SteamID64, SteamID32 and SteamID3 are the same Steam account number written three ways. A SteamID64 is 17 digits like 76561197960290419, a SteamID32 is the old STEAM_0:1:12345 format, and a SteamID3 looks like [U:1:24691]. All three point to one account and convert into each other with a formula. For checking a Rust player any of them works: the RustRecon search detects the format itself.
Every format, one example
Take one account and write it every way.
| Format | Example | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| SteamID64 | 76561197960290419 | Profile address, most services |
| SteamID (STEAM_0) | STEAM_0:1:12345 | Old ban lists, forums, Source engine games |
| SteamID3 | [U:1:24691] | Some games’ consoles and logs, admin tools |
| Account number | 24691 | Inside SteamID3, sometimes on its own |
| Custom URL | steamcommunity.com/id/name | Profiles with a vanity address |
It is all the same thing. The account number 24691 is the core, and the other formats are built around it.
Checking a conversion is easy: paste the result into the search. If the number is out of range, the search tells you no such SteamID exists and asks you to check that all 17 digits were copied. A single wrong digit usually lands on someone else’s account, so compare the name and avatar too.
SteamID64
Seventeen digits, starting with 7656119 for regular accounts. It is the number in a profile address like steamcommunity.com/profiles/7656119…, and nearly every service understands it, the ban lists of Russian Rust projects included.
The key property is that it never changes. Names change daily, a custom URL can be swapped, but the SteamID64 stays. That is why it is the most reliable way to check a player: a number has no namesakes.
SteamID32: where the confusion comes from
People use "SteamID32" for two different things.
- The old STEAM_0:Y:Z format. A leftover from Source engine games. Y is 0 or 1, Z is half the account number. You see it in old ban lists and on forums.
- The bare account number. A number that fits in 32 bits, 24691 in our example. It is the same number you see inside a SteamID3.
Sometimes STEAM_1 shows up instead of STEAM_0. Only the first digit differs; it is the same account.
SteamID3
The [U:1:24691] format. U means a regular user account, the 1 means Steam’s public universe, and the number at the end is the account number. It is the most direct route to a SteamID64: just add a fixed offset. Sometimes a SteamID3 is written without the square brackets, as U:1:24691; it is the same thing.
How to convert
The fixed offset is 76561197960265728. Everything else is calculator work.
- STEAM_0:Y:Z → SteamID64: 76561197960265728 + Z × 2 + Y. Example: STEAM_0:1:12345 → 76561197960265728 + 24690 + 1 = 76561197960290419.
- [U:1:W] → SteamID64: 76561197960265728 + W. Example: [U:1:24691] → 76561197960290419.
- SteamID64 → account number: SteamID64 − 76561197960265728. Example: 24691.
- Account number → STEAM_0: Y is the remainder of the number divided by 2, Z is the number minus Y, divided by 2. Example: 24691 → STEAM_0:1:12345.
You do not have to do it by hand. The RustRecon search accepts a SteamID64, STEAM_0:…, [U:1:…] and profile links, so paste whatever you have. If all you have is a bare account number, write it as [U:1:number] or add the offset yourself.
A custom URL is not a SteamID
An address like steamcommunity.com/id/name is picked by the owner and can be changed. It is not a number, just a pointer to one. Paste the whole link into the search and the number is resolved for you. Finding your own and someone else’s SteamID64 is covered in how to find a player’s SteamID.
Why a Rust player should care
- Project ban lists are searched by SteamID64. An old forum ban in STEAM_0 format has to be converted first.
- BattleMetrics neither shows SteamIDs to regular visitors nor searches by them. You are stuck with name search there, so it is better to run the number through a report that matches Steam names against server names.
- Server admins can see players’ SteamIDs. If you are reporting a cheater, you can ask them for the number. How to put a report together is in how to report a cheater.
A SteamID is not a secret. It sits in the profile address, and nobody can log into an account with it. Asking a future teammate for theirs is perfectly normal.
Once you have the number, a check takes seconds: Steam and project bans, hours, servers. Where to start and what to look at is in how to check a player and the guide to player bans.