Valve has made an announcement that from January 1, 2024, Steam will cease to support Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 OS. According to the company, after this date, the Steam Client will not be operational on these versions of Windows.
Users must update to a more recent version of the operating system in order to continue running Steam and any associated products or games purchased through the platform.
Given that Steam is the primary digital platform and store for PC games, it is almost indispensable for gamers who use a computer. As Steam is frequently updated with new features and enhancements, it relies on modern technologies to function correctly, necessitating the use of contemporary operating systems by users.
Check out the official statement in the screenshot below.
In the past, users were still able to download and play games on Steam despite the platform no longer supporting older Windows versions. However, features such as the store and friend list became unusable. The reason for this was that the login window and the Small Mode of the Steam library did not run on Chromium.