Linux users now account for over 3% of Steam users

Linux is gaining market share on Steam, and so is macOS

Valve has released the October results of their Steam Hardware Survey, revealing that Linux now accounts for over 3% of all Steam users. This is the highest result that Linux has ever achieved, with the OS experiencing a 0.37% increase in its share over the past month.

Windows remains the dominant OS amongst Steam users, accounting for almost 95% of the platform’s users. Linux has overtaken macOS, with Apple’s OS accounting for 2.11% of Steam’s userbase.

Last year, Linux accounted for only 2% of Steam’s user base. This represents a huge level of growth for Linux as a gaming platform. Regardless, PC gaming remains dominated by Windows.

(OS use by active Steam users)

Steam’s growing Linux user base is primarily thanks to Valve’s Steam Deck, with 27.18% of Steam’s Linux user base using Valve’s SteamOS. This is by far the most popular version of Linux used by Steam users.

(Linux OS use, by distribution)

Linux’s adoption amongst gamers is growing, with Valve’s Proton software steadily improving the compatibility of Steam’s vast gaming library on Linux. With Linux’s growth and Google’s plans to merge Android and ChromeOS for PC use, it’s clear that Windows is facing tougher competition. Add on Apple’s increasingly powerful “Apple Silicon” processors, and it’s easy to see why Microsoft might be worried about its OS market share.

If Microsoft want to maintain Windows’ dominance, it needs to make some changes. Note that Microsoft has finally fixed its decade-old “update and shutdown” bug. Furthermore, the “Xbox Fullscreen experience” aims to boost Windows’ gaming performance.

Can Microsoft save Windows from decline? You can join the discussion on Linux’s growth on Steam on the OC3D Forums.