Keep games without Steam client

[fhansson925]

I have a Windows 7 computer with Steam-games installed I do not won't to upgrade to Windows 10 for several reasons. How can I continue to play the games when support for Windows 7 is discontinued? I have read that you can start games without the requirement to start the Steam client but not sure you can uninstall it completely. Anyone have suggestions what to do?

[flat]

I have a Manjaro Linux installation on a laptop which hasn't been updated since 2019. The Steam client is offline and all the games on that still work. Obviously you don't get updates but for the purposes of the question, I suspect as long as you are offline, the already installed games on a Windows 7 installation will still work. (Note these are all single player games, so probably online play is probably a no no).

[Crazy Tiger]

引用自 fhansson925：

引用自 Crazy Tiger：

Ogami posted the options you have. And correctly pointed out that your purchases include the clause "requirements for the client may change at any time". Omitting that part is just fooling yourself.

You could also go the consumer agency/lawyer route to see if that clause will be held up in court.

This is the reason why I want to get rid of Steam and never install it again but I want to keep the games I am playing. Unfortunately there is no where to buy the games on DVD to install without purchasing thru Steam.

You can't have the cake and eat it too. You'll have to make a choice then.

[fhansson925]

引用自 8ullfrog：

A windows 7 computer likely can't install windows 11. I recently bought a second hand i7 system that shipped with 10, and it can't run 11 because it's a gen6.

This moving bar of obsolescence has hit me before. I built a dream windows XP machine shortly before the support cutoff. It was an old gateway that had some fairly nice expansion capabilities but topped out with Vista.

I don't purchase a lot of games, and mostly only visit steam during the sales these days, I'm honestly tired of PC's as a hobby. The spark of enthusiasm is gone.

Still like games though.

I just can't afford to keep up.

As 40+ old gamer I can agree that the game industry is too much of making money. I don't want to buy new things just because some software company drops support so you can not play anymore. That is why I miss the days you bought a game on a physical media and own the right to play it forever.

I can play a game on my Atari or Amiga without problems, I can play a game in Windows 98 without problem and in Windows XP also. But I can NOT play a game on Windows 7 purchased in 2015 anymore. This is why I don't want Steam to be installed on my computer. If I start it in 10 years I still want to be able to play the games without having to pay a lot of money.

[fhansson925]

引用自 flat：

I have a Manjaro Linux installation on a laptop which hasn't been updated since 2019. The Steam client is offline and all the games on that still work. Obviously you don't get updates but for the purposes of the question, I suspect as long as you are offline, the already installed games on a Windows 7 installation will still work. (Note these are all single player games, so probably online play is probably a no no).

I play racing games online so offline is not an option. It is just frustrating that you have to buy new hardware just to be able to play. It's like a car club will cut the membership for older vehicles than 5 years.

[AmsterdamHeavy]

引用自 fhansson925：

引用自 8ullfrog：

A windows 7 computer likely can't install windows 11. I recently bought a second hand i7 system that shipped with 10, and it can't run 11 because it's a gen6.

This moving bar of obsolescence has hit me before. I built a dream windows XP machine shortly before the support cutoff. It was an old gateway that had some fairly nice expansion capabilities but topped out with Vista.

I don't purchase a lot of games, and mostly only visit steam during the sales these days, I'm honestly tired of PC's as a hobby. The spark of enthusiasm is gone.

Still like games though.

I just can't afford to keep up.

As 40+ old gamer I can agree that the game industry is too much of making money. I don't want to buy new things just because some software company drops support so you can not play anymore. That is why I miss the days you bought a game on a physical media and own the right to play it forever.

I can play a game on my Atari or Amiga without problems, I can play a game in Windows 98 without problem and in Windows XP also. But I can NOT play a game on Windows 7 purchased in 2015 anymore. This is why I don't want Steam to be installed on my computer. If I start it in 10 years I still want to be able to play the games without having to pay a lot of money.

Since you mentioned Win98 at least twice...allow me to respond.

I started using Steam with Win98. I havent been able to use Steam Win98 for a very long time.

Why are you not fighting for my ability to use Win98 anymore? Are you some kind of OS bigot? I never wanted XP! I just wanted to play the games I had on Win98 forever. Why arent you yammering about Win98 in 2023?

Now do the little dance and tell me why win7 is "different".

[SqueakyTweaky]

引用自 fhansson925：

引用自 eram：

go directly to win11

10 is already old

Nope, that computer is staying on Windows 7.

So that computer will not be connecting to steam anymore.

[fhansson925]

引用自 AmsterdamHeavy：

I started using Steam with Win98. I havent been able to use Steam Win98 for a very long time.

Why are you not fighting for my ability to use Win98 anymore? Are you some kind of OS bigot? I never wanted XP! I just wanted to play the games I had on Win98 forever. Why arent you yammering about Win98 in 2023?

Now do the little dance and tell me why win7 is "different".

I think it is almost just as bad even though not many games in Steam are supported on Windows 98.

However, there are some differences:

1. Windows 98 was already obsolete when Steam was opened for third party game developers in 2005.
2. For Windows 98 and XP almost all games could be purchased on a physical medium (CD or DVD) which mean you can still today purchase the game and install without Steam client. Many games released during and after Windows 7 where "download only" exclusive to Steam which means piracy will be the only way to play some games in the future.
3. Lots of hardware with support for Windows 7 is fully functional today. Installing Windows 10 on 15 year old hardware with no driver support is not always working. Windows 11 is not working at all with old hardware.
4. Linux is for the same reason not always supported with hardware drivers.
5. I see no problem why it is not possible to release an unsupported legacy client to be able to run old games. It's only greed by the gaming industry to force gamers to buy new hardware.

[Mentally Unstable]

The only possible method I see is to download ALL of your games in the library to your drive now and then put steam in permanent offline mode. Goes without saying that you will never be using the steam client for anything again, not even for downloading games. So it will effectively be your last purchase and download on this platform.

Should you need to wipe your drive and reinstall win 7 for some reason, you could lose offline mode as well. There is also the issue as to whether steam offline mode is as perpetual as claimed or if there is some sort of unknown duration limit after which it requires one to log back online again to obtain another offline lease.

[SqueakyTweaky]

引用自 Mentally Unstable：

The only possible method I see is to download ALL of your games in the library to your drive now and then put steam in permanent offline mode. Goes without saying that you will never be using the steam client for anything again, not even for downloading games. So it will effectively be your last purchase and download on this platform.

Should you need to wipe your drive and reinstall win 7 for some reason, you could lose offline mode as well. There is also the issue as to whether steam offline mode is as perpetual as claimed or if there is some sort of unknown duration limit after which it requires one to log back online again to get another offline lease.

If some of the singleplayer games have A DRM it will need to go online weekly or every two to verify.

[fhansson925]

引用自 Mentally Unstable：

The only possible method I see is to download ALL your games to your drive now and then put steam in permanent offline mode. Goes without saying that you will never be using the steam client for anything again, not even for downloading games. So it will effectively be your last purchase on this platform. Should you need to wipe your drive and reinstall win 7 for some reason, you could lose offline mode as well. There is also the issue as to whether steam offline mode is as perpetual as claimed or if there is some sort of unknown duration limit after which it requires one to log back online again to get another offline lease.

As I understand you can not run Steam client in offline mode "forever" only a period of time. Making the entire computer offline and stop the system clock might work but I do not want that either since I have other applications and games I will use online.

[Mentally Unstable]

引用自 SqueakyTweaky：

If some of the singleplayer games have A DRM it will need to go online weekly or every two to verify.

Good point.

[Crazy Tiger]

引用自 fhansson925：

As I understand you can not run Steam client in offline mode "forever" only a period of time. Making the entire computer offline and stop the system clock might work but I do not want that either since I have other applications and games I will use online.

Offline mode is designed to be forever. There are still people using XP who have had their Steam client in offline mode ever since Steam dropped support for it in January 2019.

Games that have verification DRM often are the issue in that. Games with Denuvo need to be verified around every 30 days, I think.

[fhansson925]

引用自 Crazy Tiger：

引用自 fhansson925：

As I understand you can not run Steam client in offline mode "forever" only a period of time. Making the entire computer offline and stop the system clock might work but I do not want that either since I have other applications and games I will use online.

Offline mode is designed to be forever. There are still people using XP who have had their Steam client in offline mode ever since Steam dropped support for it in January 2019.

Games that have verification DRM often are the issue in that. Games with Denuvo need to be verified around every 30 days, I think.

Most games released for XP is designed to run in offline mode and distributed on a physical media (DVD or BD). Games released for Windows 7 is a different story as many are "download only" and require to check license online.

[xAlphaStarOmegax]

引用自 Hisao Nakai：

you'd probably have to install...

^ What they said.

[AlexTheRedScout]

引用自 fhansson925：

I have a Windows 7 computer with Steam-games installed I do not won't to upgrade to Windows 10 for several reasons. How can I continue to play the games when support for Windows 7 is discontinued? I have read that you can start games without the requirement to start the Steam client but not sure you can uninstall it completely. Anyone have suggestions what to do?

your correct but also windows 10 is free and so is linux