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First find out whether the trouble affects Steam generally, one game, or only Remote Play streaming. Then test your connection and firewall before changing router settings: Steam’s troubleshooting guidance recommends a wired connection where practical, refreshing stale firewall permissions, and checking whether a restricted network is blocking traffic. The right fix depends on how the game connects.
Identify what is failing
Separate a Steam service or client problem from a game-specific co-op failure. If Steam sign-in or other Steam services are also unavailable, check Steam status before changing local settings.
If Steam works and only one game fails, the cause may be specific to that game’s networking, server setup, anti-cheat, or port requirements. Steam notes that individual games can require ports beyond Steam’s general list. If you are using Remote Play, troubleshoot streaming and device discovery separately from ordinary online matchmaking.
Work through the connection checks
- Test the network link. If you are on Wi-Fi or powerline networking, try a direct Ethernet connection if practical. Steam warns that wireless and powerline links can suffer intermittent interference. For Remote Play streaming, also check router firmware, Wi-Fi interference, streaming quality, and available bandwidth.
- Restart the relevant equipment. Close the game and Steam, restart the computer and router, then try joining again. This is a basic check; if the problem continues, move on to firewall and network restrictions rather than repeatedly restarting.
- Check security software and background applications. Firewalls, security software, proxies, and other background applications can interfere with Steam connectivity. If the issue began after a Steam or game update, an old firewall permission may no longer match the executable.
- Refresh Steam firewall permissions safely. Steam’s guidance is to close Steam, remove existing firewall permissions for the listed Steam and game executables, reopen Steam, and allow the programs again for TCP and UDP when prompted. Restart the computer after updating the rules. A temporary firewall-off test is diagnostic only: turn protection back on immediately and repair the specific rule.
- Retry on an unrestricted network, if available. University, business, guest, public, proxy, or captive-portal networks may block the traffic a game or Remote Play needs. On a managed network, ask its administrator; do not attempt to bypass its restrictions.
Check the right ports for the connection type
Steam publishes these port groups for Steam networking. They are not a universal port-forwarding recipe: the game may need additional ports, and Steam says its required ports cannot be remapped to HTTP or changed to a custom range. On restricted networks, ask the administrator whether the relevant traffic is allowed.
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| Use | Protocol and ports | What it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Game traffic | UDP remote 27000–27250 | Steam’s listed range for game traffic; a particular game may require more. |
| Remote Play | UDP local 27031–27036; TCP local 27036 | Remote Play streaming, not a required setting for every online co-op game. |
| Steamworks peer-to-peer networking and Steam voice chat | UDP remote 3478, 4379, 4380, and 27014–27030 | Steam’s listed ports for these networking features. |
Do not forward every listed port to every device by default. First identify whether the failure is ordinary online co-op or Remote Play, then consult the game’s own support information for any additional requirements.
For Remote Play, check isolation and streaming conditions
Remote Play streams the host’s game to another device, so it has requirements that do not apply to every online co-op session. Steam recommends Ethernet where possible. On a trusted home network, check that the router’s access-point or client-isolation setting is not preventing devices from communicating. Do not disable security or isolation on an unfamiliar public network.
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Many public, workplace, school, guest, and captive-portal networks may prevent Remote Play connections. If streaming starts but becomes unstable, check Wi-Fi interference, router firmware, bandwidth, and streaming quality. A wired test can help distinguish a wireless streaming problem from a game matchmaking problem.
Understand peer-to-peer connections and relays
Some games try to connect players directly using NAT traversal. If a direct route is blocked by firewall or network configuration, the game may use a relay instead. Games built on newer Steam networking APIs can use Steam Datagram Relay. The exact behavior is determined by the game’s implementation, so a player may not have a setting that forces a particular route.
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Direct peer-to-peer connections can involve sharing public IP addresses, depending on the game and its settings. Steam provides information about this in Peer-to-Peer Networking and Sharing Your IP Address. NAT or relay behavior helps explain some connection failures, but does not establish that NAT is the cause in a specific case.
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Contact the game’s support team or Steam Support with details that help identify the failing layer:
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- The game title, exact error message, and whether you are hosting or joining.
- Whether Steam itself is reachable and whether other games connect.
- Whether you are using Remote Play or the game’s ordinary online co-op.
- Your network type (home, school, workplace, guest, or public) and whether you use a proxy or VPN.
- Whether the problem began after a Steam, game, firewall, or security-software update.
- Whether Ethernet or another unrestricted network changed the result.
For game-specific ports or matchmaking behavior, the game publisher is the appropriate source; Steam’s general port ranges do not cover every title.
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