32-bit versions of Windows are now old hat, especially for gaming, so if you are playing through Steam on a 32-bit OS, you will need to upgrade to 64-bit if your PC is compatible. Steam confirmed this in a recent announcement, confirming that only 0.01% systems running 32-bit have been reported through the Steam Hardware Survey.
As of January 1 2026, Steam will stop supporting systems running 32-bit versions of Windows. Windows 10 32-bit is the only 32-bit version that is currently supported by Steam and is only in use on 0.01% of systems reported through the Steam Hardware Survey. Windows 10 64-bit will still be supported and 32-bit games will still run.
32-bit Windows Has Been Phased Out
Windows 10 was the last version of Windows to offer 32-bit installations, and Windows 11 is only available as 64-bit. As I’ve previously written, a 32-bit system will only see around 3.5GB of RAM, and even if you are running a 64-bit system, 4GB is simply torture, as I outlined in 4GB Of Laptop Memory Is An Insult In This Day And Age. Gaming is very resource-intensive anyway, unless you’re playing Tetris or Solitaire, so the more memory, the better.
I rarely come across Windows 32-bit systems, other than the occasional ancient PC running Windows 7 that comes in for repair and is used solely for office work. In fact, this week I fixed a machine with only 2GB of memory running Windows 32-bit, but the client didn’t want me to upgrade it, even though the Athlon CPU could run a 64-bit OS. That’s their prerogative as to whether they take my advice, but for gaming machines, it’s a different matter. 8GB of memory would be the absolute minimum, with 16GB being more suitable for modern gaming.
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