Steam: More and more players are using Linux as their operating system

Michael Soldner

The widespread use of Steam for the purchase of PC games makes the platform interesting for statements that also apply to the majority of other players. For example, you can see which operating systems, graphics cards or processors are most common among PC gamers. The latest Steam hardware and software survey, for example, shows that Linux has continued to expand its market share among gamers. Nevertheless, the free operating system is only used on 1.18 percent of Steam computers. The release of the handheld PC Steam Deck, which uses a version of Linux called SteamOS, is apparently responsible for the increase.

Best Linux Games for Steam, Ubuntu, Holarse, Gog, Shell

Windows 10 is becoming less popular

Windows 10, on the other hand, is continuously losing its loyal user base. Windows 11 is already installed on over 20 percent of all gaming devices. Nevertheless, Windows 10 is still in use on almost 74 percent of all Steam computers. After all: The aged Windows 7 only brings it to 3.2 percent. Windows 8 is even less common and only installed on 0.59 percent of Steam computers.

MacOS and Linux

Apple’s MacOS operating system is used on 2.5 percent of Steam computers. Among Linux supporters, Arch Linux is the most used at 11.4 percent, followed by Manjaro Linux (10.1 percent) and Ubuntu 22.04 and 20.04, each claiming 10 percent.

Four cores, 16 GB RAM and a GTX 1060

The survey also gave clear insights into the hardware equipment of the average Steam computer: According to this, the majority of players on Steam still used a four-core CPU. There is also an average of 16 GB of RAM and a Geforce GTX 1060 as a graphics card. Most games are played in Full HD resolution. Faster hardware is only used by a smaller proportion of Steam players.

Upgrade old hardware in a targeted manner and your PC will be fit for the latest software