Valve has announced its decision to cease Steam support for 32-bit Windows 10 systems, effective January 1, 2026. This move urges users to upgrade to a 64-bit version of Windows 10 if they haven`t already.
According to a statement on the Steam support page, after January 1, 2026, Windows 10 32-bit systems will no longer receive official support. While existing 32-bit games and installed Steam clients will function for a limited period, they will no longer get crucial updates, including security patches or technical assistance for these older operating systems.
Important: Users still running 32-bit Windows 10 are strongly encouraged to upgrade to a 64-bit version before the deadline to ensure continued access to updates and security features.
Valve noted that the impact is minimal, as 32-bit Windows 10 accounts for only 0.01% of systems reported in the Steam Hardware Survey. Although Steam currently operates as a 32-bit application across all Windows versions, future iterations will exclusively support 64-bit Windows.
The company strongly advised users to update their operating systems promptly, emphasizing that core Steam features will not be compatible with 32-bit Windows versions.
This decision aligns with Microsoft`s own discontinuation of support for Windows 10 (along with 8.1 and 7) on October 14. These older OS versions will continue to function but will no longer receive updates or technical assistance, significantly increasing their vulnerability to cyberattacks.