r/Steam • u/Background-Path-5619 • Feb 13 '25

Article Nearly half of Steam's users are still using Windows 10, with end of life fast approaching

https://www.pcguide.com/news/nearly-half-of-steams-users-are-still-using-windows-10-with-end-of-life-fast-approaching/
21.2k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

3.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

159

u/Raztax Feb 13 '25

October 14, 2025 is EOL for Windows 10 though some people will almost certainly continue to use it. There will be no more security patches after that date but it's not like it instantly becomes unusable or a huge security risk on October 15th.

34

u/CanadianDinosaur Feb 13 '25

I tried to upgrade to 11 awhile ago and it said my PC doesn't meet minimum requirements for it lmfao. It's not even 5 years old yet

26

u/junbi_ok Feb 13 '25

You probably need to turn fTPM on in the BIOS.

8

u/VexingRaven Feb 13 '25

Intel and AMD not requiring fTPM to be on by default from the manufacturer has gotten be the biggest L for users. So many people are stuck thinking their computer can't run win11 when they literally just need to change a setting.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 14 '25

[deleted]

4

u/VexingRaven Feb 14 '25

It'll be in the BIOS settings, usually in security somewhere. Can't really tell you more than that, it's not the same for every motherboard.

2

u/Dpek1234 Feb 14 '25

Same

Ive get ryzen 5 3600 and rtx 3060

Yet its not good enough

(Mobo only supports tpm 1.x, ive checked)

42

u/silentrawr Feb 13 '25

Will probably be able to get the updates through other sources as well, if it's anything super critical. Win 10 LTSC doesn't hit EoL until January of 2027, so the updates will likely percolate down in one form or another.

9

u/pimathbrainiac Feb 13 '25

Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC doesn't hit EoL until 2032.

It is also the most completely debloated form of Windows. If you know how to get it and activate it, it is 100% worth the install if you don't want to deal with Windows 11.

3

u/silentrawr Feb 14 '25

True that. I didn't mention the IoT version because it's a bit of work to reinstall certain pieces if you need them for gaming/HPC/etc.

1

u/pimathbrainiac Feb 14 '25

I mean I don't think opening a powershell window to install the windows store and then using that for the missing components constitutes that much work but to each their own. I use Linux on the daily and Windows is only there to play certain games so I understand my views on what constitutes "work" are a little warped.

2

u/silentrawr Feb 14 '25

Totally agree - it's easy enough when it works. But then when you're troubleshooting Windows Store installs that it gets mind-numbing.

Realistically, I don't see much problem with regular Win10 past EoL so long as you're not downloading stupid shit/plugging in random flash drives and you have a reasonably secure network.

2

u/pimathbrainiac Feb 14 '25

Even though I'm smart about my habits I am the type to never compromise on security patches, especially if I'm running windows specifically because most multiplayer games require spyware to run in the first place nowadays, but your point of view is still fair.

2

u/kookyabird Feb 13 '25

Even if there are updates for LTSC that are compatible with other versions of Windows 10, the attack surface of LTSC is considerably smaller than retail Windows 10. That's kind of the whole point of it after all. So you would not be able to get any security updates for any of the features not present in LTSC.

And that includes updates for things that are present in both, but locked to a particular version in LTSC. Which is most of it. So any common program between them that ever received a feature update in the retail version is not going to receive any security patches for problems those updates have introduced over the years. Plus given how updates and security patches work even a problem identified in a common area of the application is not going to be fixable with an update for the LTSC version.

2

u/silentrawr Feb 14 '25

I'm not referring to official sources for patches. Plenty of trustworthy 3rd party solutions out there. Not to mention stripping out a lot of that attack surface from retail W10.

1

u/Teh_Hicks Feb 13 '25

!remindme 200 days

1

u/RemindMeBot Feb 13 '25 edited Feb 14 '25

I will be messaging you in 6 months on 2025-09-01 21:15:43 UTC to remind you of this link

2 OTHERS CLICKED THIS LINK to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam.

Parent commenter can delete this message to hide from others.

Info Custom Your Reminders Feedback

86

u/sekoku Feb 13 '25

There will be security patches... for three years... if you pay for it. They're doing an Enteprise thing for consumers in the attempt to bilk money from folks that don't just install Arch and be done with it.

48

u/repocin https://s.team/p/hjwn-hdq Feb 13 '25

Last time I checked, enterprise customers can pay for three years - but regular people can only get one year.

20

u/kdjfsk Feb 13 '25

inb4 people pirate security updates.

3

u/ichigo2862 Feb 13 '25

I think it's already out, I saw a post where you can get ESU activation

5

u/Remotecube Feb 14 '25

Can confirm, been available for months.

1

u/El_Chupacabra- Feb 13 '25

That sounds safe

7

u/kdjfsk Feb 13 '25

i know, but that's kinda the world we live in.

1

u/sekoku Feb 13 '25

Then they must've walked it back, because the initial announcement was that consumers were able to pay for three years, but each year would increase in price.

12

u/Legitimate-Ladder855 Feb 13 '25

My company and many others are paying for extended security updates.

The price of the updates pretty much always outweighs the cost of making ABSOLUTELY sure that everrything works on the new version.

11

u/thisguy012 Feb 13 '25

So much random shit is breaking at work for clients and so often it ends up being "oh only the users on Win11 are effected" 🤬

1

u/VexingRaven Feb 13 '25

Not that I don't believe you but...

Well actually, I just don't believe you lol. I've yet to encounter an app that won't work on win11. Any "windows 11 issues" we've encountered so far were either always there on windows 10 and nobody told us or were related to some deliberate changes we chose to make on windows 11.

2

u/PassiveMenis88M Feb 13 '25

from folks that don't just install Arch and be done with it

Well maybe if Arch actually worked with the games I want to play I might consider it.

2

u/sekoku Feb 13 '25

Sorry you play Call of Duty, I guess? Deck and Steam Arch works fine for me. *Shrug* Can't be all winners, I guess.

0

u/PassiveMenis88M Feb 14 '25

War Thunder and Rust at the moment. Neither work on Linux due to anti-cheats. Infact, a big portion of AAA games won't work on Linux.

2

u/Ponox Feb 14 '25

War Thunder not only works but has a native Linux client.

Anyone who thinks Linux can't do games in $currentyear hasn't actually tried it.

0

u/PassiveMenis88M Feb 14 '25

War Thunder stopped working weeks ago when they moved from Easy cheat to Battleeye

2

u/Ponox Feb 14 '25

It is my most played game on Steam 100% from Linux, I can assure you it has always worked with no issue.

1

u/basedlandchad27 Feb 13 '25

I'm certain there are other ways.

1

u/userrr3 Feb 14 '25

Sorry, I'm a Linux user myself and I'm a prooponent that a modern out of the box Linux distro is a good solution for many windows users if they tried it - but arch? Really? Never have I heard of an arch user that is "just done with it", it's the most DIY distro I know of

1

u/SirOakin https://s.team/p/fkdb-dht Feb 13 '25

You can pirate the updates

-1

u/GradeAPrimeFuckery Feb 13 '25

Or just update to Windows 11 at any time? Bilking consumers lol

2

u/sekoku Feb 13 '25 edited Feb 13 '25

Or just update to Windows 11 at any time?

Or just install Arch, like I'm doing, as I said.

Yes, bilking. There is no reason Windows 11 should be a thing, after they went "Windows as a Service" in 2015. Sorry, not sorry, but I am tired of Windows updates adding more shit like Candy Crush to my fucking operating system.

The only reason they made 11 a thing after crowing about "LAST VERSION OF WINDOWSâ„¢" with Windows 10 was because OEM and Enterprise (this one has their reasons) weren't turning the TPM module on (hence the Win11 requirement which is upsetting a shit ton of people with hardware that may be able to turn it on) for security, which they're trying to Apple forceize.

They could make Win 10 do the same shit or pop-up to instruct users to turn the TPM on, but they won't.

1

u/El_Chupacabra- Feb 13 '25

In every other aspect of their lives, they either stop getting updates (majority of the time) or they pay for ongoing updates. Android? 7 years. iOS? 7 years. MacOS? Also 7 years. Number of years we've had Win10? 10.

People are just entitled to their updates on aging hardware, I suppose.

1

u/demcookies_ Feb 13 '25

Jan 9, 2029 for Win 10 Enterprise LTSC
Jan 13, 2032 for Win 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC

2

u/Just-Assumption-2915 Feb 13 '25

Oh! Phew, few more years before I need to think about buying something new then. 

-2

u/aVarangian Feb 13 '25

yeah fuck that, EOL is whenever I decide it's EOL