In a significant move affecting the gaming community, Valve has announced that Steam, the popular gaming platform, has officially ended support for Windows 7 and Windows 8 as of January 1, 2024. This change could impact gamers still using these older operating systems.
Initially, Valve had stated in March 2023 that the Steam client would “no longer run on those versions of Windows.” However, they later updated their stance, noting: “We expect the Steam client and games on these older operating systems to continue running for some time without updates after January 1st, 2024, but we are unable to guarantee continued functionality after that date.”
The lack of support means that the Steam client for Windows 7 and 8 “will no longer receive updates of any kind including security updates.” This decision could lead to a diminishing and potentially risky user experience over time, as users could be exposed to new security threats without any updates to protect them.
Valve urges users: “We strongly encourage all Windows 7/8/8.1 users to update sooner rather than later.” This advice comes with a caution that computers running these operating systems are vulnerable to malware and other exploits that will not be patched.
Microsoft had already ended support for Windows 7 in 2020 and Windows 8.1 in January 2023. Despite this, approximately 0.89% of Steam users were still on these operating systems as of December, according to Valve’s statistics.
The decision to drop support is linked to Steam’s use of an embedded version of Chrome, which “no longer functions on older versions of Windows.” Valve also indicates that “future versions of Steam will require Windows features and security updates only present in Windows 10 and above.”
This development marks a significant shift for the gaming platform and its users, signaling a push towards newer, more secure operating systems for an optimal gaming experience.
