If You’re Still Playing Steam Games on Windows 7 or 8, It’s Time to Consider Upgrading Your Operating System

If you’re still hanging on to Windows 7 or 8 and love playing games on Steam, it might be time to think about upgrading your system.

In the world of software, nothing lasts forever. This is even more true for operating systems, as companies like Microsoft and Apple eventually stop supporting old versions that have fallen out of favor. The same goes for software developers like Valve, who have been selling games on Steam since the days of Windows XP. Valve announced back in January that they were cutting off official support for Windows 7 and 8, meaning they wouldn’t be providing technical assistance for issues on those operating systems anymore.

Recently, as spotted by PC Gamer, a new Steam update dropped, and for the first time, it’s unavailable to those still using Windows 7 or 8. The update clearly states, “This version of the Steam client will no longer run on Windows 7 or Windows 8,” meaning users of these systems won’t receive the latest updates automatically. Sure, there are plenty of reasons someone might still be on these older versions—upgrading can be pretty pricey, after all. But considering the October Steam hardware survey showed only 0.29% of users are still on Windows 7, the decision seems logical.

Interestingly, the survey revealed that no one around is using Windows 8, which isn’t too surprising given how poorly it was received. It’s a bit of a shocker that Valve took this long to end support, especially as more players are transitioning to Microsoft’s latest, Windows 11. But, such decisions take time, and here we are.