Steam will no longer support two old Windows operating systems (OS) soon.
Valve, the company behind Steam, recently announced through Steam Support that Steam would no longer support Windows 7 and Windows 8 soon to secure the platform against cybercriminals and hackers.
PC gamers using Steam to play games on their rig must update their OS to Windows 10 or Windows 11 before the year ends to continue playing through Valve's platform.
Steam Windows 7, Windows 8 Support Loss Details
Valve mentioned in its announcement that Steam will officially drop its support of Windows 7 and Windows 8 (including Windows 8.1) OS come Jan. 1, 2024. PC gamers who wish to continue running Steam for their gaming needs or other products purchased through the company's platform would need to upgrade their OS to a more recent version.
Valve explained that it is dropping Steam's support of Windows 7 and 8 due to future versions of Stam requiring Windows features and security updates only present in Windows 10 and 11.
Game Rant's report, citing a statement from Valve, mentioned that Steam itself runs on Chromium, an embedded version of Google Chrome that no longer functions on old Windows installations.
PC gamers who wish to continue using Windows 7 or Windows 8 on the PC they play Steam-purchased games on will be unable to run Steam until it is upgraded to Windows 10 or 11.
For people unaware of Chromium, it is the open-source project that Google and other people can build and improve on, by Life Wire. Microsoft
Microsoft Edge is also built on Chromium to help Edge's underlying performance and resource utilization while enhancing security through Chromium's browser platform, per TechTarget.
Ars Technica reports that Chromium lost support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 in mid-January, meaning that Microsoft edge also became unavailable to Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 back then.
This drop in support for the two old Windows OS means that the three remaining Steam seasonal sale events will mark the final push for Steam-based gaming on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1.
Those who wish to switch to another OS to bypass Valve's upgrade requirement may do so by using Linux, with Valve working on releasing its Linux-based SteamOS in the future.
The Steam Deck, which already runs SteamOS, is a testament to the OS' capabilities.
A Positive Spin?
Steam outgrowing the previously mentioned Windows OS is a testament to the platform's longevity. Valve first launched Steam in 2003, making the platform 20 years old as of press time.
However, gamers didn't welcome the platform with open arms. At the time, CDs were the most popular way of buying video games to play on PCs. Kotaku noted that, at the time, the idea of having to register a game via the internet (which was dial-up at the time), even a game bought at a store on a disc, didn't sit well.
Steam's features and services were also rough on the edges, with its servers constantly overloading and its UI a nightmare to some, per DSLReports. However, the platform improved and started offering games that Valve didn't develop. By May 2007, it had nearly 13 million users.
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