The desktop gaming platform Steam announced that it will end official support for operating systems Windows 78 and 8.1 from January 1, 2024. After that date, the company’s software will no longer work on these OS versions.
According to the platform’s statement, to continue running Steam and any games or other products purchased through the software, users will need to upgrade to a more recent version of Microsoft Windows.
Steam pointed out that the platform’s latest features rely on a built-in version of Google Chrome, which no longer works on older versions of Windows. That is why it is necessary to abandon these variants of the system.
Furthermore, Steam added that future versions of the software will require Windows features and security updates present only in Windows 10 and above. However, the measure should not affect many platform users.
Valve data based on hardware and software research points out that only 2% of users will be affected by this change. The company also expects that number to decline over the course of the year as more people update the system.
It is noteworthy that the transition from Windows 7 to Windows 10, for example, is not particularly critical, but everything changes for Windows 11. The latest system offers hardware restrictions and requires newer devices.
And you, do you still use older versions of Windows or have you updated your system to the latest variants? Tell us in the comments down below!