FACEIT Requires Windows 11 from October 14, 2026

FACEIT has named the date: from October 14, 2026, Windows 11 version 23H2 or newer becomes the only supported system. Matches will stop launching on Windows 10 — regardless of whether you have Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, and everything else enabled.

There is less than two months left, so let us close the "can I stay on 10" question right away: no, you cannot, and here is why.

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Security updates will not save you

A common line of reasoning: "Windows 10 still gets patches, so I am fine." That conflates two different things.

Mainstream support for Windows 10 ended on October 14, 2025. The paid Extended Security Updates program for consumers is still running — Microsoft extended it to October 2027, and the security patches do arrive.

But FACEIT checks the version of the system, not the presence of patches. This is its own requirement, unrelated to Microsoft's schedule: the anti-cheat relies on protection mechanisms that work differently, and deeper, in Windows 11. A paid ESU subscription has no effect on the check.

Will your PC run Windows 11

The good news: if you have already met FACEIT's requirements, then almost certainly yes. The Windows 11 checklist overlaps with them by about three quarters.

The official check is the PC Health Check utility from Microsoft: it names the specific reason for a failure instead of just saying "unsupported".

If your CPU is not on the list

This is where the real boundary sits. Intel below the 8th generation and first-generation Ryzen are not officially supported, and the only way around that is an unofficial installation method.

The temptation is understandable, but for FACEIT it is pointless: a system installed around the checks often stops receiving updates, and updates are exactly what the anti-cheat demands. You will hit the same wall from the other side.

The sober conclusion: if your CPU is older than that boundary, plan a platform upgrade before October 14 rather than hunting for workarounds.

What to do if everything fits

1. Check BitLocker. Search for "Manage BitLocker". If it is on, save the recovery key — a system upgrade touches the bootloader.
2. Upgrade the normal way. Settings → Windows Update → the offer to move to Windows 11. Files, programs, and settings are preserved.
3. If there is no offer, use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant from Microsoft. It performs the same in-place upgrade with no data loss.
4. After the upgrade, re-check the anti-cheat requirements: Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, IOMMU and VBS. Some settings have to be turned back on afterward.
5. Let Windows finish updating until it reports you are current — FACEIT wants a recent kernel.

Do not leave it to the last week

A system upgrade is the one step in the whole FACEIT requirement chain that can take an evening rather than ten minutes: several gigabytes to download, a couple of reboots, and possibly a session of working out why memory integrity will not come back on after driver reinstalls.

Doing it in September is routine. Doing it on October 14, when you are locked out of a match, is a ruined evening.

Every other requirement and error is collected in the general breakdown.

If your CPU is not officially supported

Microsoft's supported processor list is closed, and there is no way for old hardware to get onto it. Three options remain, each with its own price.

Upgrade bypassing the checks. Technically possible, but a poor path for a FACEIT player: a system without official support may stop receiving updates, while the anti-cheat expects a current configuration. The risk of losing match access at the worst moment outweighs the benefit.

Replace the CPU and motherboard. The most expensive route, and the only one that settles the question for years: Windows 11 support arrives together with TPM and a working Secure Boot.

Play where the requirements do not apply. Official Valve servers and some platforms do not enforce them. Not a solution, but an honest fallback.

What not to do

Do not buy "activators" or "requirement bypassers" from marketplace sellers: at best you pay for a script that is freely available, at worst you install third-party software with administrator rights. An account holding an inventory makes that purchase especially expensive.

And do not leave it to the last week before the deadline: when the requirement switches on, everyone will be fixing their configuration at once, and advice — online or from friends — will cost more than the time you would have spent in advance.

Can I stay on Windows 10 and play elsewhere? Yes. The requirement is FACEIT's; official Valve servers and some other platforms do not enforce it. That is a reasonable fallback if a hardware upgrade is not affordable right now.

Will the upgrade wipe my files and games? An in-place upgrade keeps files, programs and settings. You still make a backup: an OS upgrade is an operation where the bad scenario is expensive, while a copy of what matters costs half an hour.

What if FACEIT still complains after upgrading? Look at the specific requirement in the message. Windows 11 does not by itself enable Secure Boot, TPM or core isolation — those are configured separately, and the order matters.

How long does the upgrade take? From half an hour to a couple of hours depending on the drive and the amount of data. Plan it for a free day rather than the evening before a match: if something goes wrong, sorting it out takes longer than the upgrade itself.

Should I wait for the next Windows version instead of upgrading now? Not if you play on FACEIT. The requirement is tied to a date rather than to new releases, and postponing leaves you without matches on exactly the day it activates.

Is a clean install better than an in-place upgrade? It is cleaner in terms of accumulated problems but costs more time: every program has to be installed again. If the system runs fine, an in-place upgrade is enough.