A couple of questions about Windows 7 in 2024.

[dias_flac_0g]

So it's been made clear that Steam will no longer support Windows 7 after Jan 2024.

But what exactly does this mean?

Does it mean that Steam simply won't get anymore updates? But we can still play our games in the "offline" mode?

Or does it literally mean that once Jan 2024 comes all of a sudden we wont be able to launch Steam at all and get an error message even while being offline? Currently the way Steam works is if we don't have an internet connection it will simply ask us if we want to use "offline" mode to play our games.

I did some googling but can't seem to find an answer to my specific question. All I find are people complaining (about the end of support) or the typical "Just upgrade to windows 10/11) people telling them to upgrade.

and yes before you anyone here tells me to upgrade, my main PC is a modern gaming rig with Windows 11.

I'm simply asking because I am using my old PC (8700k) as a Windows 7 PC for legacy games and just for the fun of it.

I recently formatted it and installed a clean copy of 7 of it with all the updates. So I would like to add some of my old Steam games on it.

Helpful comments will be greatly appreciated.

[Ogami]

If you switch to offline mode before the end of the year you should be fine on your Win7 system.
You can pretty much stay indefinitely in offline mode if you want and continue to play your installed games.
But if you go online the client will update to the new version that is based on the Chromium build that is no longer supported on Windows 7 and will just refuse to start most likely.
Be aware that some games require a regular internet connection to function like all the games with DENUVO DRM , they need to go online at least once a week to verify ownership with their servers.
So those games would be unavailable to you in Steam Offline mode after a short while.
But everything else should work permanently unless you delete the login cookies for Steam on that Win 7 system.

Also, another thing you can do, many games on Steam actually dont have DRM and can be run without the Steam client, just from the exe in the installation folder.
There are websites that collect lists of those titles:
https://steam.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games

So if you download those games if you own them on Steam you should be able to play them forever on that Win 7 system, without even needing Steam.

[lsdninja]

Originally posted by Ogami:

If you switch to offline mode before the end of the year you should be fine on your Win7 system.
You can pretty much stay indefinitely in offline mode if you want and continue to play your installed games.

...until your login token expires and you can't revalidate it because Steam rejects login attempts from users on Windows 7.

[Ogami]

Originally posted by lsdninja:

...until your login token expires and you can't revalidate it because Steam rejects login attempts from users on Windows 7.

I been in Steam Offline mode before for 6 months or more, it worked fine.
Also why would Steam reject login attempts on a offline client that has not updated to the not Win 7 supported version?

[lsdninja]

Originally posted by Ogami:

I been in Steam Offline mode before for 6 months or more, it worked fine.
Also why would Steam reject login attempts on a offline client that has not updated to the not Win 7 supported version?

Was that before or after they implemented the new react login? As I understand it, you have to log in now in order to switch to online mode at which point you have 30 days or so before the token expires and you have to go online and log in again.

[76561199521118219]

i think there is a way to run win11 in like close to win7 mode and that is use local account + some software that disables spyware and telemetry which is plenty options, i think the reason why people think win11 is bad is not actually why its bad, because most of that win11 crap is actually old almost dos era bloatware that is kept for old apps running in native mode, which i dont get why game that were made for example prior to 2005 could not be emulated instead of maintaining security holes that break the system. i mean it still got some crap like ie7 that runs in background, perhaps other similar internet connected crap like remote control etc which isnt really updated up to modern standars to maintain compatibility with some ancient mainfraims etc. i think win11 problems basically come from the fact that its just win7 with more bloatware on top.

[lsdninja]

Windows 11's relatively high and, in some cases (CPU support mainly), largely arbitrary system requirements put a bunch of people off too.

[N3tRunn3r]

Before Jan 1st, 2024, install an emtpy, clean and latest working Steam Client version, login once, close Steam afterwards and so do a clean backup of your Steam DIR into a ZIP/RAR/7Z.

Download all wanted games, do a compressed backup again with all your games and login.

Have a clean backup and a full backup.

By 01.01.2024, let Steam never connect online anymore until reliable workarounds appear.

There is also a Steam CONFIG file you can edit to stay in offline mode, set read-only afterwards.

[76561188078797539]

Hope this can help you:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2967855237
Supposedly you should be able to download updates (albeit manually) using command prompt, but haven't tried it yet personally. Though probably should start getting serious about bricking up legacy Steam (running the old -vgui version of the client right now, for that matter, heh)

[Steven Seagull]

My guess is: you just won't receive updates anymore. Once the Steam API version changes to 21, it won't be possible to use all of Steam's functionalites, maybe including logging in.

[baah pkal]

It's so great I'll have to go through various loopholes to play the games I bought with my money. Thank you Steam.

[Aachen]

Originally posted by baah pkal:

It's so great I'll have to go through various loopholes to play the games I bought with my money. Thank you Steam.

All one needs to remain able is a supported OS.

[HikariLight]

You do know that all of your games will still be playable on Win10/11 right? All this complaining is a waste of time.
Heck all online game stores will be doing the same thing at the turn of the year, so switching stores won't help either.

[nullable]

Originally posted by baah pkal:

It's so great I'll have to go through various loopholes to play the games I bought with my money. Thank you Steam.

If you choose to ignore the requirements to use Steam, then what do you expect?

[Chika Ogiue]

Originally posted by dias_flac_0g:

Does it mean that Steam simply won't get anymore updates? But we can still play our games in the "offline" mode?

Basically, offline mode will work until it doesn't. Exiting Steam will always carry a possibility that offline will break on next launch, and during that launch Steam will want to automatically upgrade the client. Once that happens, you run the risk of getting a client update that doesn't work with Windows 7.

You could keep Steam running permanently by hibernating your PC instead of shutting it down, but that will last only as long as your system is stable. Which could be weeks or hours.

Finally, you could try forcing an older version of the Steam client, but that will only work, again, for as long as it works. There will always be the risk of something breaking that install.

TLDR: There will be no 100% proof solution for you to legally continue using your games on an unsupported operating system.

[Hobbit XIII]

Originally posted by Aachen:

Originally posted by baah pkal:

It's so great I'll have to go through various loopholes to play the games I bought with my money. Thank you Steam.

All one needs to remain able is a supported OS.

There is a major cost of living crisis going on thanks to circumstances beyond most people's control.
It is not easy for everybody to simply upgrade their systems as energy and food costs increased thanks to super wealthy people believing they can take more and more for their own ego sake.