Steam Ditches 32-Bit Support As Windows 10 Nears Its End

Valve, the company behind Steam, has announced that it will end support for systems running Windows 10 32-bit in 2026. This means that while 32-bit games will continue to play, the Steam client will no longer receive updates, security patches, or technical support for these older systems. The announcement cites that only 0.01% of systems reported through the Steam Hardware Survey are using 32-bit Windows 10, indicating a relatively small user base. Valve also stated that "future versions of Steam will run on 64-bit versions of Windows only," signaling a shift towards 64-bit support. This move by Valve coincides with Microsoft's decision to end support for Windows 10, 8.1, and 7 on October 14th. Similar to Steam's announcement, these older Windows versions will continue functioning, but will no longer receive updates or technical support, potentially making them more vulnerable to cyber threats. The article encourages users to update their operating systems to a 64-bit version of Windows 10 "sooner rather than later" to ensure compatibility with future Steam updates and security measures.