Steam, the gaming giant, is completely ending support for 32-bit versions of Windows as of January 1, 2026. With this decision, Steam will only run on 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems.
Steam is ending 32-bit support
The main reason for this change is that Steam’s core features no longer require drivers and libraries that are not available on 32-bit systems. While it’s noteworthy that the current Steam client still runs in 32-bit, Valve will discontinue this with upcoming updates.
A confusing question has been answered with a clear answer: 32-bit games are not affected by this decision. Players can continue to play their 32-bit games on Steam, provided they have a 64-bit operating system.
The number of users affected by this decision is quite limited. According to Steam’s hardware survey, only 0.01 percent of systems use 32-bit Windows 10. This decision indicates that it will affect a very small number of users. However, users currently using 32-bit Windows should still upgrade to the 64-bit version of their operating system for a seamless gaming experience.
Valve’s primary reason for this decision is that 32-bit architecture is becoming obsolete in the technology world. Even Microsoft is ending official support for the 32-bit version of Windows 10 next month.
This is a result of hardware and software manufacturers fully transitioning to 64-bit systems. Steam is also following this trend, focusing on the higher performance, security, and stability offered by 64-bit systems.
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