Editor TLN
If you’re using Steam on a Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 computer, you now have a deadline to upgrade so you don’t lose access to the game distribution platform. Valve has announced that will raise the minimum requirements for the operation of your client, which means that it will stop working on some operating systems.
As of January 1, 2024, if we stick to Microsoft systems, Steam will only work on Windows 10 and Windows 11, closing the door for good on the other editions that were still supported. The company says on a support page that this move is the result of the evolution of the client, which will receive new features.
Goodbye Steam in Windows 7 and Windows 8
According to Valve, the new Steam features, which at this time we don’t know what they will bring, are based on a integrated version of Google Chrome. The problem? Google’s browser will also stop working on earlier versions of Windows, which partly affects the compatibility that the developer can offer.
The other reason has to do with the limitations of Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. These versions are missing certain features required for new Steam features, so they will no longer be supported in a few months. It should be noted that these systems have also become officially insecure systems.
According to Microsoft itself, Windows 7 support ended in January 2020, Windows 8 in January 2016, and Windows 8.1 in January of this year. In this context, the aforementioned systems no longer receive security updates, bug fixes or new features. In other words: they are officially deprecated, even though up to this point they have been able to run Steam and offer several hours of fun.
Although the years have passed and new editions of Windows have arrived, some users still use these old versions of Windows. According to Statcounter, Windows 8.1 is present in 1.4% of computers with Microsoft systems in the world and Windows 7 in 5.34%. If we analyze the latest systems currently supported, we find that Windows 10 has 73.31% of the market, and Windows 11 19.13%.
Images: Valve
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