If you’re still running Windows 7 or 8 and love gaming on Steam, it might be time to seriously think about upgrading your system.
In the world of software, everything eventually reaches its expiration date. This is especially true for operating systems; tech giants like Microsoft and Apple naturally prefer not to support outdated systems that a tiny fraction of people still use. This situation resonates with software developers, including Valve, which has been delivering games via Steam since the era of Windows XP. Back in January, Valve declared that they were ending official support for Windows 7 and 8. This meant that Steam Support would no longer assist with any technical issues on those operating systems.
Fast forward 11 months, and we’ve hit a new milestone. According to PC Gamer, Windows 7 and 8 users now face the first Steam update they can’t download. As detailed in the update notes, “This version of the Steam client will no longer run on Windows 7 or Windows 8,” clarifying that users on these operating systems won’t automatically receive the new Steam Client update. Understandably, upgrading isn’t always feasible—computers are a significant investment, and not everyone can afford it. But the statistics make this decision fairly logical. October’s Steam hardware survey revealed that a mere 0.29% of users remained on Windows 7.
Interestingly, the survey showed that no one at all is still using Windows 8, which isn’t entirely surprising given its notorious reputation. It’s somewhat shocking it took Valve this long to cut the cord, especially as more users transition to Windows 11, Microsoft’s latest operating system. However, in the tech world, change doesn’t always happen overnight.
