Still Using Windows 7 or 8 for Steam Games? It’s Time to Upgrade Your OS

If you’re still gaming on Steam with Windows 7 or 8, it might be time to think about an upgrade.

In today’s tech world, it’s only a matter of time before old software gets phased out. That’s especially true for operating systems. Understandably, companies like Microsoft and Apple aren’t keen on maintaining support for systems that have fallen out of favor. The same goes for software developers who’ve been at it for years, including Valve, which has been rolling out games via Steam since the Windows XP era. Back in January, Valve made it clear that their official support for Windows 7 and 8 was over, meaning no more tech support from Steam for any issues arising on those systems.

Just recently, PC Gamer noted that a new Steam update has landed, and users clinging to Windows 7 or 8 are out of luck—they can’t download it. According to the update, “This version of the Steam client will no longer run on Windows 7 or Windows 8… Users on these OS versions will not automatically update to this new version of the Steam Client.” There are plenty of reasons someone might still be using those older Windows versions. Let’s face it, computers aren’t cheap, and not everyone can afford an upgrade. However, data from October’s Steam hardware survey shows that only 0.29% of users are still running Windows 7.

Fascinatingly, the survey also revealed that no one seems to be using Windows 8 anymore, and honestly, that’s for the best. Windows 8 was a bit of a disaster. It’s a wonder Valve waited this long to pull support, especially with the shift toward Windows 11, Microsoft’s latest offering. However, sometimes these things move slower than expected.