Steam is dropping support for Windows 7 and macOS Mohave (and older), which could break or prevent downloading purchased games

[ReanimationXP]

Summary

Steam is dropping support for Windows 7 on Jan 1st of 2024, as well as macOS Mohave and older on February 15th, 2024, putting access to games you have purchased in jeopardy, particularly older games which run only on these older OS's. Since steam auto-updates on launch, this implies you may no longer be able to install new copies of Steam on these OS's as of these dates, meaning you would have no way to download and install the games in your library anymore.  While transferring from another newer computer might be an option, if the OS it is too new, installation may not be allowed, may fail to install, etc.

This change will also likely affect games which are already installed, and may prohibit them from launching.  Since Steam regularly updates itself on launch, and games rely on Steam DRM, this means the Steam client must be working and logged in (in most cases) in order to launch. Thus if it does not, this update may lock you out of all installed apps, both old and new.  Steam does not offer any official way to downgrade or download older versions of Steam.  This will affect retro computing enthusiasts and macOS users the most.  I propose some solutions below Valve could use to allow users to retain access to their library without significant effort.

 

Quotes

Quote

As of February 15th, 2024, Steam will officially stop supporting the [Windows 7 /] macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) and 10.14 (Mojave) operating systems. After that date, existing Steam Client installations on these operating systems will no longer receive updates of any kind including security updates. Steam Support will be unable to offer users technical support for issues related to the old operating systems, and Steam will be unable to guarantee continued functionality of Steam on the unsupported operating system versions.
...
Unfortunately, macOS 10.14 was the last version to support running 32-bit games on macOS. Apple chose to drop support for 32-bit applications in macOS 10.15 (released 2019), and since many developers have not updated their games to support 64-bit executables, some games will effectively stop functioning on macOS.
...
This change is required as core features in Steam rely on an embedded version of Google Chrome, which no longer functions on older versions of [Windows 7/ ] macOS. In addition, future versions of Steam will require features and security updates only present in [Windows 10 / ] macOS 10.15 and above.

 

My thoughts

I have combined the contents of both announcements into one in my quote, based largely on the macOS announcement.  I found this announcement in two places, both of which are overly hard to find, almost intentionally so it would seem.  Only by browsing and thoroughly reading Steam client updates did I notice the macOS sunsetting, hidden at the bottom of a long list of boring client updates (linked below).  I also happened to see the Windows sunsetting article on a Steam discussions post from a user, which I only happened to read because I was already troubleshooting an issue with the client.

 

This move demonstrates a lack of care and doesn't make sense to me considering SteamCMD is a Steam commandline client which is able to download tools like dedicated server apps from the Steam network, sometimes without so much as logging in, and sometimes (seemingly) without any DRM attached.  Regardless of the Steam UI OS requirements, older games are still something you have purchased, and something Valve may be contractually obligated to provide you access to.  Since Valve DRMs games, and also does not patch them to provide support on forward OS's as companies like GOG sometimes do, Valve in some cases would effectively lock customers out of their purchased licenses, even the latest up to date titles, simply because they chose to build their clients on aging browser technology rather than being true native apps.  Something else to consider - devs may have intentionally put significant effort into providing support for older OS's, even on new games.

 

On the macOS side of things, this move, combined with how Apple handles OS updates - specifically that they deny any machines 7 years old or later from installing the latest OS, may mean you are forced to buy a new computer entirely to access your games, and even then may have to emulate the older OS in order for it to run, depending on the title.  Applying this to another sector - imagine if you could no longer access your bank account or your stocks unless you purchased a new Mac at minimum every 7 years, and even then, possibly had to spin up a VM to do so.

 

In my opinion, Valve should be morally (and possibly legally) obligated to provide a path forward for those who have purchased a game, by either providing a way for DRM to continue to work on older platforms through something like SteamCMD, or removing the Steam DRM from them and allowing them to launch without it on older platforms - especially if previously installed.  They should also provide a way forward to download and reinstall them on older platforms, even if that means using a commandline tool such as SteamCMD rather than a nice UI frontend.

 

Apparently some in the Steam forums have already talked to lawyers about potential lawsuits, but were told announcements like this don't constitute a lockout - in other words, they'd have to be able to demonstrate an inability to access and play their games before legal action could be taken.  This seems incorrect to me, as addressing the issue beforehand would potentially avoid uncorrectable or expensive action on Valve's part (deleting old source code for example), but I'm not a lawyer.  I may send this to LegalEagle as well to see if he might weigh in with his take. I'm curious how situations like this work legally - especially if Valve has provided themselves a way out in the ToS somehow.  I know that, unlike other companies, I vary rarely if ever have to click Accept to Valve's TOS except upon initial install, meaning I may not have agreed to or seen it in over a decade. Other companies like Apple make you accept a new one damn year every time you launch iTunes.

 

I'd like to see Linus and/or Louis Rossman cover this so we could get some eyes on it and maybe get Valve to improve the situation.

 

Sources

Valve's Windows 7 Sunset Announcement (couldn't find it linked anywhere outside of the forum):
https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/4784-4F2B-1321-800A

Forum post where I heard about the Windows 7 announcement:
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/0/4031347296569734477

Valve's macOS Mohave Sunset Announcement (found via the next link):
https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/743F-2E0E-C9A5-C375

Steam Update where the macOS Mohave sunset is mentioned:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/593110/view/3895113407856183761

 

Edited 12/3 - Updated summary to further clarify some of the implications of these changes.

[Eaglerino]

An obsolete OS doesn't get endless software updates?

[da na]

Honestly, I'm pleasantly surprised they kept Win 7 support alive for 3 years after the OS was killed off. The GPU companies already dropped 7 support a couple months ago at this point, sad to see but at the same time, glad to see Steam hung on for a while.

[ReanimationXP]

4 minutes ago, Eaglerino said:

An obsolete OS doesn't get endless software updates?

Way to strawman and ignore oodles of rationale as to why this is an issue, and the solution I proposed.

 

It's not about the fact that OS's aren't supported forever. It's about having no way to install something you paid for. Retro computing is a thing.

[TempestCatto]

Purely because people may want to play older games on "retro" hardware, I can see this making piracy more popular (as if it wasn't already). I feel like at the very least you should be able to install the games you bought that were always supported on 7.

[DrMacintosh]

Mojave was released in September of 2018. That was 5+ years ago. A Windows 10 build from 5+ years ago would also not support a lot of things.

[BiotechBen]

38 minutes ago, ReanimationXP said:

It's not about the fact that OS's aren't supported forever. It's about having no way to install something you paid for.

*Physical media*

[ReanimationXP]

21 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

Mojave was released in September of 2018. That was 5+ years ago. A Windows 10 build from 5+ years ago would also not support a lot of things.

Windows 10 was released in 2015, over 8 years ago, and is still widely in use. You'd be hard-pressed to find a game which runs on Windows 10 now that didn't then; I'm not aware of any and I play a lot of titles both old and new. This is patently false.

 

20 minutes ago, BiotechBen said:

*Physical media*

..hasn't been sold in two decades, and used doesn't always solve the problem. The internet's been around a long time. Installing may require things like online activation with an already-used CD-Key or long-defunct activation service. Not a solution. Nor should you have to re-buy games you already own.

 

Also, I'm not sure why y'all are in such a hurry to try and "disprove" me, even if you were able to. There's nothing "good" or to gain from this. The point is this sets a bad precedent and the act of effectively locking people out of things they paid for is completely unnecessary for the reasons I gave. Some of us specifically buy games on PC, not consoles, to avoid having to deal with things like planned obsolescence, and abuse from those who publish and sell our games from also having a vested interest in getting us to buy new hardware every few years. That situation is ripe for abuse and often is abused. Old console stores are routinely closed down.  Until now, digital distribution platforms like Steam have largely been immune to these things - almost everything you could ever access on Steam is still accessible.  Precedent matters, and you should retain access to the things you own.

[RONOTHAN##]

3 minutes ago, ReanimationXP said:

Windows 10 was released in 2015, over 8 years ago, and is still widely in use. This is patently false.

Doesn't change the fact that there are many different builds of Windows 10 that changed how the different things work. A 2015 install and a 2023 install are very different, and if you are on a build that's over ~3 years old and hasn't run updates in that time (I forget the exact cutoff for this, though I do know there is one) you can't get windows updates anymore, and IIRC the system requirements has increased over its lifespan (don't quote me on this though). 

 

By that same logic, macOS has had free upgrades to the latest and greatest MacOS versions similar to all the new builds of Windows, so it's still the same OS. I would argue there's about the same amount of difference between a ~5 year old Windows build and a ~5 year old MacOS version, though admittedly my MacOS experience with those builds isn't massive and it could be bigger or smaller than my memory is saying. That's how Windows 10 was originally marketed and how it looked like it would actually be, a version of Windows that would evolve gradually and never be directly replaced, instead having incremental build improvements rather than service packs and new versions. It didn't end up happening as originally suggested since it is being replaced by 11, but the incremental updates are very much a thing every ~6 months. 

 

 

I do still agree that it sucks you can't download legacy games anymore and there should be some sort of workaround for it (maybe release a DRM free version that can be downloaded through a non-compatible system and then copied over), but don't think that every build of Windows 10 is the same thing and all software works on all builds (it doesn't), because that's just patently false. 

[DrMacintosh]

50 minutes ago, ReanimationXP said:

Windows 10 was released in 2015, over 8 years ago, and is still widely in use. You'd be hard-pressed to find a game which runs on Windows 10 now that didn't then

Every service based app has a cutoff point. Microsoft no longer supports older builds of Windows 10 and will stop supporting it altogether relatively soon. All the standalone programs will still work because that’s how computers work. Apps on Mojave won’t stop working, Steam, which is a service, is just electing to not let it work on Mojave bc it’s obsolete. 

[ReanimationXP]

3 hours ago, RONOTHAN## said:

Doesn't change the fact that there are many different builds of Windows 10 that changed how the different things work. A 2015 install and a 2023 install are very different...

I never said they weren't. You said "A Windows 10 build from 5+ years ago would also not support a lot of things."  In relation to Steam and games, this is either largely or completely false. I'm unaware of any examples, and regardless it doesn't matter. Steam will still run on vanilla day one Windows 10. Bottom line is Valve should be obligated to provide a path for legacy users to get at their stuff, and I can't fathom why you would argue to have less access to stuff you've purchased. They either fix it or they don't, don't give them excuses not to.

 

3 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

Every service based app has a cutoff point. Microsoft no longer supports older builds of Windows 10 and will stop supporting it altogether relatively soon. All the standalone programs will still work because that’s how computers work. Apps on Mojave won’t stop working, Steam, which is a service, is just electing to not let it work on Mojave bc it’s obsolete. 

It's not fully elective, their reasoning is to upgrade to a newer version of the underlying Chrome / Chromium backend they built modern Steam on, which would require Win10 (allegedly - not sure I buy this but will give them the benefit of the doubt). My issue is they're not doing anything to address the problems that will cause, which could be handled in one of a few ways, without excessive effort.

[Thaldor]

I don't get what the outcry here is. If you're now running a system which support Valve is dropping, go to the settings and remove the mark from automatic updates, you're eitherway losing the support so might as well keep what is still working as long as it works.

Valve isn't removing any games from Steam, at least by what they are saying, it's another thing what the neckbeards pull from their asses. You can stil ldownload the games with the system you can make Steam work.

 

Games working on different systems, the complaints address is still the same as it has been these almost 20 years: The game developers. If their game doesn't work, call them, it's not Valves job to make sure the Stick And Stone from 1865 works on Windows 3.1.

[porina]

For sense of scale of how many could be affected. Steam Hardware Survey November 2023.

 

All MacOS was 1.53%, which is lower than all Linux at 1.91%.

[tikker]

So, just to make things clearer for my understanding: will Steam stop you from installing Steam and downloading games on these platforms, or are they just dropping official support? The second link in the main post states

Quote

In order to ensure continued operation of Steam and any games or other products purchased through Steam, users should update to a more recent version of Windows. We expect the Steam client and games on these older operating systems to continue running for some time without updates after January 1st, 2024, but we are unable to guarantee continued functionality after that date.
 

which sounds nothing like "all you folks running Win 7 or earlier are now screwed".

[ReanimationXP]

1 hour ago, Thaldor said:

I don't get what the outcry here is. If you're now running a system which support Valve is dropping, go to the settings and remove the mark from automatic updates, you're eitherway losing the support so might as well keep what is still working as long as it works.

Valve isn't removing any games from Steam, at least by what they are saying, it's another thing what the neckbeards pull from their asses. You can stil ldownload the games with the system you can make Steam work.

 

Games working on different systems, the complaints address is still the same as it has been these almost 20 years: The game developers. If their game doesn't work, call them, it's not Valves job to make sure the Stick And Stone from 1865 works on Windows 3.1.

lol, and how do you propose you install steam on Win 7, when it updates on first launch, several years down the line there sparky?  If Steam has completely dropped support for Win 7 and earlier, why would they bother keeping games around that only run on those platforms?  To waste server space for no reason?  The logical next step is they disappear at some point.  The only "neckbeard" activity going on here is saying this is fine.  If you don't care then kick rocks. No one has suggested Valve is supposed to update the games, if you actually read the post. Yet another strawman.

 

1 hour ago, porina said:

For sense of scale of how many could be affected. Steam Hardware Survey November 2023.

 

All MacOS was 1.53%, which is lower than all Linux at 1.91%.

..and yet your "small" all Linux number contains anyone who has ever bought a Steam Deck, which are pretty popular now aren't they?  As I stated previously, retro gaming is a thing, and isn't going to be a machine you're logging into every day on, running Steam surveys.  There's a good chance it's offline most if not all of the time.

[ReanimationXP]

42 minutes ago, tikker said:

So, just to make things clearer for my understanding: will Steam stop you from installing Steam and downloading games on these platforms, or are they just dropping official support?

Not immediately, but Steam does not make old versions available and tries to update before you're even given the ability to log in. If anything happens to your install or you get a new retro PC, you'd have to trust some sketchy download backed up from someone else or something.  I would also bet within a couple years they will make a change which breaks logging in somehow, at which point you won't be able to launch anything.  Certain games may work in offline mode if you're lucky, assuming you had logged in before on said PC.  Eventually Win 7 and older games would be purged, as they have no incentive to keep them around taking up space.  It's better to get out ahead of this change and insist they remain available than to try and claw back what you purchased down the line.

[porina]

25 minutes ago, ReanimationXP said:

If Steam has completely dropped support for Win 7 and earlier, why would they bother keeping games around that only run on those platforms? 

Are you saying there are games on Steam right now that will run on Windows 7 or older, but not newer? Got some examples?

 

25 minutes ago, ReanimationXP said:

..and yet your "small" all Linux number contains anyone who has ever bought a Steam Deck, which are pretty popular now aren't they?  As I stated previously, retro gaming is a thing, and isn't going to be a machine you're logging into every day on, running Steam surveys.  There's a good chance it's offline most if not all of the time.

SteamOS is currently based on Arch as far as I can tell. Arch is listed as the biggest single slice at 0.15%, but compared to the Linux total of 1.91% it is very small beans.

 

Retro gaming doesn't demand using an out of date OS. The handful of people trying to run era authentic hardware/software is miniscule.

[tikker]

36 minutes ago, ReanimationXP said:

Not immediately, but Steam does not make old versions available and tries to update before you're even given the ability to log in. If anything happens to your install or you get a new retro PC, you'd have to trust some sketchy download backed up from someone else or something

I agree that it would be nice if they could make a legacy version available. At the same time, I do find it understandable from their point of view that that is not easily possible, because then you are for all intents and purposes supporting an unsafe outdated version.

36 minutes ago, ReanimationXP said:

I would also bet within a couple years they will make a change which breaks logging in somehow, at which point you won't be able to launch anything.

This is just the classic slippery slope speculation that always happens with news like this. It may happen, I would even dare say probably, but I don't think they would do so intentionally just to mess with old OS users.

36 minutes ago, ReanimationXP said:

Certain games may work in offline mode if you're lucky, assuming you had logged in before on said PC.  Eventually Win 7 and older games would be purged, as they have no incentive to keep them around taking up space.  It's better to get out ahead of this change and insist they remain available than to try and claw back what you purchased down the line.

If memory serves me right, hardly any games have actually been removed from people's Steam libraries. They can be removed from the store front, preventing new purchases (which can be seen as an issue in its  own right), but if you own a game on Steam you can still download it even if it has been removed from the store as far as I know.

[ReanimationXP]

Several of you replying make my head hurt, I'm not arguing anymore.  All the details are already here.  I tell you you won't be able to install the client and access your library on older machines, and I get comments like retro games [in a thread talking about downloading them from steam], "don't require a retro OS".. lmao.. and the games you can't download because you can't get a functioning client is fine because they might still be in your library. Ok.

[KaitouX]

7 hours ago, ReanimationXP said:

 

In my opinion, Valve should be morally (and possibly legally) obligated to provide a path forward for those who have purchased a game, by removing the Steam DRM from them and allowing them to launch on older platforms, especially if previously installed, and providing a way forward to download and reinstall them to older platforms, even if that means using a commandline tool such as SteamCMD rather than a nice frontend.

While I agree Valve should remove the DRM from those games, I think in this case it would be more up to the developers to do so, as they're the ones that decide to use or not the DRM.

Also assuming they removed the DRM, wouldn't you just be able to download the game in a up to date PC, and put it in the old one? Which is probably for the best too, as you probably shouldn't be running such old OS connected to the Internet.

 

There's also third-party tools, which are pretty easy to use to remove the need for Steam, but that enters a bit of a gray area.

[ReanimationXP]

6 minutes ago, KaitouX said:

While I agree Valve should remove the DRM from those games, I think in this case it would be more up to the developers to do so.

Also assuming they removed the DRM, wouldn't you just be able to download the game in a up to date PC, and put it in the old one? Which is probably for the best too, as you probably shouldn't be running such old OS connected to the Internet.

 

There's also third-party tools, which are pretty easy to use to remove the need for Steam, but that enters a bit of a gray area.

Finally some valid questions. Yes if the DRM was removed you could download it from either an up to date PC or something like SteamCMD which allows you to log in.  There are safe ways to connect old PCs to the internet.  I don't think the onus should be on developers.  Some companies will be long broken up, and/or definitely not maintaining Steam packages anymore. If there are tools to universally strip Steam DRM off that's news to me, but good to know.  As far as I know that would be legal so long as you purchased it, but again assumes you can actually get it.  The only potential issue I see with removing the DRM is if the developer does happen to still be around and takes issue with it, which I think is unlikely for old games.  In this instance, just ensure SteamCMD works for legacy machines, and provide a hooking mechanism for it such that launched games can utilize SteamCMD to check the DRM rather than the full client. Boom, done.

[KaitouX]

Just now, ReanimationXP said:

Finally some valid questions. Yes if the DRM was removed you could download it from either an up to date PC or something like SteamCMD which allows you to log in.  There are safe ways to connect old PCs to the internet.  I don't think the onus should be on developers.  Some companies will be long broken up, and/or definitely not maintaining Steam packages anymore. If there are tools to universally strip Steam DRM off that's news to me, but good to know.  As far as I know that would be legal so long as you purchased it, but again assumes you can actually get it.

There might be issues with Valve messing around with the DRM without developers/publishers agreeing to it. I'm not sure if they would be able to actually remove it, as i believe that changes the actual .exe file, which might be against the contract between Valve and the developers, just bypassing it I believe doesn't require to change the actual .exe, only the steam dll, which might be less problematic from a legal standpoint.

Valve removing/bypassing the DRM without agreement from the publishers would possibly also cause them to start to add more third-party DRMs, as they likely wouldn't like that Valve is taking the control from them.

[Thaldor]

25 minutes ago, ReanimationXP said:

lol, and how do you propose you install steam on Win 7, when it updates on first launch, several years down the line there sparky?  If Steam has completely dropped support for Win 7 and earlier, why would they bother keeping games around that only run on those platforms?  To waste server space for no reason?  The logical next step is they disappear at some point.  The only "neckbeard" activity going on here is saying this is fine.  If you don't care then kick rocks. No one has suggested Valve is supposed to update the games, if you actually read the post. Yet another strawman.

That how you install Steam on machine running OS that basicly everyone has abandoned isn't Valve's problem, that's why they are now giving the warning that they're most likely going to upgrade the Chromium core and that probably will break stuff on OS's that aren't supported by Google or even the makers of said OS's anymore.
That is pretty much what retro gaming community has always dealt with and why something like GoG is so fucking amazing.

 

When it comes to Valve removing games from Steam. Just remember it was a HUGE thing that Valve gave the warning and then removed literal scams and partially illegal games from Steam because Valve had never done something like that. If Valve was to remove games based on the hardware or software they support, they would probably first start with the games that have been abandoned a decade or more ago and don't work at all, but no, stuff like "Nether" is still available (not for buy, luckily, but if you have in your library you can download the un-MMO'd still pre-alpha at the best version of it).

Not to even start with stuff that hasn't really been ever released, like only from my library there's "Gauntlet Quest" (from the maker's of "Dwarf Fortress" or "Dwarfs!?", something like 10-40k keys for it were given away when some game giveaway site opened, I would remember Indiegala but I can be wrong), "Stuntfest" and "Wreckfest Throw-a-Santa + Sneak Peak 2.0" (Wreckfest's early access bonuses when they still had hope to make the other side of the Flatout series into their own game beside Wreckfest) and around 10 "playtest" titles that I am not sure am I still under NDA's to even talk about them.

 

Not to mention there's already games in Steam that aren't anymore "supported" and you still can even buy them. Like "Thief Gold" (Windows XP/Vista), "Star Wars: Jedi Knight Dark Forces" (Windows 2000/XP/Vista, CPU: 486), "Sniper Elite" (OG Windows XP/Vista), "Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines" (shit gets fun when the first line is "IBM PC or 100% compatible", Windows 9X/ME), "Commandos: Beyond Call of Duty" (even better with recommended OS being "Windows 95/98"), "DEFCON" (Windows XP) and so on. Those are all in my library, you can buy them if you want, I can install them but while some of those are from still active developers, I don't think they are willing to put sticks across to support them more than "they are what they are".

 

There's tons of shit in Steam that is 1000-times more probable to be booted than Win7 games.

I would say I would receive email from Valve about deleting my couple projects from Steam long before they are going to remove Win7 games because I have couple projects in there as developer and none of them have even store pages and there's just couple other people who can even see them. I am actually wasting like 20-40GB (probably even more, haven't checked those in couple of years, even less what I have stored in them) of Steams server space just because I can and Valve doesn't give a shit.

 

Not to mention that we are talking about Windows 7 games. Mac side can be a bit more sucky but that's Apple, their policies around backwards support have sucked for a long time especially when it comes to games (good luck running any games requiring old QuickTime versions). Most of the Win7 games run fine on Win10/11, so there isn't any emergency to start hoarding them and panicking over how you're going to run them in the near future. I would hardly even consider them retro games because you can run them on the newest hardware you can get, like they aren't something like DOS games that are going to go haywire because you have faster CPU than 486 or require some hardware that wasn't still compatible with the modern ones (except stuff like "Dark Fall" 1 and 2 which are awful to play because forced full screen and made for 640x480 resolution).

Even the SteamDRM isn't a huge problem because most of the games don't use it. If you start them from their exe-files, they may pop-up in Steam because they use the Steam hooks but in the end very few games really used the SteamDRM. Getting past that is also trivial thing, just have some Steam version that can run on the system and you're past it.

Valve could completely put out LegacySteam or something for older systems but at least currently there's hardly any reason to do so especially when NO ONE knows to what extent their updates will break Steam on older systems. It could be whole Steam becomes unusable but it can also be just that the store side doesn't work and the library works just fine.

[tikker]

44 minutes ago, ReanimationXP said:

Several of you replying make my head hurt, I'm not arguing anymore.  All the details are already here.  I tell you you won't be able to install the client and access your library on older machines, and I get comments like retro games [in a thread talking about downloading them from steam], "don't require a retro OS".. lmao.. and the games you can't download because you can't get a functioning client is fine because they might still be in your library. Ok.

This is at least partially true with things like DOSbox. The real problem, as you also touch on, is not that Steam and other software stops supporting older OSes, but that we don't get DRM-free access to the games a la GOG. From my side I commented on the downloading aspect because you were implying that Steam will start deleting those older games and prevent you from accessing them ever again, which I have only rarely seen. I don't see them being that evil yet.

 

The real retro stuff has e.g. DOSbox to run and the older games that I play I haven't had any trouble with in terms of running them on Windows 10. Admittedly they were the bigger titles of the XP era (think Crysis, half life, BioShock, Deadspace, Far Cry, Mass Effect etc.), but they all work. For more average or niche titles I could see issues arising, but so far I haven't had much issue with playing old "Windows 7" games on modern systems.

13 minutes ago, Thaldor said:

When it comes to Valve removing games from Steam. Just remember it was a HUGE thing that Valve gave the warning and then removed literal scams and partially illegal games from Steam because Valve had never done something like that. If Valve was to remove games based on the hardware or software they support, they would probably first start with the games that have been abandoned a decade or more ago and don't work at all, but no, stuff like "Nether" is still available (not for buy, luckily, but if you have in your library you can download the un-MMO'd still pre-alpha at the best version of it).

I don't remember if those scam games were simply delisted or completley nuked, but even in those cases I think one should also still consider the difference between them delisting it from the store and actually removing it from your library and revoking access to it. I don't think some moderation on what goes on the store is a bad thing. I do agree that going into peoples library and actually revoking access to it is more serious and needs to be kept a closer eye on. Personally I don't see Valve going down the path of slowly deleting games for platforms older than what Steam itself supports. Even for the sole reason of needing to test every game to see if it works haha.

26 minutes ago, Thaldor said:

Valve could completely put out LegacySteam or something for older systems but at least currently there's hardly any reason to do so especially when NO ONE knows to what extent their updates will break Steam on older systems. It could be whole Steam becomes unusable but it can also be just that the store side doesn't work and the library works just fine.

I think you raise an important point here. Pitchforks and torches are raised at the mere announcement of changes coming without knowing their full implications.

[Sauron]

8 hours ago, ReanimationXP said:

In my opinion, Valve should be morally (and possibly legally) obligated to provide a path forward for those who have purchased a game, by removing the Steam DRM from them and allowing them to launch on older platforms, especially if previously installed, and providing a way forward to download and reinstall them to older platforms, even if that means using a commandline tool such as SteamCMD rather than a nice frontend.

I agree, they should also be legally required to ensure all games they sell work on officially supported platforms.

8 hours ago, Eaglerino said:

An obsolete OS doesn't get endless software updates?

What update is required for you to keep playing a game you paid for on a platform it has always worked on?

7 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

Every service based app has a cutoff point. Microsoft no longer supports older builds of Windows 10 and will stop supporting it altogether relatively soon. All the standalone programs will still work because that’s how computers work. Apps on Mojave won’t stop working, Steam, which is a service, is just electing to not let it work on Mojave bc it’s obsolete. 

Nobody is asking for any service. All we want is to be able to install and play games we bought. When you buy a game on steam it doesn't say "you can only play this for 10 years" or however long. Steam insists on only providing these games as a service so it's up to them to make sure they work as advertised.