Valve Discontinuing Steam Support on Windows 7/8/8.1 as of 2024

[GFreeman]

Valve has confirmed that its Steam platform will no longer support the Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 operating systems as of January 1st, 2024. Valve discontinued support for Windows XP and Windows Vista back in 2019.

Valve says that after that date, the Steam Client will no longer run on those versions of Windows and users will need to update to a more recent release. The reason behind such a move, according to Valve, is that the newest features in Steam rely on an embedded version of Google Chrome which no longer functions on older versions of Windows, and that the future of Steam will require Windows features and security updates only present in Windows 10 and above.



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[Naito]

Seems fair as those OS are long in the tooth...

 

[Daven]

The trend in the Steam Hardware survey has Window OSes older then Win10 dropping to almost zero share by Jan 2024. So no big loss.

 

[AsRock]

Looks like i might not want to use Steam either by then.

 

[Athanasius]

The trend in the Steam Hardware survey has Window OSes older then Win10 dropping to almost zero share by Jan 2024. So no big loss.

Indeed, on the latest Steam Hardware Survey results: Win10 64bit was 64.68% of PC, 33.27% Win11 64bit. That leaves 2.05%, most of which is Win7 at 1.48%.

 

[Mister Jinx]

May be the solution will be to migrate to GOG. If they are smart(so far seems so) they will keep compatibility.

 

[Shihab]

May be the solution will be to migrate to GOG. If they are smart(so far seems so) they will keep compatibility.

Or, you know, switch to a supported OS? (Edit: I don't mean to be facetious, but people should really stop using unmaintained software exposed to the internet).

I'm guessing gog galaxy is built on either Electron or CEF, both are dropping Win 7 support. So unless CDPR is willing to maintaining the the underlying framework codebase as well (which would defeat the purpose of using it in the first place), dropping support for older OSes is inevitable.

Although, admittedly, gog's offline installers can be a handy workaround to this issue.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

Looks like i might not want to use Steam either by then.

Enjoy the PC Stone Age.

Or, you know, switch to a supported OS? (Edit: I don't mean to be facetious, but people should really stop using unmaintained software exposed to the internet).

I'm guessing gog galaxy is built on either Electron or CEF, both are dropping Win 7 support. So unless CDPR is willing to maintaining the the underlying framework codebase as well (which would defeat the purpose of using it in the first place), dropping support for older OSes is inevitable.

Although, admittedly, gog's offline installers can be a handy workaround to this issue.

Old people dont like to do it because change. "OMG microsoft spyware!" "i dont like windows 11's start menu"

All easily changeable. But no one bothers to do anything but bitch and moan.

 

[ir_cow]

So many games that only work on windows XP/7 and below will be unplayable.

 

[Shihab]

Old people dont like to do it because change. "OMG microsoft spyware!" "i dont like windows 11's start menu"

So many games that only work on windows XP/7 and below will be unplayable.

Isn't that what compatibility layers are for? Windows' own compatibility mode, Wine/Proton, etc..

 

[Frick]

So many games that only work on windows XP/7 and below will be unplayable.

Examples? I've found that generally Win10 handles old games quite well. And this is what the march of time does. Some Win95 games didn't work with XP/2k/Me.

 

[kanecvr]

Seems fair as those OS are long in the tooth...

Yes, but there's a problem. Some games sold on steam require older OSes to run correctly. Warhammer 40k Dawn of War (1) and all it's addons, Sacrifice, Fallout 3, Elder Scrolls Morrowind, Fallout New Vegas, Carmageddon Max Pack, Company of Heroes, Darkstar One, Flatout, Max Payne 1 and 2, Return to castle wolfenstein (1), Unreal Gold - these are just some of the games in my library witch do not run correctly on windows 10. Most will crash to desktop randomly during gameplay, while others will not even start, indifferent of which compatibility settings you apply. Before 2019 I used to run these games on a Retro-PC (QX6800, 4GB of DDR2, GTX 285) under windows XP and everything was good. Then Valve decided to pull support for XP out of pure lazyness - but they still sell most of these games, and lots of us have the others in our library, UNABLE TO PLAY THEM.

Now Valve needs to either REFUND US for all these games or provide a separate LEGACY BUILD of steam so we can play these games we paid for. Right now I'm either running these games on the same PC using a hacked version of steam on XP (God knows how long that's going to keep working) or under windows 7 on the same PC. If they pull win7 support, I want a refund or a legacy client.

 

[Bomby569]

why, is there any upside to them, is it such a burden? for a company the size of valve. i don't understand.

 

[Slizzo]

Yes, but there's a problem. Some games sold on steam require older OSes to run correctly. Warhammer 40k Dawn of War (1) and all it's addons, Sacrifice, Fallout 3, Elder Scrolls Morrowind, Fallout New Vegas, Carmageddon Max Pack, Company of Heroes, Darkstar One, Flatout, Max Payne 1 and 2, Return to castle wolfenstein (1), Unreal Gold - these are just some of the games in my library witch do not run correctly on windows 10. Most will crash to desktop randomly during gameplay, while others will not even start, indifferent of which compatibility settings you apply. Before 2019 I used to run these games on a Retro-PC (QX6800, 4GB of DDR2, GTX 285) under windows XP and everything was good. Then Valve decided to pull support for XP out of pure lazyness - but they still sell most of these games, and lots of us have the others in our library, UNABLE TO PLAY THEM.

Now Valve needs to either REFUND US for all these games or provide a separate LEGACY BUILD of steam so we can play these games we paid for. Right now I'm either running these games on the same PC using a hacked version of steam on XP (God knows how long that's going to keep working) or under windows 7 on the same PC. If they pull win7 support, I want a refund or a legacy client.

.... I play half those games on my current PC that has Windows 11 installed. From Steam.

 

[Readlight]

10-20 year old computer need Windows 7

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

So many games that only work on windows XP/7 and below will be unplayable.

Though I think win11(? I took my pills?) and compatibility mode might have you covered I do think people are missing one point.

Retro systems.


Wtaf I Was thinking of keeping this win 10 laptop, Rog strix scar2 2060 as my win 10 retro system but wtafp if like my Xp system it hits a point where I can't get at the games I bought for it.

There should be a legit and viable Download, path simple as.

And I'm fine with progress I'm on 11 will get 12, not a luddite not the point.

 

[neatfeatguy]

Folks could always just migrate away from Steam. I don't purchase anything on Steam anymore. My brother does gift me games, though, so I do still have ties to it for that reason (plus the library of games I had on it pre-2019 when I stopped buying games through Steam). I only pick up games on GoG now. I can download and save them where I want and I'm not tied to needing a digital platform, such as Steam, to install and play the games.

 

[trsttte]

Windows 7 is no longer supported (not even extended support), and window 8.1 is also out of the door (I think it will still receive some security updates until july). Doesn't make sense to support a dead operating system, it's better to fix games that fail compatibility case by case from a security standpoint - there shouldn't be that many anyway

 

[Bomby569]

Windows 7 is no longer supported (not even extended support), and window 8.1 is also out of the door (I think it will still receive some security updates until july). Doesn't make sense to support a dead operating system, it's better to fix games that fail compatibility case by case from a security standpoint - there shouldn't be that many anyway

i bet you it's a lot more work to fix game by game then just support these OS.
Anyway people can have old machines that do fine gaming but turn into trash if you install W10 or W11. And then they complain about piracy, i wonder why.

 

[trsttte]

i bet you it's a lot more work to fix game by game then just support these OS.
Anyway people can have old machines that do fine gaming but turn into trash if you install W10 or W11. And then they complain about piracy, i wonder why.

That's why I said from a security standpoint. Also looking longer term, it's better to fix the compatibility layers now since it won't be that long until windows 10 kicks the bucket too. But overall there shouldn't be many games that need fixing, and the beauty of PCs is that life always finds a way (I personally believe you can't call "piracy" to anything that is no longer supported or that you already own but need a work around to use, ahoy matey)

 

[evernessince]

Examples? I've found that generally Win10 handles old games quite well. And this is what the march of time does. Some Win95 games didn't work with XP/2k/Me.

There are some older games that are a bit finicky but often even then you can get them to work with some tweaks. I still have the original C&C, Mechwarriors, and Dungeon keeper installed and never had a problem playing them.

 

[Capitan Harlock]

I loved Windows xp and Windows 7. I got forced to drop Windows 7 when Nvidia dropped their driver support for it .
I don't understand why Valve keeps using for Steam a cromium based browser instead of something like Opera or Firefox .
Since i had to switch to Windows 10 many games that are not brand new have issues going in fullscreen when on Windows 7 i never got such issues .
Same goes for general issues in terms of OS use . I got more problems on Windows 10 than i ever got on Xp and 7 togheter .
In the end new games despite Valve dropping support for older OS are gonna force people to switch like it happen with moving from Windows XP to Windows 7 and Direct X 11 .

 

[evernessince]

why, is there any upside to them, is it such a burden? for a company the size of valve. i don't understand.

From the article:

"The reason behind such a move, according to Valve, is that the newest features in Steam rely on an embedded version of Google Chrome which no longer functions on older versions of Windows, and that the future of Steam will require Windows features and security updates only present in Windows 10 and above."

The only solution for Valve would likely be to develop it's own browser to embed into steam, which frankly isn't worth it given how much effort it would take to develop a browser comparable to chrome or firefox. It would add a constant overhead as well, as Valve would have to continue to update and maintain that browser as well. They'd also have to worry about security issues, which in and of itself is a huge deal.

This is less a move on Valve's part and more other company's sunsetting support for those platforms.

I loved Windows xp and Windows 7. I got forced to drop Windows 7 when Nvidia dropped their driver support for it .
I don't understand why Valve keeps using for Steam a cromium based browser instead of something like Opera or Firefox .
Since i had to switch to Windows 10 many games that are not brand new have issues going in fullscreen when on Windows 7 i never got such issues .
Same goes for general issues in terms of OS use . I got more problems on Windows 10 than i ever got on Xp and 7 togheter .
In the end new games despite Valve dropping support for older OS are gonna force people to switch like it happen with moving from Windows XP to Windows 7 and Direct X 11 .

As far as I'm aware Opera does not have an application embed framework. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I could not find anything on google other than something from stack overflow stating that they do not have that.

Firefox is ending windows 7 / 8.1 support as well.

Any way you look at it, even if Valve did go through all the effort of switching which browser they are using, they'd at best earn themselves a few months extra time.

 

[Shihab]

As far as I'm aware Opera does not have an application embed framework. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I could not find anything on google other than something from stack overflow stating that they do not have that.

Opera is Chromium (and so is practically everything these days). So an Opera fw would be CEF...

Now Valve needs to either REFUND US for all these games or provide a separate LEGACY BUILD of steam so we can play these games we paid for.

GitHub - ValveSoftware/Proton: Compatibility tool for Steam Play based on Wine and additional components

Compatibility tool for Steam Play based on Wine and additional components - ValveSoftware/Proton

github.com

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Go ahead hell I dropped support of steam long ago hehe epic is way better
I haven't gamed on win-7 in a lot of years so no biggie