Steam Will Soon Discontinue Support for Another Windows Version!

General news News PC PC News 09/20/2025

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Valve has confirmed that as of January 1, 2026, Steam will discontinue support for 32-bit versions of Windows 10. While this affects only 0.01% of users, it marks another step toward the complete phase-out of 32-bit systems, making upgrades unavoidable for those still holding on.

This update won’t impact many players in the Steam community, but it does signal the end of an era. Valve’s platform is officially saying goodbye to yet another Windows release, underscoring how quickly the PC gaming industry is moving away from outdated operating systems.

In its official announcement, Valve stated that Steam will drop support for 32-bit versions of Windows 10 by the end of the year, noting that only 0.01% of Steam users currently run this OS. Windows 10 64-bit versions, however, will remain fully supported. Users sticking with legacy hardware will need to upgrade.

“Starting January 1, 2026, Steam will stop supporting systems running 32-bit versions of Windows. Windows 10 32-bit is currently the only 32-bit version supported by Steam, and it represents just 0.01% of systems in the Steam Hardware Survey. Windows 10 64-bit will continue to be supported, and 32-bit games will still run. However, Steam Support will not provide technical assistance for old operating systems, and Steam cannot guarantee proper functionality on unsupported versions.

To ensure updates and compatibility, users must switch to 64-bit Windows. This is necessary because core Steam features depend on drivers and libraries no longer available on 32-bit platforms. Future Steam builds will run exclusively on 64-bit Windows. We strongly urge all 32-bit users to upgrade as soon as possible,” wrote Valve.

Valve has arguably supported 32-bit systems longer than most other companies. Microsoft already ended official 32-bit support back in 2020, and Windows 11 was never released in a 32-bit edition. Windows 10 users have long been nudged toward upgrading, so this announcement should come as no surprise.

For those still running 32-bit Windows 10, the Steam client will continue to launch in the short term, but no further updates will be provided. This move is yet another clear sign that PC gaming is moving entirely into the 64-bit future.

Source: PCGamer, Steam

Angyal Anikó

Anikó, our news editor and communication manager, is more interested in the business side of the gaming industry. She worked at banks, and she has a vast knowledge of business life. Still, she likes puzzle and story-oriented games, like Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments, which is her favourite title. She also played The Sims 3, but after accidentally killing a whole sim family, swore not to play it again. (For our office address, email and phone number check out our IMPRESSUM)