The "story" of fixing this error usually follows a predictable path for gamers:
; Optional: Disable Steam network features Offline = 1 missing steam-api.ini file
This is the #1 cause. Antivirus programs often flag .ini and .dll files as "false positives" and quarantine them. The "story" of fixing this error usually follows
The "missing steam-api.ini" error is almost exclusively associated with cracked games Steam emulators missing steam-api.ini file
Reference: You can find community discussions on this method at the Steam Community. 2. Check Antivirus Quarantine