Elder Scrolls Online is still a good looking game, even all these years after release. But the server connection issues won’t seem to disappear. Some players would still constantly receive the error Unable to connect to game server. Please make sure you have a valid internet connection. As the message indicates, the issue is either caused by the server that is temporarily down or it’s caused by your internet connection. To help you fix it, we’ve put together some methods in this post.
Try these fixes
You may not need to try them all; simply work your way down the list until you find the one that works.
- Check server status
- Restart your router & modem
- Use the network troubleshooter
- Run network commands
- Update your network driver
- Perform a network reset
- Repair the game client
- Use a VPN
1. Check server status
To isolate the problem you’re having, we would suggest you check the server status. Maybe the server is currently down and it’s under maintenance. However, if all systems are operational, then the problem is at your end. And you need to troubleshoot the network connection issues. Read on to find out how.
2. Restart your router & modem
As one of the simplest troubleshooting steps, restarting can fix what isn’t working properly. The same applies to getting your network connection back to the normal state. Therefore, before trying anything advanced, you should restart your router and modem. What you can do is unplug your router and modem, then wait at least 10 seconds and then plug your router and modem back in. Then launch your game and test if the problem went away. If your problem persists, don’t worry. Below are other methods you can try.
3. Use the network troubleshooter
To troubleshoot network connection issues, you can use the network troubleshooter. Follow the instructions below to do so.
1) In the taskbar, right-click on the network connection icon and select Open Network & Internet settings. 
2) Under Status, scroll down until you find Network troubleshooter. Make sure you click it and it will start detecting problems. Wait until the process is completed. 
If this didn’t help or you’re notified that Troubleshooting couldn’t identify the problem, move on to the next fix.
4. Run network commands
If the above methods didn’t help, try running some network commands to manually reset the TCP/IP stack, release and renew the IP address, and flush and reset the DNS client resolver cache:
1) Click on the Start button in the lower left of the screen.
2) In the Search box, type command. Then right-click Command Prompt that appears on the list of results and select Run as administrator. 
3) Click Yes when you receive the prompt. 
4) In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands one by one and press Enter on your keyboard respectively.
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns
When it’s finished, try launching your game and check if you can connect to the game server. If you still receive the error, proceed to the next fix.
5. Update your network driver
An outdated network adapter driver can result in connection issues. If you have recently updated your Windows to a newer version, this is one of the most possible causes. It may become incompatible with your current Windows version. To resolve your problem, you need to update your network driver. The latest version of network driver may fix the compatibility issues and bring new features.
To update your network adapter driver, you can either do it manually via the Device Manager or head to the manufacturer’s driver download page to download and install the exact driver for your system. This requires a certain level of computer knowledge and can be a headache if you aren’t tech-savvy. Therefore, we would like to recommend you use an automatic driver updater tool such as Driver Easy. With Driver Easy, you don’t need to waste your time hunting for driver updates as it will take care of the busy work for you.
Here’s how to update drivers with Driver Easy:
1) Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any devices with missing or outdated drivers.
3) Click Update All. Driver Easy will then download and update all your outdated and missing device drivers, giving you the latest version of each, direct from the device manufacturer.
(This requires the Pro version which comes with full support and a 30-day money-back guarantee. You’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All. If you don’t want to upgrade to the Pro version, you can also update your drivers with the FREE version. All you need to do is to download them one at a time and manually install them. )
After updating the drivers, restart your PC and launch Elder Scrolls Online. If updating drivers didn’t do the trick, move on to the next fix.
6. Perform a network reset
Resetting network settings restores all the network-related features and settings to their original values. And this is one of the recommended steps you can take to troubleshoot network connection issues. Below are the steps to follow.
1) In the taskbar, right-click on the network connection icon and select Open Network & Internet settings.
2) Under Status, scroll down until you find the Network reset button. Make sure you click on it.
3) Click Reset now. 
4) Click Yes for confirmation.
When you finish the resetting process, restart your PC and launch Elder Scrolls Online and you should be able to connect to your game server. However, if you still receive the error, there’s a high chance that the ESO launch has been glitched or some of the game files are corrupted or missing. To fix it, you need to repair the game client.
7. Repair the game client
To repair your game client, follow the instructions below.
1) Right-click on the ESO launcher and select Run as administrator to open the launcher.
2) Click GAME OPTIONS and select Repair. 
Wait for the process to finish. Then restart your PC and launch ESO. If this didn’t give you any luck, try the next fix below.
8. Use a VPN
If nothing else helped, give VPN a try. By connecting to a different server, you’re able to avoid bandwidth throttling. But be advised: lots of problems may arise if you use a free VPN. Therefore, to secure your network, we suggest you use a paid VPN.
Here is the VPN apps we would like to recommend:
After your VPN is connected, try launching ESO and hopefully, you won’t receive the unable to connect to game server error.
Hope this post helped! Feel free to drop a comment below to let us know any fixes listed above worked for you. We also welcome alternate methods in case you’ve found one that worked for you.