portion steam Users in the Middle East are currently experiencing service outages that prevent them from accessing cloud storage due to the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran. Valve acknowledged the issue, but warned that there was little clarity on when affected Steam users would be able to access their data again, and that some data may have been permanently lost.
The United States and Israel began a joint bombing campaign against Iran on February 28, 2026. The conflict escalated rapidly over the next two months, with Iran launching missile and drone attacks on the Gulf's energy and civil infrastructure. The Strait of Hormuz was also repeatedly closed and reopened during this period, disrupting one of the world's most important oil shipping routes. Even before Steam's service was partially shut down, the conflict was already at the forefront of some gaming industry circles. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 A video promoting a military campaign against Iran in a now-deleted tweet from early March 2026.
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Steam Support Admits Middle East Service Outage
Within weeks of the dispute, some users in the Middle East began experiencing problems with Steam Cloud, a service that allows cloud saves from other PCs running Steam Deck and Valve's store. According to a screenshot from a Steam support chat shared by Reddit user Pristine_Unit_2146 in late April 2026, Valve is now officially acknowledging the issue, at least when requested directly by affected customers. But the company is not ready to commit to a specific timeline for a resolution, saying the timeline is “unclear.”
Some Steam users in the Middle East may experience permanent data loss
The support message suggests that the recent attack did not compromise Valve's own infrastructure. Rather, it attributes the ongoing Steam Cloud issue to “a compromise in some third-party data centers.” [sic] “Cloud Providers” used by Valve to provide cloud storage services in your region. The group said it maintains redundant storage across its third-party sites. This means that most affected users will likely have at least one backup that they can restore once their local service comes back online. Still, Valve warned that if enough data centers are compromised, a “small number of users” could suffer permanent data loss.
Steam isn't the only gaming platform affected by the recent attacks on Gulf data centers. User reports on social media also point to service outages affecting several popular multiplayer games in the Middle East, including: Battlefield 6. The affected companies have not announced any permanent data loss so far. As for Valve, users in those regions will reportedly still be able to download and play the game. Because the issue appears to be local, it cannot be reliably tracked in real time by the typical global Steam service outage, which is monitored through public services such as Down Detector.
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The United States and Iran remain in a standoff over the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and as of late April 2026, there is no clear path to de-escalating the situation. The war in Iran was recently cited as one of the factors behind the sharp decline in attendance at GDC 2026, and its impact has extended far beyond the gaming industry, wreaking havoc on global energy prices and other markets.
