Steam: Steam formally ends help for Home windows 7, 8, and eight.1: What it means for customers

Valve introduced that it’s going to finish help for its common PC sport library, Steam, on older variations of the Home windows working system in early 2023. At the moment, the corporate famous that the unsupported model of Steam shall be obtainable on PCs working Home windows 7, 8, and eight.1 beginning January 1, 2024. Whereas giving out the deadline, the corporate additionally suggested Steam customers to improve their PCs inside this era to keep away from any interruptions.So, customers who’re nonetheless working the older variations of Home windows will both need to improve their techniques or run the unsupported model of Steam.
Why Valve is ending Steam help for older Home windows variations
The corporate determined to finish Steam’s help for the older variations of the Home windows OS because it seen plenty of customers shifting away from the older working techniques. Valve takes opt-in surveys on its consumer’s computer systems to gather knowledge to know what PC avid gamers are utilizing to play their video games.
Steam’s newest {Hardware} & Software program survey for November 2023 revealed that 0.81% of Steam customers are working Home windows 7, 8, and eight.1 variations mixed. For comparability, 53.53% of Steam customers are on Home windows 10 whereas the remaining 42.04% customers are on Home windows 11.
The way to replace Home windows model in your PC
Customers who wish to improve their working techniques must face some difficulties. In September 2023, Microsoft fastened a loophole that allowed customers to improve from Home windows 7 to 11 without spending a dime.

Furthermore, contemplating the strict {hardware} necessities for Home windows 11, it is unlikely {that a} PC designed for Home windows 8.1 or earlier is trendy sufficient to help the most recent model. For such customers, it is higher to improve to a brand new PC to proceed utilizing Steam.

Learn what Steam mentioned about ending help
Steam’s official weblog put up reads: “As of January 1 2024, Steam will formally cease supporting the Home windows 7, Home windows 8 and Home windows 8.1 working techniques. After that date, current Steam Consumer installations on these working techniques will now not obtain updates of any sort together with safety updates. Steam Assist shall be unable to supply customers technical help for points associated to the previous working techniques, and Steam shall be unable to ensure continued performance of Steam on the unsupported working system variations.
With a purpose to guarantee continued operation of Steam and any video games or different merchandise bought via Steam, customers ought to replace to a more moderen model of Home windows. We anticipate the Steam consumer and video games on these older working techniques to proceed working for a while with out updates after January 1st, 2024, however we’re unable to ensure continued performance after that date.
This alteration is required as core options in Steam depend on an embedded model of Google Chrome, which now not capabilities on older variations of Home windows. As well as, future variations of Steam would require Home windows options and safety updates solely current in Home windows 10 and above.
We strongly encourage all Home windows 7/8/8.1 customers to replace sooner reasonably than later. Microsoft ended safety updates and technical help for Home windows 7 in January 2020 and for Home windows 8.1 in January 2023. Computer systems working these working techniques, when related to the web, are inclined to new malware and different exploits which won’t be patched. That malware may cause your PC, Steam and video games to carry out poorly or crash. That malware can be used to steal the credentials on your Steam account or different providers.”