Multiplayer games like Elder Scrolls Online rely on servers to host all of their players. While these servers will work just fine in most cases, they might go down on rare occasions.
Servers generally start cracking under pressure when there’s a surge in player numbers which usually happens with large content patches. During such times, players can experience errors like “login failed an unknown error occurred.” Errors of this caliber typically prevent players from logging into ESO and may even kick them out if they are already logged in.
In most cases, the “login failed an unknown error occurred” error will resolve itself in a few hours, but there are also a few methods players can try out to try and manually fix the error.
Check if there are any server outages
Before you try any of the solution methods listed below, you should check whether any server outages are affecting ESO. If the servers are down, you’ll need to wait for the developers to roll out a fix that doesn’t take that long.
Whenever the servers are down, Bethesda generally updates the players through Twitter, and you can also check out esoserverstatus.net to check out server statuses of all regions and platforms.
Try switching servers
If only the server you’re playing on is down, you can try switching to a different region. Though you’re likely to have more ping/lag, at least you’ll get to enjoy ESO while other players are waiting.
Troubleshoot your home network
You can receive the “login failed an unknown error occurred” error even when ESO’s servers are up and running. This generally means that there might be something wrong with your home network. To troubleshoot your home network, you can try the following:
- Resetting your router
- Trying out a different connection type
- Use an ethernet cable if you’re on Wi-Fi and vice versa
- Use another network
- The easiest way to test out another network will be through using the mobile hotspot feature on your phone. Share your mobile data with your gaming device to see if you can log into the game
- If you can log into the game without receiving any errors after using your cellular data, you’ll need to call your internet service provider (ISP), so they can run a diagnostic on your network
- The easiest way to test out another network will be through using the mobile hotspot feature on your phone. Share your mobile data with your gaming device to see if you can log into the game
Submit a support ticket
Players still experiencing the “login failed an unknown error occurred” error while the servers are up and troubleshooting their home network will need further help from professionals.
Once you submit a support ticket, a customer service associate will take a look into your case and help you get to the bottom of the issue.
