Steam drops support for Windows 7 and Windows 8

Steam, the popular online gaming platform, has ended its support for Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 operating systems from January 1, 2024. Users who still run these outdated operating systems will not receive any updates or technical assistance from Steam, and may experience reduced functionality or performance issues with Steam and its games.

The company advised users to upgrade to a newer version of Windows, preferably Windows 10 or above, to ensure the smooth operation of Steam and its products. Steam said that it expects the existing installations on the old operating systems to work for some time after the deadline, but it cannot guarantee their reliability or security.

The decision to drop support for Windows 7 and 8 was driven by the fact that Steam relies on an embedded version of Google Chrome, which is incompatible with the older versions of Windows. Moreover, Steam said that its future versions will require Windows features and security updates that are only available on Windows 10 and above.

Steam urged its users to update their operating systems as soon as possible, citing the risks of running unsupported software. Microsoft stopped providing security updates and technical support for Windows 7 in January 2020 and for Windows 8.1 in January 2023. Computers that use these operating systems are vulnerable to new malware and other threats that can compromise the performance and security of the PC, Steam and its games. Such malware can also be used to steal the credentials of the Steam account or other services.