Steam will left just 64-bit app, 32-bit version will stop working on January 1, 2026

Valve has released the December update to the Steam client for Windows, bringing the application to full 64-bit mode on Windows 10 and Windows 11. Users of 32-bit versions of the OS remain on a separate compatibility branch, which will no longer receive security updates from January 1, 2026.

Steam now runs as a native 64-bit application, rather than a 32-bit application on top of a 64-bit system. The 32-bit version of the client will continue to run after January 1, but with no further support.

According to the Steam hardware survey, Windows 11 (64-bit) is used by about 66% of players, Windows 10 (64-bit) is used by almost 30%, while the share of Windows 10 (32-bit) is only 0.01%. With an average daily audience of over 36 million users, the change will only affect a few thousand people.

Valve emphasizes that the restriction only applies to operating systems – 32-bit games will continue to run on 64-bit Windows. Users with compatible hardware are advised to switch to a 64-bit OS via a clean reinstall, which also complies with new Windows security requirements that are gradually being integrated into Steam.