging UK organisations to take immediate action to mitigate a security issue affecting PHP (CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619).

PHP is a general-purpose scripting language geared towards web development used across many sites.

The NCSC has issued an update to the PHP alert reflecting the release of mitigations. We encourage UK organisations to take immediate action. For more information on the issue as well as our guidance, head to⬇️ https://t.co/l6TDtVurJN https://t.co/yuApSzlwSH

— NCSC UK (@NCSC) October 21, 2026

Organisations have been warned to urgently update their PHP systems following the discovery of two critical security flaws.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued the warning after vulnerabilities were found in the PHP programming language, widely used for web development and powering a significant portion of the internet.

A spokesperson for the NCSC said: "Where immediate remediation is not feasible, organisations should consider taking the system offline until it can be fully mitigated."

Cyber-security agencies in the EU and Australia have issued similar warnings.

PHP is used on servers to generate website content and can be found running beneath public websites, content management systems and hosting platforms.

Don Smith, from the Sophos Counter Threat Unit, told the BBC : "The use of PHP is pervasive, it can sit beneath public websites, content management systems, hosting platforms and third-party products, sometimes without even being obvious to the organisation using it."

The European Union Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-EU) said the vulnerabilities could allow unauthenticated remote code execution, potentially enabling attackers to install malware or disable websites.

CERT-EU also warned that the flaws could affect all PHP versions dating back to PHP 5, released in 2004.

A fix is due to be issued this afternoon (Wednesday, October 21).

What is Downdetector?

Downdetector is an online website that allows users of popular services, including X, Instagram, Facebook , Virgin Media and more, to report if they are having trouble with the services.

The site only reports an incident when the number of problem reports is significantly higher than the typical volume for that time of day.

Describing itself on its website, Downdetector is “where people go when services don’t work.”

The website monitors disruptions to various key services, including the internet, web hosting platforms, banks, social media and more.

You can see the full methodology and learn more about how Downdetector collects status information and detects problems via its website.

In short, users can get involved by submitting any issue reports on the platform.

Problem indicators are also collected from social media and other factors on the web, Downdetector explained.

These reports are then validated and analysed in real-time.

An incident is then detected if the number of reports is significantly higher than the typical average for that particular service.

When a user goes to investigate the issue, they can see what the most reported problems are currently and check if their area is in one of the outage hotspots.

Do you use Downdetector? Let us know in the comments.