Steam stops supporting Windows 7 and Windows 8

Steam Will No Longer Work on Windows 7 and 8

Earlier this week, Valve released a major update to its Steam app, bringing a slew of useful new features to the gaming community. However, it also came with an announcement that may upset a significant number of Steam users on Windows 7 and 8.

Accordingly, Valve has officially announced that the latest Steam update will no longer be supported unless you are using Windows 10 or later. In other words, Steam will be dead on Windows 7 and 8 starting with this upcoming update. The release notes state:

This version of the Steam Client will no longer be maintained on Windows 7 or Windows 8. Users on these operating system versions will not be automatically updated to this new version of the Steam Client.

It's worth noting that Steam still works on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1, so you can still access your library and play games if you can't update to Windows 10. However, Valve won't provide you with technical support if something goes wrong, and it's likely that Steam will soon stop working entirely on Windows releases before Windows 10.

Google and other mainstream browsers have also dropped support for Windows 7. Since Valve relies on Chrome, they have had to adapt their Steam support to what Google does with the browser. Additionally, Steam requires some features and security updates that are only available on Windows 10 or later.

There is still a small number of Windows 7 users on Steam. According to the October 2024 Steam Hardware and Software Survey, about 0.28% of all Windows users on Steam are running Windows 7.

In general, users who are still “holding on” to Windows 7 or Windows 8 will have to learn to get used to the fact that more and more services will stop supporting these older Windows platforms, especially for gamers. Some popular applications, such as the Steam launcher, Plex, Bittorrent, and even Microsoft Edge have all stopped supporting older Windows operating systems.

Continuing to use older operating systems also raises some security concerns. It has been years since the last update for Windows 7 or Windows 8, meaning both platforms are rife with unpatched vulnerabilities. By connecting these operating systems to the internet, users may be unwittingly exposing themselves to malware.

However, those looking to move away from Windows 7 or Windows 8 are now in a tough spot as Microsoft has closed the door to free upgrades to Windows 10. Now, the only option is to buy a new license or a brand new PC with Windows 10 or 11 pre-installed.