Troubleshooting & FAQ

1. First, three quick checks
2. The Setup status card
3. The plugin fails to build
4. Steam does nothing / every node says “Unavailable”
5. Achievements or stats do not save
6. It works in the editor but not in my packaged game
7. The Steam overlay does not show
8. Sessions: searching finds nothing
9. Steam.Error.* codes
10. Asking for help

First, three quick checks

Most problems are one of these:

1. Is the Steam client running and logged in? It must be, every time you test.
2. Are you using Play > Standalone Game? Steam does not run in Play In Editor. Nodes report Unavailable there. This is normal.
3. Is the Dashboard green? Open the Steam Dashboard (Tools > Steam Dashboard, or the Steam button in the toolbar), click Re-check and look at the Setup status card.

The Setup status card

Row	What it means	What to do
Online Subsystem Steam plugin	The engine’s Steam plugin is missing or disabled	Enable Online Subsystem Steam in Edit > Plugins, restart
Steamworks SDK	The plugin was built without Steamworks (unsupported platform or build)	Use Windows, or see the plugin fails to build
Steam App ID	It is 0 (error) or 480 (info: you are using the test app)	Set it in Project Settings > Plugins > Sandwich Steam
DefaultEngine.ini	Steam lines are missing or wrong	Click Fix / Configure Steam…
Steam App Definition	None assigned, cannot load, has invalid data, or is not in the cook	Click Create and assign / Add to cook. Hover the row for the exact problem

Show in Message Log in the Actions card lists the same checks with details.

The plugin fails to build

• “Missing Modules” dialog, then an error about a compiler or Windows SDK. Install the Visual Studio workload from Installation, Step 0, then reopen the project.
• The plugin is not found at all. Check the folder layout: Plugins/SandwichSteam/SandwichSteam.uplugin. A folder inside a folder is the usual reason.
• The plugin was built for a different engine version. Delete the plugin’s Binaries and Intermediate folders and your project’s, then reopen. Sandwich Steam supports UE 5.6, 5.7 and 5.8.
• Still failing? Open an issue and paste the first error line from the build log (in Unreal: Tools > Output Log, or the Visual Studio Output window).

Steam does nothing / every node says “Unavailable”

Situation	Why	Fix
You pressed the normal Play button	Steam does not run in Play In Editor	Use Play > Standalone Game
Steam client is closed	The plugin needs the running client	Start Steam and log in
Steam closes while the game runs	Unreal’s Steam integration ends the game when Steam quits	Keep Steam running
Steam does not know which game this is	Normally Unreal writes steam_appid.txt itself (Standalone, Development builds)	Run Configure Steam… first; if it persists: Dashboard > Advanced > steam_appid.txt > Create
Project not configured	DefaultEngine.ini lacks the Steam lines	Dashboard > Configure Steam…

Run Steam.Core.Dump in the game console. It tells you which of these is the reason.

If you need the file anyway, the dashboard’s Advanced page creates it next to the editor (Engine Binaries) or your project’s executable (Project Binaries). It is for development only; the Publish Tool always leaves it out of the upload.

Achievements or stats do not save

• Run Steam.Stats.Dump. It must say the stats are ready. Writes made before that are queued and applied automatically.
• Stat uploads are batched: after a change, the plugin waits a few seconds (default 5) before sending. Unlocking an achievement sends immediately.
• Make sure the name or tag exists on Steam for your App ID. A wrong name fails with Steam.Error.InvalidArgument or Steam.Error.Failed and logs one warning.
• Do not use Unreal’s own Online Subsystem achievement nodes for the same achievements at the same time.

It works in the editor but not in my packaged game

• Package as Development first. Then run Steam.Stats.Dump. If it says the App Definition was not found, open the dashboard and click Add to cook on the Steam App Definition row.
• Put steam_appid.txt next to the packaged .exe for testing only, and remove it before releasing on Steam.
• A Shipping build gets Steam only when it is started from Steam (the Play button, after uploading it to a branch). Double-clicking the Shipping .exe runs the game without Steam: multiplayer shows “Local network” and the overlay does not open. Shipping writes no log, so nothing tells you. To test outside Steam, use a Development build.

The Steam overlay does not show

• Start the game as Standalone Game (not PIE) or as a packaged build.
• In Steam: Settings > In Game > Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game must be on.
• Some drivers and screen recorders conflict with the overlay. Close them to test.

Sessions: searching finds nothing

On the shared test app Spacewar (480), Steam returns other developers’ lobbies and the plugin correctly rejects them, so the list is empty. Test with two accounts on your own App ID, or narrow the search with a Profile Tag.

Steam.Error.* codes

Failed calls return a result with one of these tags:

Tag	Meaning
Steam.Error.Unavailable	Steam is not running, or not available in this mode (for example PIE)
Steam.Error.NotInitialized	Steam is running but not ready yet, for example stats still loading
Steam.Error.NotLoggedIn	Steam client is not logged in
Steam.Error.FeatureDisabled	The feature is switched off in Project Settings > Plugins > Sandwich Steam
Steam.Error.NotSupported	Not possible on this platform or setup
Steam.Error.InvalidArgument	Bad name, tag or value (unknown achievement, wrong stat type…)
Steam.Error.Timeout	Steam did not answer in time
Steam.Error.Failed	Steam refused the request. Check the Output Log
Steam.Error.Cancelled	The request was cancelled
Steam.Error.RateLimited	Too many requests. Slow down
Steam.Error.Offline	Steam is in offline mode
Steam.Error.QuotaExceeded	For example Steam Cloud is full
Steam.Error.NotOwner	Only the host / owner may do this
Steam.Error.WrongScope	Client-only feature used on a server, or the other way round

Asking for help

Open an issue and include:

1. Unreal Engine version and operating system
2. Output of Steam.Core.Dump from a Standalone game
3. Output Log lines from the LogSandwichSteam category (turn on Verbose Logging in Project Settings > Plugins > Sandwich Steam for more detail)