As time passes and new Windows releases come out, the relevancy for older versions is becoming shorter and shorter. Valve had recently announced that Steam will no longer be supported on any pre-Windows 10 OS, including 7/8/8.1 in 2024. Well, that time is now here, as the discontinuation has rolled out.
According to the official Steam support page, the Steam launcher will not support Windows 7.8. or 8.1 operating systems after January 1, 2024. This means the services for these operating systems have been discontinued as of now. This includes support services, including installation, system requirements, and technical issues.
Microsoft’s decision to stop providing security updates for Windows 8.1 in January 2023 and Windows 7 sooner in January 2020 had a significant impact on this choice. Cyberattacks and malware attacks can be more common on systems that don’t have security updates. Google Chrome ended support for Chrome on Windows 7 in line with this announcement.
You Can Still Play Steam Games on Windows 7, 8, or 8.1
Before January 1, 2024, players should update to Windows 10 or later, according to a reminder from Valve. Though complete operation cannot be guaranteed, the business does state that the Steam client and games should function for a while. It is advisable to update your device as soon as possible because this also means that updates for these older versions will not be provided.
“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.” – Valve