How to Fix Terraria Not Connecting via Steam

Can’t figure out why Terraria is not connecting via Steam?

Terraria is considered to be one of the most played games on Steam, with an overwhelmingly positive community rating. It is also one of the most successful and well-known games in the world. 

When playing Terraria, the go-to platform for many is Steam. Unfortunately, there are occasions when the connection fails and prevents players from joining each other’s sessions. 

This is surely an annoying problem that will ruin any player’s experience. 

Nonetheless, Steam is still the best platform to play the game since it has the most stable servers. 

In this guide, we will show you how to fix Terraria if it’s not connecting via Steam. 

Let’s begin!

1. Restart Your Computer. 

Before tweaking any configurations on your computer, we suggest restarting your system if you encounter issues with Terraria. This should allow your computer to reload its resources and fix temporary errors. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

1. On your computer, press the Windows key to open the Start Menu. 
2. From there, access the Power Options tab. 
3. Finally, click Restart to reboot your system. 

Relaunch the game and see if you’ll still encounter connectivity issues.

2. Run Steam As Admin. 

Network issues are the most common reason for connection problems with Terraria. Possibly, your system is blocking Steam from establishing a connection with the game servers, explaining why you can’t join any session. 

To fix this issue, we recommend running Steam as an administrator: 

1. On your desktop, right-click on Steam and choose Properties. 
2. Next, go to the Compatibility tab. 
3. After that, enable the ‘Run this Program as an Administrator’ option.
4. Finally, save the changes by clicking OK and Apply. 

Relaunch Steam and see if you can now connect to Terraria. 

3. Check Your Network Connection. 

A slow or unstable internet connection could also be the reason Terraria is not connecting via Steam. If this is the case, we suggest performing a test on your network using Fast.com to measure your connection’s upload and download bandwidth. 

If the test indicates a problem with your network, try restarting your modem or router to re-establish the link with your ISP’s servers. 

Unplug your router’s power cable from the outlet and wait for 5 to 10 seconds before reconnecting it. 

Once done, re-run the test on your network to check if the problem is solved. If not, contact your service provider and ask them to fix the issue. 

4. Turn Off VPN. 

Virtual private networks are third-party services that protect your online data from hackers and other entities. If you are using a VPN on your computer, try disabling it before playing online games. 

While they keep you safe online, VPNs can also cause delays and instability to your network. 

If you don’t want to go online without protection, you can try switching to a much more reliable VPN, like PureVPN. 

Compared to other services, PureVPN keeps your network fast and reliable while keeping your data and activities private. It also works well with streaming services like Disney+, HBO Max, and Netflix. 

5. Update Network Drivers. 

Corrupted network drivers could also be the reason you are experiencing connectivity issues on your computer. To rule this out, we suggest updating your network drivers to patch bugs and errors. 

See the steps below to update drivers: 

1. First, press the Windows + X keys on your keyboard to open the Quick Access Menu. 
2. Click on Device Manager and expand the Network Adapters tab. 
3. Lastly, right-click on your network controller and choose Update Driver. Follow the prompts to proceed. 

Restart your system afterward and check if you can now join a session. 

6. Check If the Session Is Still Available. 

There are instances when the session you are trying to join is no longer available, explaining why you can’t connect. To be sure, confirm with your friend if the room he created is available before joining. 

Head back to the game afterward and see if you’ll still encounter issues. 

7. Flush Your DNS.

Flushing your DNS might also help if you still can’t connect via Steam on Terraria. This should clear your DNS cache and eliminate issues that may have occurred during runtime. 

See the steps below to flush your DNS: 

1. On your computer, access the Start Menu and look for Command Prompt. 
2. Next, click on Run as an Administrator. 
3. Inside CMD, type ‘ipconfig /flushdns’ and hit the Enter key. 

Relaunch Terraria afterward and try joining another session. 

That ends our guide for fixing Terraria if it’s not connecting via Steam. If you have questions or other concerns, please leave a comment below, and we’ll do our best to answer them. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂