Gamers: Can I run Windows 7 games on 10?
 

I have new machine running Windows 10, thinking I would download a new game but seems they only list Windows 7 or 8 for games like Civ 5, so will it run on 10 or do I have to wait for 6 and find something else in the meantime?

Sure.

I still play Red Alert , which first came out in 1995 and we used to run on Win 95.

10 should have a compatibility mode that will help you run Windows 7 games.

Some older games run on Win 10 even though a popup alert says there are compatibility issues. The compatibility mode mentioned above automatically kicks in when you are setting up the game, or any software really. If it can trick the game into thinking it's on win 7 or 8 it will.

However I have heard that some older games still require certain workarounds, some quite elaborate, in order for them to work. If that game you want to play is one of those you'll have to search for known fixes.

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From what I've heard there aren't really any problems with games on Windows 10, but, in the not too distant future there will be problems playing some games without windows 10.

It all depends if the developer of the game goes for the DX12 and doesn't support DX11, because DX12 requires Windows 10.

Luckily there is an even better API than DX12, it's called Vulkan and it's the successor to OpenGL and you don't need Windows 10 for Vulkan. I hope the devs go for that.