Valve, the leading digital distribution platform for PC gaming, has announced that it will no longer support Steam on Windows 7 and Windows 8 from January 1, 2024. This decision follows Microsoft’s termination of support for these operating systems in January 2023. Valve’s move away from Windows 7/8 OSes is due to the fact that Microsoft has discontinued support for them. The latest Steam functions rely on an integrated version of Google Chrome that is not available in older Windows versions.
Steam to End Support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 Users
Valve’s announcement states that users of these operating systems will be required to upgrade to a newer version of Windows to continue accessing Steam and its associated features beyond January 1, 2024. Future versions of Steam will rely on feature and security updates that are only obtainable on Windows 10 or above.
Valve conducted a survey which reports that under two percent of all Steam usage comes from users running either Windows 7 or Windows 8. The majority of gamers on Steam now use either Windows 10 or the more recent Windows 11, with older versions constituting only a small percentage.
Reasoning Behind End of Support
As per Valve’s announcement, the main cause behind this decision is Chromium-based browser compatibility issues because Chrome dropped support for Windows 7 and Windows 8 – this move was made by Google in October of last year. Valve also stated that it aims to offer effective adaptation plans so that people can migrate their games and account into a new installation.
Upgrades Available
For those running any one of the mentioned OSes, upgrading to Windows 10 is relatively simple as Microsoft offers a free upgrade. Additionally, Microsoft declares continued support for its latest OS till at least October of 2025. Windows 11 has been released recently but has more restrictive hardware requirements, and thus hardware upgrades may be necessitated to upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.
Alternatives
Those who still desire to use Steam’s services on older machines have the option to switch over to a Linux operating system or HoloISO. However, there may be certain compatibility issues associated with this alternative.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Valve’s announcement states that Windows 7 and Windows 8 will no longer be supported from January 1st, 2024, users running these systems must upgrade their OS to versions that support Steam’s software. Valve encourages all users who are still using these outdated operating systems to upgrade to a version of Windows that is currently supported for improved functionality and security.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
