Spectating a live match eventually fails and disconnects client from the match

[An Unoriginal Name]

After choosing a match to spectate from the Watch menu, over the course of spectating the match the client begins to degrade and eventually disconnects with the following console output (numbers differ between matches but the output is otherwise the same):

[HLTV Broadcast] 5827.42. Playcast cannot retrieve fragment 3231, retrying
[HLTV Broadcast] 102000. Stream State Delta Frames -> Stop, fragment 3228
[Client] CL: Disconnecting from server: NETWORK_DISCONNECT_HLTVSTOP
[HLTV Broadcast] Playcast Canceling Fragment 3231
[HLTV Broadcast] Playcast Canceling Fragment 3229
[HLTV Broadcast] Playcast Canceling Fragment 3232
[HLTV Broadcast] Playcast Canceling Fragment 3230
[HLTV Broadcast] Playcast Canceling Fragment 3228
[HLTV Broadcast] STREAM_DELTAFRAMES Failed to get fragment 3228, stopping...

The console begins to spam Playcast cannot retrieve fragment [number], and then after failing and disconnecting the client transitions to the loading screen (spinning logo) but gets stuck and is unresponsive to user input other than opening and closing the console. Entering disconnect in the console returns to the Hideout without closing the game.

To ensure it was not a configuration issue I made a backup of Deadlock via Steam and then uninstalled it, disabled Steam Cloud, manually deleted the leftover install folder as well as the userdata folder for Deadlock, restored the backup, started the game once and then re-enabled the Steam Cloud choosing the local configuration for the conflicting saves prompt. No settings have been modified from default other than mouse sensitivity and audio volume, and no custom configurations, mods, or launch options are applied. I restarted my modem and router both to ensure it wasn't a local network issue, and I also changed my VPN exit node to rule out external factors. The issue persists when disconnected from the VPN as well.

EDIT: Seems to no longer be occurring as of 10:00 UTC. No changes on my end.

EDIT2: Started again spectating a match with around 22 spectators connected at 11:20 UTC. Immediately reproduced spectating a match with myself as the only spectator shortly after as well.

EDIT3: Occurring again as of the time of this edit.

EDIT4: Occurring again as of the time of this edit.

 

[An Unoriginal Name]

Still occurring as of this writing.

A few others have posted similarly:

Thread 'Spectator bug - Specifically the Hideout spectator method of watching other players games.'

Sep 8, 2025

There is currently a bug wherein every single match that I try to spectate lasts for about 3–5 minutes worth of gameplay before entering a loading screen with two spinning wheels, one in the top left which is static and one in the centre which is in motion, the game is stuck in this state perpetually, the only solution is to close the game and reopen at this point, there's no way out of the loading screen once it occurs, and this issue has been happening consistently for two days now.

• Ivy's happy face :D
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Bug Reports

Thread 'Live matches don't work'

Sep 8, 2025

I was trying to watch a live match but after about a minute it would cut to a loading screen and wouldn't come back

• Kitsune
• Replies: 1
• Forum: Bug Reports

• 

Post in thread 'Soft lock on loading screen after spectating match'

Sep 8, 2025

Yes it still happens to me for every match I try to watch. Very consistently disconnects after 2 minutes or so. I wonder if it is an ISP issue, because the same thing happens when I try to view CS2 matches through HLTV: drops me after a couple minutes of spectating.

• knife831

T

Thread 'Can't connect to spectate (log included)'

Sep 8, 2025

Client keep trying to connect to spectate but never succeeds. If it does succeed it loses sync then gets stuck in a constant connect loop again. Need to have console enabled to be able to disconnect.

Error that occurs while attempting to connect

[HLTV Broadcast] 373.85. Requesting sync
[HLTV Broadcast] 374.00. stream http://dist1-ord1.steamcontent.com/tv/41510691/sync (6) failed. Error 404
[HLTV Broadcast] Starting sync retry timeout 25.00
[HLTV Broadcast] 374.00. Retrying sync in 6.42 sec
Avg Frame: 20.21ms, Avg Idle: 0.00ms - 3840 frames
Performant -...

• tylerrrfh
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Bug Reports

 

[Anomidae]

+1, spectating is pretty broken atm, basically impossible

 

[An Unoriginal Name]

This appears to be resolved after today's update. I'll post again if that changes.

EDIT: Instead of posting again I'll just edit this to say that eventual breakdown of the spectator client has occurred again, so this is still an issue. Same console output.

 

[An Unoriginal Name]

Instead of creating a new thread, I am bumping this one to say the issue is occurring again as of this writing. The behavior and console output remains the same. I am simply choosing the top-left match in the Watch menu.

[HLTV Broadcast] 3806.69. Playcast cannot retrieve fragment 2690, retrying
[HLTV Broadcast] 77257. Stream State Delta Frames -> Stop, fragment 2689
[Client] CL: Disconnecting from server: NETWORK_DISCONNECT_HLTVSTOP
[HLTV Broadcast] Playcast Canceling Fragment 2690
[HLTV Broadcast] Playcast Canceling Fragment 2693
[HLTV Broadcast] Playcast Canceling Fragment 2692
[HLTV Broadcast] Playcast Canceling Fragment 2691
[HLTV Broadcast] Playcast Canceling Fragment 2689
[HLTV Broadcast] STREAM_DELTAFRAMES Failed to get fragment 2689, stopping...

Also, the client is still unable to correctly transition back to the Hideout (gets stuck on loading screen).

 

[An Unoriginal Name]

This is occurring (again) as of this post.

 

[Barnesy]

Occurring for me too. It disconnects after a minute or so of spectating a match.