Valve has officially announced that some PCs will no longer be compatible with Steam starting January 1, 2026. This decision affects Windows 10 32-bit, as well as all versions of Microsoft’s operating system that utilize this architecture. It’s important to note that this change will impact only a few thousand users worldwide.
As the end of support for Windows 10 draws near and a coalition takes shape against Microsoft for this reason, Steam will discontinue support for the 32-bit version of the operating system, as well as other 32-bit versions of Microsoft’s OS. Valve is thus moving away from this architecture, which is used by only a small number of players worldwide, while the platform has 36 million daily users. Overall, this change is negligible for the leader in digital gaming, ahead of the Epic Games Store.
Windows 10 32 bits will no longer be compatible with Steam
Valve confirms the abandonment of the Windows 32-bit architecture in a message: “Starting January 1, 2026, Steam will no longer support operating systems running 32-bit versions of Windows. Windows 10 32-bit is the only 32-bit version still compatible with Steam, but it accounts for just 0.01% of users tracked by the Steam Hardware Survey.”
The company, which is reportedly preparing a home console, clarifies that “the core functionalities of Steam rely on system drivers and libraries that are not supported by 32-bit Windows.” This change will impact approximately 3,600 users, which is a drop in the bucket.
Users affected will still be able to use Steam on their PCs, but they will no longer receive updates. Valve will also cease to handle technical support requests for this architecture. However, 32-bit games will continue to work normally on 64-bit Windows 10 systems. Overall, Valve is taking steps to accommodate players.
Rest assured, Windows 11 is not affected, as this operating system has been available only in 64-bit since its launch. This version, now more popular than Windows 10, will be the first to completely discontinue support for 32-bit architecture since the launch of Windows NT in 1993.
Source: Valve
