Age of Empires 4 Connection Lost: Error C00T01R-2x-01 Fix

The C00T01R-2x-01 error in Age of Empires 4 has been plaguing players on Steam. The error is caused by the game being unable to connect the player’s Xbox Live and Steam accounts, locking them out of Age of Empires 4 completely.

Relic is trying to deal with the C00T01R-2x-01 error on its end, and has been since launch, but it has persisted. There are a few things you can do to maybe get around or fix the C00T01R-2x-01 error.

Verify the Integrity of AoE4’s Game Files

The very first thing that you should always do when encountering an error like C00T01R-2x-01 is to verify the integrity of your game files. It’s the easiest troubleshooting step and only takes a few minutes at most usually.

We’ve found that game files can become easily corrupted or compromised, and this sometimes fixes things quickly. If this potential fix doesn’t work, try the solutions below. 

Update Your Game to the Latest Version

Relic has been releasing hotfixes, so first, make sure that your game has them all. Turn on the automatic updating in your Steam client:

1. Go to your Steam client
2. Select “Library” tab
3. Right-click on the Age of Empires 4 game
4. Select “Properties” from the list
5. Select “Updates” tab
6. Choose “Always Keep This Game Updated” feature

Now you can be sure that Steam will update your game every time a new batch of bug fixes is being released.

Turn off Your Antivirus and Firewall

The official statement from the developer is the following:

“If you are unable to connect to Xbox Live, your antivirus or firewall may be preventing you from accessing the online service.”

This means that you need to temporarily disable your firewall and antivirus settings to get around error C00T01R-2x-01.

If you’re running an in-build Windows Defender antivirus, then you can temporarily turn it off by following these steps:

1. Press the Start button
2. Go to “Settings” tab
3. Select “Update and Security” feature
4. Go to “Windows Security” tab
5. Select “Virus and Threat Protection” feature
6. Go to “Manage Settings” option
7. Set the real-time protection to OFF

You can do the same with the Windows firewall:

1. Press the Start button
2. Go to “Settings” tab
3. Select “Update and Security” feature
4. Go to “Windows Security” tab
5. Select “Firewall and Windows Protection” feature
6. Open “Windows Security” settings
7. Switch the Microsoft Defender Firewall option OFF

When you’re finished playing, you can switch both antivirus and firewall back on.

Reinstall Your Game

The support team of Age of Empires 4 also added the following statement:

“Some antivirus programs can also interfere with the installation of the game files. Try reinstalling the game before trying to play again.”

If you’re using any other antivirus software besides Windows Defender, then you might need to turn it off and re-install the game:

1. Go to your Steam client
2. Select “Library” tab
3. Right-click on the Age of Empires 4 game
4. Go to “Manage” option
5. Select “Uninstall” from the list

After that, reboot your PC, start the Steam app, and install Age of Empires 4 by pressing the Install button.

Enable Set Time Automatically

Another statement from the developer asks players to check their time settings:

“If you’re having problems signing in with your Xbox Live account, enable the “Set Time Automatically” setting. If your time is not synced, you will not be able to login.”

You can set your time automatically by following these steps:

1. Press Start button
2. Go to “Settings” menu
3. Select “Time and Language” option
4. Go to “Date and Time” tab
5. Set “Set Time Automatically” option to “ON“

Press OK and try to log-in to your Xbox Live account once again and see whether you get the C00T01R-2x-01 error.

Adjust Internet Explorer Settings

Internet Explorer may also prevent you from connecting with the Xbox Live services, hence causing error C00T01R-2x-01. Try to do the following:

1. Launch Internet Explorer app
2. Click on Tools menu (Gear icon)
3. Select “Internet Options” menu
4. Go to “Security” tab
5. Set the “Security Level for the Internet Zone” to “Medium“
6. Go to “Privacy” tab
7. Set the “Privacy Setting” to “Medium“

After turning on the medium security settings for your connection, you need to clear your cache and cookies:

1. Launch Internet Explorer app
2. Click on Tools menu (Gear icon)
3. Select “Internet Options” menu
4. Click on the “Delete” button
5. Select “Cache” and “Cookies‘ from the list
6. Confirm by pressing “Delete“

Related guides

• Age of Empires 4: How to Advance Age & All Civilization Landmarks
• Age of Empires 4 Beginners Tips & Tricks Guide

Those are the official solutions to the connection lost error in Age of Empires 4. If you were looking for other AoE4 guides, then check out our dedicated hub page.