Steam officially bids farewell to Windows XP and Vista next year

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Unfortunate news for users of older Windows operating systems, Steam formally declares its farewell to Windows XP and Vista for the upcoming year. The changes take effect starting from January 1, 2019

Supporting older Windows operating system versions seems to become significantly more challenging, with third-party application dependencies and security features on newer operating systems. Following Firefox, Steam recently announced the discontinuation of support for Windows XP and Vista for the upcoming year.

Steam officially bids farewell to Windows XP and Vista next year

The primary reason for Steam discontinuing support for Windows XP and Vista is mainly due to certain new features, such as Steam Chat, not functioning on older Windows versions.

In its announcement, Steam also highlights that future application versions will require Windows features and security updates only available on Windows 7 and higher versions.

Quoting the content of Steam's announcement:

'Starting from January 1, 2019, Steam will officially cease support for Windows XP and Windows Vista. This means that after 1/1/2019, the Steam Client will no longer operate on Windows XP and Vista. To continue using Steam or other applications and games purchased on Steam, users must update to a newer Windows version.

The latest features of Steam are based on an embedded Google Chrome version, which is no longer functional on older Windows versions. Additionally, future Steam versions require Windows features and security updates only available on Windows 7 and higher versions.

You can effortlessly download game demos on Steam. If you're unsure how to do it, refer to the guide on downloading game demos on Steam here.

Steam will continue to operate on Windows XP and Vista until the end of the second half of 2018. However, certain Steam features will be limited, including the absence of Steam Chat on these Windows versions. We advise users of Windows XP and Windows Vista to upgrade to newer Windows versions to continuously access the latest features of Steam and ensure access to all other Steam games and content.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the reason for Steam discontinuing support for Windows XP and Vista?

Steam is discontinuing support for Windows XP and Vista mainly because newer features, like Steam Chat, do not function on these older operating systems. Future versions of Steam will require updates and security features that are only available on Windows 7 and later.

When will Steam officially cease support for Windows XP and Vista?

Steam will officially cease support for Windows XP and Vista on January 1, 2019. After this date, the Steam Client will no longer function on these operating systems, necessitating an upgrade to a newer version of Windows.

How can users continue to access Steam features after discontinuation support?

To continue accessing Steam features after support for Windows XP and Vista ends, users must upgrade to a newer Windows version, specifically Windows 7 or higher, to enjoy all the latest features and security updates.

Will Steam continue to operate on Windows XP and Vista until the support date?

Yes, Steam will continue to operate on Windows XP and Vista until the end of the second half of 2018. However, some features, including Steam Chat, will be limited during this period.