Windows 11 becomes the most popular OS on Steam, surpassing Windows 10

Windows 11 finally beats Windows 10 to become the most popular OS on Steam

The August Steam Hardware Survey has been released, and it has revealed a major shift in Windows 11 market share. Now, Windows 11 accounts for over 50% of Windows users on Steam, finally besting Windows 10. Now, Windows 10 takes the second place spot with 47.09% overall market share.

While Windows 11 accounts for 50.81% of Windows users, it only accounts for 49.17% of overall OS share on Steam. That means that most Steam users still aren’t using Windows 11, though Windows remains dominant with 96.78% market share. Linux and MacOS account for 1.92% and 1.30% of Steam OS market share respectively.

Windows 11 is now almost three years old, and is currently available as a free upgrade for Windows 10 users with compatible hardware. Even so, Windows 11’s adoption has been slow. Many PC users are unwilling to upgrade to Microsoft’s newer OS. That said, Windows 10’s support timeframe is limited, which will push gamers to Windows 11 eventually. Security Update support for Windows 1o will be discontinued on October 14th 2025. That loss of support will force a lot of PC users to upgrade to a new OS.

Recent years have seen Linux’ popularity on Steam grow. Even so, it retains a market share of less than 2%. The popularity of Valve’s Steam Deck has introduced a lot of PC gamers to Linux. Even so, it’s success has not brought on the mass adoption of Linux amongst PC gamers. As of now, Windows remains the dominant OS within the PC gaming space.

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