An error occurred while updating Steam game [FIX]

Steam offers automatic updates for the installed games. Sometime, you may encounter an error while installing or updating a game and steam displays “an error occurred while updating” error”.

The full error reads An error occurred while updating [game title] or An error occurred while installing [game title]. This is a common Steam error and here are a couple of ways to troubleshoot this error on the Windows system.

How do I fix Steam games not updating?

1. Clear Download Cache
2. Repair Library Folder
3. Verify Integrity of Game Files
4. Change Download Folder
5. Change Download Region
6. Disable Firewall and a few alternative solutions

1. Clear Download Cache

You can try to fix the issue by clearing the locally cached configuration data and force Steam to catch new data. Steam allows you to Clear Download Cache directly from its interface. Here is how to do it.

1. Launch Steam client.
2. Click on Steam and select Settings.
3. Open the Download tab.
4. Click on “Clear Download Cache” button. Click OK.
5. Exit and restart the Steam client and check for any improvements.

2. Repair Library Folder

Steam saves all the games and its data in the Steam Library. These library folders need to be writable by all the user in order to work properly including installation and to apply updates. In case the library has permission issues, you may encounter errors. To fix it, Steam has a built-in Library Folder repair option. Here is how to use it.

1. Launch Steam client.
2. Click on Steam and select Settings.
3. Open the Downloads tab.
4. Click on “Steam Library Folders” under “Content Library” section.
5. Right-click on the Library Folder path and select “Repair Library Folder”.
6. Click Close and exit Steam.
7. Relaunch Steam and try to update the problematic game to see if the error is resolved.

3. Verify Integrity of Game Files

The updates related error can occur if the folder or game files in the hard-disk are corrupted. The corruption can happen due to bad hardware or abrupt closer to any app. Steam can scan and verify game files and fix them if necessary.

1. Launch Steam Client on your PC.
2. Click on Library and select Games.
   
3. Right-click on the problematic game and select Properties.
4. In the Properties window, click on the Local Files tab.
5. Click on “Verify Integrity of Game Files” button.
6. Steam will scan the game files and apply any fixes if necessary.
7. Exit Steam and relaunch it. Try to update or install the game again, and that should have resolved the error.

4. Change Download Folder

Steam by default saves all the game and its data in the C: > Program Files > Steam > SteamApps folder. If the problem is with a folder or the hard drive, you can move the files to a different partition and install the game.

Note: If you have multiple hard drives in your system, try to move the folder to an alternate hard drive. If not, simply change the location or the partition.

1. Go to Steam and click on Settings.
2. Click on Steam Library Folder.
3. Click on Add Library Folder button and select a new location.
4. Click Select and click Close.
5. Exit and relaunch steam to see if the change of downloading location has fixed the error.

5. Change Download Region

Steam offers its content from different locations based on the user’s geographical location. Sometimes, the servers in a specific region may be slow or have hardware issues resulting in bad download. Changing the Download Region in Steam can fix any server related errors.

1. Go to Steam and click on Settings.
2. Click on the Downloads tab.
3. Under “Download Region“, click on your Country or current region.
4. Select the region which is nearest to your city or country. You may have to test multiple regions to find the fastest region.

6. Disable Firewall and a few alternative solutions

You Firewall protection may block Steam from connecting to the server resulting in update errors. Try disabling Windows Defender Firewall to see if that resolves the error.

1. Click on Start and select Settings.
2. Click on Update and Security > Windows Security.
   
3. Click on “Firewall and Network Protection“.
4. Select your active network and turn off Firewall protection.
5. If your Antivirus offers firewall protection, you may also want to turn it off manually.

Disable Antivirus – try disabling your antivirus software temporarily. Run Steam and update the game. If the update is successful, add Steam.exe to the Antivirus exception list.

Close Background Apps – Steam may have difficulty downloading and installing updates if any background app is creating conflict with the network or other resources. Close or exit apps like Skype, Google Drive, etc. that use internet connection and try again.

Reinstall Steam – As a last resort, you can try to uninstall and reinstall Steam. Uninstalling Steam won’t remove your game files. So, uninstall it from Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > Steam > Uninstall.