Do you remember exploring Tyria years ago — through Ascalon, Elona, or Cantha? With Guild Wars Reforged launching on December 3, 2025, the classic MMO returns modernized for today’s PCs. It includes the full Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall campaigns in one package, free for anyone who owned any previous campaign. The update adds improved visuals, HD textures, better UI scaling, modern rendering effects, enhanced audio, and full controller and Steam Deck support.
However, these upgrades also introduce complications related to account linking. Legacy ArenaNet accounts, older Steam purchases, and the new Reforged licensing system don’t always align, causing many players to run into the same issue: choosing “Log in with Steam” sometimes leads back to the old ArenaNet email-and-password login. If your Steam login isn’t working or you’re unsure which account applies to you, this guide explains why it happens and how to fix it.
Part 1: Why “Log in with Steam” Redirects You to Your ANET Account
Part 2: Can I Use My Steam Account (e.g. GW2 Steam Account) to Log Into Reforged?
Part 3: How to Fix Guild Wars Reforged Steam Login Issue
Part 4: Enhance Game Experience With LagoFast Game Booster
Many players report launching the game via Steam, selecting “Log in with Steam,” but being redirected to the ArenaNet login page instead.
This occurs because legacy Guild Wars purchases — even those bought on Steam before the Reforged update — are still treated as ArenaNet-account licenses under Reforged’s system.
In other words:
Thus, simply owning the game on Steam before Reforged does not guarantee Steam login compatibility.
Many players with Steam-linked Guild Wars 2 accounts assume the same Steam login will authenticate Guild Wars Reforged. This is not the case.
Reforged Steam accounts and legacy ArenaNet accounts use separate licensing rules.
This mismatch leads to confusion and failed login attempts.
Community findings suggest that many legacy Steam owners can enable Steam login by manually adding the Guild Wars Reforged: Steam Upgrade license to their account.
This upgrade acts like a free DLC that converts your legacy license into a Steam-native entitlement, activating proper Steam authentication.
Follow these community-verified steps:
Many users confirm this resolves the forced ANET login issue.
Online MMOs rely heavily on network stability. High ping, jitter, packet loss, or unstable routing can disrupt gameplay. LagoFast helps by optimizing your network path using dedicated global nodes.
Step 1. Download and install LagoFast.
Step 2. Launch LagoFast and search Guild Wars Reforged.

Step 3: Select the best server or route for your region to ensure optimal stability.

Step 4: Optimize network settings—LagoFast will automatically select the best connection path to minimize lag, packet loss, and high latency for smoother gameplay.

An ANET account refers to the original Guild Wars login system (email + password). A Steam account login refers to Reforged’s new Steam-based authentication. Legacy Steam purchases still count as ANET accounts unless upgraded.
Yes. Many legacy owners can activate Steam login by adding the free Steam Upgrade license (Sub ID 1437968).
Yes. ArenaNet confirms that all characters, items, and progression are preserved.
No. Any prior ownership grants full access to the Reforged trilogy.
Check your firewall, router, or antivirus. If routing remains unstable, a network-optimization tool like LagoFast can help stabilize connection quality.
Guild Wars Reforged is a long-awaited return of a classic MMO, refreshed for modern systems. But due to complex licensing rules, many players encounter Steam login issues — especially legacy Steam owners. The community-verified solution is to manually add the free Steam Upgrade license, which typically enables proper Steam authentication.
For smoother gameplay, tools like LagoFast can further enhance connection stability and reduce latency, improving your overall experience in Tyria.

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