Windows 10 lost 3.94% of its users, while Windows 11 gained only 3.18%, and some users chose to abandon the Microsoft ecosystem and move to other platforms. Linux led this migration, growing 0.41% to a total share of 3.05%. macOS also benefited, increasing 0.34% to 2.11%.
Despite these numbers, Windows remains the clear leader, accounting for 94.84% of Steam gamers, with 63.57% on Windows 11, 31.14% on Windows 10, and a residual 0.09% on Windows 7. However, the trend suggests that alternatives are slowly eroding ground, a sign of users’ greater openness to other ecosystems.
Within the Linux world, the most popular distribution among gamers is SteamOS, which accounts for 27.18% of Linux users on Steam. It is followed by Arch Linux with 10.32%, Linux Mint 22.2 with a significant increase of 6.65%, and Bazzite, a gaming-optimized distribution that is rapidly gaining traction.
Another key element of this growth is compatibility: nearly 90% of games designed for Windows now also run on Linux, thanks to technologies like Proton and Valve’s ongoing commitment. This has eliminated one of the historical barriers that held back the operating system’s spread in the gaming world.
Valve, buoyed by the success of Steam Deck, continues to focus on Linux as the foundation for its future projects. The company is reportedly already working on a home console based on the same operating system, with the goal of bringing the Linux gaming experience to the living room.
After years of slow growth, Linux is finally reaping the benefits of its journey. It’s no longer just an alternative for geeks, but an increasingly robust and accessible platform for gamers as well.
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