data-analytics-id=”inline-link” href=”https://www.tomshardware.com/tag/valve” data-auto-tag-linker=”true” data-mrf-recirculation=”inline-link” data-before-rewrite-localise=”https://www.tomshardware.com/tag/valve”>Valve has begun the final phase of its plan to end Steam support for 32-bit versions of Windows, with a data-analytics-id=”inline-link” href=”https://steamcommunity.com/games/593110/announcements/detail/528740542771627405″ target=”_blank” data-url=”https://steamcommunity.com/games/593110/announcements/detail/528740542771627405″ referrerpolicy=”no-referrer-when-downgrade” data-hl-processed=”none” data-mrf-recirculation=”inline-link”>December Steam client update that changes how the platform runs on modern systems. As of this week, the Steam client on Windows 10 64-bit and Windows 11 is now itself a 64-bit application, while users on 32-bit Windows are left on a shrinking compatibility branch that will stop receiving updates on January 1, 2026.
This follows an announcement by Valve in September stating that data-analytics-id=”inline-link” href=”https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/pc-gaming/valve-to-drop-steam-support-for-32-bit-windows-versions-next-year-says-its-no-longer-compatible-with-core-client-features-only-0-01-percent-of-players-actually-used-it” data-mrf-recirculation=”inline-link” data-before-rewrite-localise=”https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/pc-gaming/valve-to-drop-steam-support-for-32-bit-windows-versions-next-year-says-its-no-longer-compatible-with-core-client-features-only-0-01-percent-of-players-actually-used-it”>Steam would no longer…
