It's been a very rough few weeks for millions of Windows users. Microsoft recently announced that it had dropped full support for its ageing Windows 7 and Windows 8 operating systems which means the millions of people still using them face a bigger risk of attacks from cyber criminals and PC-breaking bugs.
Now there's another reason to take the plunge and switch to Windows 10 or Windows 11 with the makers of the hit title Fortnite confirming that its latest release, called Battle Royale Chapter 4 Season 2, is no longer compatible with Windows 7 or Windows 8.
That means those wanting to run around blasting opponents in this in this free-to-play shooter will need a more recent laptop or desktop computer.
Announcing the news via Twitter, Epic Games said: "As previously announced, starting with Battle Royale Chapter 4 Season 2, players will be required to use Windows 10 or higher in order to continue playing Fortnite natively on PC in an officially supported manner."
The only exception is for those who have NVIDIA's GeForce NOW app as this will still be supported.
It's another massive blow for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users and it could leave many facing a hefty bill.
That's because Microsoft no longer offers a free upgrade to Windows 10 with this software also due to be discontinued in 2025.
The next obvious option is to jump straight to Windows 11 but that comes with its own issues as most older PCs simply aren't compatible due to new security hardware and certain processing power. In fact, to switch to this new OS, a PC needs a 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor plus a TPM version 2.0.
TPM stands for Trusted Platform Module and is a security feature built into hardware that you'll find on newer devices. If your PC doesn't have one you're out of luck.
If you're not sure if your PC can upgrade to Windows 11 here are the specs you'll need for it to run smoothly.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR WINDOWS 11
• Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or system on a chip (SoC).
• RAM: 4 gigabytes (GB) or greater.
• Storage: 64 GB* or greater available storage is required to install Windows 11.
• Extra storage space might be required to download updates and enable specific features.
• Graphics card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later, with a WDDM 2.0 driver.
• System firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot capable.
• TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0.
Sadly, it seems if you still use Windows 7 or Windows 8 but want to stay safe from hackers and love playing Fortnite you're going to need to take a trip to your local superstore and buy a new PC.
