Microsoft deleted a support document that warned Steam gamers about performance. Here is what it said.

iBUYPOWER RDY Trace X R01 pre-built gaming PC in a white case highlighting RGB memory installed inside — Many gaming PCs fall short of Microsoft's recommended amount of RAM to have a "no-worries" experience. (Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)

Microsoft's guidance on gaming suggested that well over half of Steam gamers are now in the worry zone. A Microsoft Learning Center page briefly appeared online that recommended 32GB of RAM as the "no worries" amount for PC gaming in 2026.

A quick look at the latest Steam hardware survey shows that more than half of gamers on the platform have less than 32GB of RAM. A total of 54.98% of Steam users are under that threshold, with the largest chunk having systems with 16GB of memory.

Windows Latest noticed the support document, which has since been removed. Gamers on Reddit quickly spotted the page and started criticizing Microsoft:

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"Truly spoken like someone that have become blind to the value of money for ordinary people, as well as the price development for RAM. I guess that's what happens when RAM is just a another billion dollar expense in a long line of expenses for AI and datacenters," said Reddit user Fywq.

That support document listed 16GB as the baseline for PC gaming and called 32GB of memory the "no worries zone." If you need 32GB of RAM to not have any worries, anything below that mark is, at minimum, the "some worries zone."

The suggested 32GB of RAM is not solely for gaming. Microsoft noted that many gamers multitask and use programs like Discord while gaming. The combination of modern games, Discord, and other apps can gobble up system resources, including memory.

Many applications are poorly optimized. WhatsApp, Discord, and other web-based messaging apps can take up over 1GB of RAM each. At times, Discord can spike to as high as 4GB of RAM usage, though that is during startup.

RAM prices skyrocketed over the last two years due to the demands of AI. Prices have gone down a bit lately, but RAM modules are still overpriced compared to a couple of years ago.

Microsoft has not stated why the support document was taken down. There is always a chance that the 32GB listing was a mistake. It seems more likely that Microsoft realized the document and the phrasing within it would upset gamers.

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Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.

He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.

Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.