How to Fix ‘Steam Auth Timeout’ Error in Rust

Some Rust players are seeing the ‘Steam Auth Timeout‘ error after being kicked out of the game. This problem is only reported to occur on PC with users that are launching the game through Steam.

After investigating this particular issue, it turns out that this particular problem is reported to occur for several different causes. Here’s a shortlist of potential culprits that are confirmed to trigger the ‘Steam Auth Timeout‘ error:

Method 1: Investigating for a server issue

Before you try any of the potential fixes below, you should start by checking weither Steam is currently dealing with a server issue that might affect the stability of the game. The ‘Steam Auth Timeout‘ error has been reported to happen in the past when the Steam Connection Manager servers where down.

You should start your investigations by verifying the current status of Steam – The most efficient way of doing this is to use the 3rd party website SteamStat.us. This service will tell you weither any Steam servers in your area are currently malfunctioning in a way that might affect the online functionality of Rust.

In case the investigations you’ve just performed didn’t reveal any underlying server issues with Steam, you should advance by checking weither any of Rust’s megaservers are currently having issues. You can do this by leveraging services like DownDetector or Outage.Report.

Note: If the investigations you just did have revealed a server issue, the issue is entirely beyond your control. All you can do at this point is to wait until the involved developer fixes the issue.

In case you uncovered no evidence e of an underlying server problem, start troubleshooting with the following methods below.

Method 2: Opting Out of Steam beta

According to some affected users that were also dealing with this issue, you might be able to fix the ‘Steam Auth Timeout‘ error by opting out of being an active participant of Steam Beta. As it turns out, there are certain beta participants’ channels that might conflict with your Rust version of the game.

Some Rust players that were previously dealing with this problem have reported that they managed to fix this problem by opting out of Steam Beta and re-subscribing to any custom modes that are stuck in a limbo state.

If you’re unsure on how to do this from your Steam client, follow the instructions below:

1. Open up your Steam client, then access the ribbon bar at the top of the screen. After you do this, click on Steam from the list of available options, then click on Settings from the context menu.
2. After you’re inside the Settings menu, select the Account from the vertical menu on the left, then move over to the menu on the left and hit the Change button under Beta participation.
3. Next, use the drop-down menu (under Beta participation) to change the status to None – Opt out of all beta programs. 
4. Finally, restart Steam, then start re-subscribing to the mods that were previously triggering the error in Rust.
5. Launch the game and see if the problem is now resolved.

In case the same ‘Steam Auth Timeout‘ error is still occurring even after you opted out of every Beta channel in Steam, move down to the next potential fix below.

Method 3: Verifying the Integrity of the game files

If the first potential fix has been ineffective in your case, you should start because this problem (Steam Auth Timeout error) might be related to a game file inconsistency of Rust. Some users that were also dealing with this problem have confirmed that they managed to fix this problem by performing an integrity check on the game files via the built-in Steam menu.

In case you haven’t already tried this, follow the instructions below to trigger an integrity check via the Steam Menu:

1. Open your Steam menu and select the Library tab from the horizontal menu at the top.
2. With the library tab selected, scroll down through the library items and right-click on the entry associated with Rust. Next, from the Steam context menu of Rust, click on the Properties menu.

   

3. Once you’re finally inside the Properties screen of Rust, go ahead and click on the Local Files tab, then click on Verify Integrity of the Game Files.
   

   

4. At the next confirmation prompt, confirm to start the operation. Next, wait for the operation to complete, then launch Rust once again once the next startup is complete and see if the issue is now resolved.

If the integrity didn’t reveal any issues with the Rust game files, move down to the next potential fix below.

Method 4: Repairing the Easy Cheat Engine

If you’re only seeing the ‘Steam Auth Timeout‘ error while actively participating in an online game with other players, you’re likely dealing with a common inconsistency with the default anti-cheat engine that is integrated with Rust.

As some affected users have reported, there are certain scenarios in which a false positive or a genuine malware threat can cause the EasyCheat engine to break and trigger this particular in-game error.

If this scenario looks like it could be applicable, you should be able to fix this problem by running the repair procedure on the Anti Cheat engine. You can kickstart this procedure directly from the location where you installed Rust.

Here’s a quick step-by-step guide on how to do this:

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the location where you previously installed Rust. Unless you selected a custom location, you should be able to find it here:

   This PC\ Local Disk (C:)\ Program Files (??)\ Rust

2. Once you’re inside the correct location, go ahead and double-click on the EasyAntiCheat folder, then right-click on EasyAntiCheat_Setup.exe and choose Run as Administrator from the newly appeared context menu.

   

   Note: When you’re prompted by the User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to grant admin access.

3. When you get to the very first screen of the Easy Anti Cheat engine, click on Repair service, then confirm at the next screen.
4. Next, wait for the operation to complete – The utility will scan and repair any inconsistency with the Easy Anti Cheat engine.
5. After the operation is complete, click the Finish button, then launch Rust once again, join an online game and see if the problem is now resolved.

   

   In case you’re still getting random disconnects with the ‘Steam AUth Timeout‘ error, move down to the next potential fix below.

Method 5: Clearing the Download Cache

According to some affected users, the ‘Steam Auth Timeout‘ error can also occur in instances where there are a lot of items pending in the Download queue of Steam. If this scenario is applicable, Rust might be experiencing constant crashes due to the fact that the downloader is glitched and unable to update the game version.

If this scenario is applicable, you should be able to fix the problem by clearing the Download cache in Steam’s menus. This potential fix was confirmed to work by a lot of affected users. Here’s a quick guide on how to do this:

1. Start by opening up the Steam client.
2. Next, use the ribbon bar at the top of the screen and click on Steam. Next, from the newly appeared context menu, click on Settings.
3. Once you’re inside the Settings menu, go ahead and select the Downloads tab from the vertical menu on the left.
4. As soon as you do this, move over the right-hand pane and click on Clear Download Cache (bottom of the screen).
5. At the confirmation prompt, click Yes to clear the locally stored cache.
6. After the operation is complete, log in with your Steam account once again, launch Rust and see if the problem is now resolved.

In case the same problem is still occurring, move down to the next potential fix below.

Method 6: Reinstalling Steam & Rust

If none of the potential fixes above have worked for you, it’s also possible that some type of corruption instance (either related to the game files or with Steam) is actually causing the ‘Steam Auth Timeout‘ error.

In the event that you’re indeed dealing with something that’s corrupted locally, you will be able to fix the problem by reinstalling both the game (Rust) and the game launcher (Steam). If you suspect this scenario might be applicable, follow the instructions below to reinstall Steam + Rust:

1. Open up a Run dialog box by pressing Windows key + R. Next, type ‘appwiz.cpl’ and press Enter to open up the Programs and Features window.
2. Once you’re inside the Programs and Features screen, scroll down through the list of applications and locate your Steam installation.
3. After you manage to locate the Steam installation, right-click on its entry and choose Uninstall from the newly appeared context menu. When you’re prompted by the User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to grant administrative privileges.
4. At the final uninstallation prompt, click Uninstall to confirm the operation, then wait for the operation to complete.
5. After the Steam client has been successfully uninstalled, go ahead and repeat the uninstallation procedure with the Rust game.
6. Once both the launcher (Steam) and Rust are uninstalled, restart your computer and wait for the next startup to complete.
7. After your computer boots back up, visit the official download page of Steam and install the latest available build.
8. Once the latest Steam version is reinstalled, use it’s menu’s to reinstall Rust, then launch the game once again and see if the problem is now resolved.