Windows 11 Gamer Base Grows as Linux Slips in Steam Survey Data

The Windows 11 install base seems to be expanding, contradicting the overall sentiment surrounding Microsoft’s highly controversial operating system. According to the latest Steam Hardware and Software Survey results from April, Windows 11 now accounts for 67.74% of the Steam gamer base, marking an increase of 0.89% from March. This growth comes at the expense of the remaining two operating systems noted in the Steam survey, primarily Linux and macOS. Interestingly, the April data suggests that Linux-based operating systems now stand at 4.52%, a significant 0.81% decrease from March. Most Linux distributions saw a decline in user share, with only Debian Linux, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, and Fedora Linux 43 recording a meaningful uptick. The rest experienced a decline in April, indicating some market-wide corrections among gamers worldwide.

For Windows, both Windows 11 and Windows 10, which reached end of life back in October 2025, recorded increases, and the overall share of Windows-based gaming PCs grew by 1.14% in April. Now, Windows accounts for 93.47% of all gaming PCs, meaning that Linux and macOS remain relatively small compared to the dominance of Microsoft’s OS. Especially among gamers, switching to a different OS seems problematic, despite recent growth rates. Even as Windows 11 has its own issues, the majority of gamers remain on the platform because it offers the best game compatibility and the lowest learning curve of all the mentioned platforms.

Overall, challenging Microsoft’s dominance among gamers might be impossible, even with the efforts that companies are now putting into improving Linux support for major AAA titles. Companies like Valve have been building translation layers for major Windows API calls to enable Windows-exclusive games to run on hardware like the Steam Deck using Proton and Wine. However, the entry barrier in the Linux ecosystem can be more technically demanding for users who just want to play games and have no software installation experience beyond the standard Windows GUI launchers and installation menus.