Grand Theft Auto Online is undergoing a significant change that could render the game unplayable for a segment of its PC user base.
As of January 30, 2024, Rockstar Games has confirmed it's ceasing support for the Windows 7 and Windows 8 operating systems, a decision echoing Microsoft's earlier discontinuation of support for these versions. This move is set to impact a substantial number of users, considering that as of 2021, over 100 million PCs were still running on just Windows 7.
The decision from Rockstar Games, while likely to inconvenience some, isn't without its precedent. Both Microsoft and Steam have already ended their support for these older operating systems, with Microsoft ceasing updates for Windows 7 back in 2020 and for Windows 8 in 2021. Similarly, Steam withdrew support for Windows 7 last year. With Rockstar's announcement, any titles under the Rockstar Games umbrella, not just GTA Online, will be affected by this change. This means that players using the Rockstar Games Launcher or Steam on Windows 7 or 8 will face significant interruptions, with their games becoming potentially unplayable post the January 30 deadline.
For the players who are still using these older operating systems, the recommendation is clear: upgrade to a supported version, such as Windows 10 or Windows 11, as soon as possible. This isn't only a matter of enjoying GTA Online but also a question of security. Continuing with an unsupported operating system like Windows 7 is a security risk, as Microsoft has not provided updates or patches for these versions for quite some time.