The fateful day has arrived. If you’re still using Windows 7, 8, or 8.1, you may need to upgrade to Windows 10 or 11 soon. That’s because Steam, Valve’s hugely popular digital storefront, no longer officially supports these older operating systems.
Valve first revealed that it would be ending support for older Windows versions. Support page post Last March. The message explains that starting January 1, 2024, Steam users using Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 will no longer receive new client updates of “any kind” including security fixes. Masu. As a result, Valve is warning users of these operating systems to upgrade “sooner rather than later” to avoid malware and other malicious attacks.
In the post, Valve also explained that Steam Support will no longer provide technical support for issues related to these older versions of Windows. Additionally, Valve cannot guarantee that Steam will continue to be available on these older OSes.
But to be clear, Valve isn’t planning on flipping a switch and doing away with Steam on Windows 7. It’s just saying that things can start breaking down quickly, and even if they do, they won’t be fixed.
“We expect the Steam client and games on these older operating systems to continue running without updates for some time after January 1, 2024,” Valve wrote. “However, we cannot guarantee continued functionality beyond that date.”
Why Steam is ending support for Windows 7
Valve says one of the main reasons for discontinuing support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 is because Google Chrome no longer supports these older operating systems. This is a problem for Valve because Steam relies on the built-in version of the browser.company behind half life and Portal It also noted that future versions of the Steam client will “require” Windows features and security updates that are only included in Windows 10 and 11.
Valve has ended a post urging players to upgrade to Windows 10 or 11 immediately.
“The computer running these [older] “When operating systems connect to the internet, they become susceptible to new malware and other exploits that go unpatched,” Valve warned. “The malware can cause slow performance or crashes on your PC, Steam, and games. The malware can also be used to steal credentials for Steam accounts and other services.”
While some may be forced to upgrade or buy a new PC to continue playing on Steam, it seems reasonable for Valve to move forward and ditch Windows 7, which was released in 2009. Masu. It’s been around a long time when it comes to technology, and it’s impressive that Valve has supported its OS for nearly 15 years.
However, if you want to upgrade to Windows 10, be prepared for Microsoft to upgrade you again soon. Security support for that OS will end in October 2025. As someone who desperately clings to Windows 10, I’m counting the days.
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