Linux Gamers on Steam Finally Cross Over the 3% Mark (gamingonlinux.com)
- Reference: 0179946354
- News link: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/25/11/03/048228/linux-gamers-on-steam-finally-cross-over-the-3-mark
- Source link: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/11/linux-gamers-on-steam-finally-cross-over-the-3-mark/
> Linux gamers on Steam as of the Steam Hardware & Software Survey [2]for October 2025 have crossed over the elusive 3% mark. The trend has been clear for sometime, and with Windows 10 ending support, it was quite likely this was going to be the time for it to happen as more people try out Linux...
>
> Overall, 3% might not seem like much to some, but again — that trend is very clear and equates to millions of people. The last time Valve officially gave a proper monthly active user count was in 2022, and we know Steam has grown a lot since then, but even going by that original number would put monthly active Linux users at well over 4 million.
[3]Additional details from Phoronix :
> The only time Steam on Linux use was close to the 3% mark was when Steam on Linux initially debuted a decade ago and at that time the overall Steam user-base was much smaller than it is today. Long story short, thanks to the ongoing success of Valve's Steam Deck and other handhelds plus Steam Play (Proton) working out so well, these October numbers are the best yet... a hearty 0.41% increase to Linux... landing its overall marketshare at 3.05%. Windows meanwhile was at 94.84% (falling below 95% for the first time in a while) and macOS at 2.11%. For comparison, in October 2024 [4]Steam on Linux was at 2.00% .
>
> The Linux-specific data shows SteamOS commanding around 27% of all the Linux installs at large. SteamOS most notably being on the Steam Deck hardware.
[1] https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/11/linux-gamers-on-steam-finally-cross-over-the-3-mark/
[2] https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/?platform=combined
[3] https://www.phoronix.com/news/Steam-Linux-Above-3P-Oct-2025
[4] https://www.phoronix.com/news/Steam-October-2024-Numbers
Lots of games work (Score:3)
[1]Lots of games work [genkithings.com]. Here's the summary:
Pick SteamOS if:
* You play mostly on Steam
* You want better battery and fewer headaches
* You like quick suspend/resume and controller-friendly menus
* You don’t need online shooters like Valorant or Fortnite
Pick Windows if:
* You want full compatibility with all games and services
* You need Game Pass, Epic Store, or Riot Games
* You don’t mind tinkering with settings, drivers, and updates
* You’re using your handheld for work or media too
[1] https://www.genkithings.com/ja-jp/blogs/news/steamos-on-windows-handhelds
Re:Lots of games work (Score:4, Insightful)
Funny how some of the points were the (claimed) opposite for using Windows or Linux on PC years ago.
Re: (Score:2)
if your PC meets the Windows 11 Hardware Spec.
Re: (Score:2)
I bet most of it comes down to if you own a Steam Deck or not.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm not sure "full compatibility with all games and services" applies to windows either, there are all kinds of problems especially with older games.
All right! (Score:2)
It's finally the Year of the Linux Steamtop!
In the long-term (Score:3)
Linux will be a better gaming system than MS_Windows now since Win_11 is so enshitified, while Linux allows for custom builds that means Steam can take advantage of the nature of FOSS
Re: (Score:2)
For a big shift to happen, Linux needs to reach critical mass where developers start supporting it for major titles and online play.
Everything runs (Score:4, Interesting)
I recently installed Steam to my Linux machine. I literally can't find a game that doesn't work on Linux. I assume they exist, but I guess I don't play those sorts of games.
Re: (Score:3)
I hear the biggest issues are multiplayer games incorporating certain types of anti-cheat ... which are also the sort of games I don't play or care about.
Everything I've tried works perfectly well - and I was very surprised that a game as complex as Elite Dangerous works flawlessly.
Re:Everything runs (Score:4, Insightful)
Some older games still don't work well due to nobody putting a lot of effort in porting all the APIs and frameworks from the DirectX 9 era.
I can't run, for example, Syberia 1&2 and Myst 4&5 have issues too.
But yes, they're becoming the exception, not the rule.
Re: (Score:2)
Older games often don't work on current versions of windows either.
Re: (Score:1)
There are quite a bit that don't run, unfortunately.
When I bought Hogwarts Legacy it was marked in Steam that it runs on Linux, which was the only reason I bought it, but a dozen updates later it is impossible to get to run, and it is now marked windows only in the shop :-(
Don't get me wrong, Steam is doing a great job, but some game studios are just plain retarded or get money from Microsoft under the table...
-H
Re: (Score:2)
What?
SteamOS plays the actual games. It's not streaming from another source.
Re:BS claim (Score:4, Informative)
You don't know what you're talking about. The games are rendered locally.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Wrong. They games are streamed from an internal Windows machine on a hidden PC chip.
The elusive 3% mark? (Score:2)
Next year there will be a story they cross the elusive 4% mark.
Anyhow, the main driver for Linux gaming is obviously Steam Deck and Valve's efforts to make it as painless as possible for developers & gamers to run on it. As a side effect Steam also runs on desktop Linux and existing Linux users enjoy some gaming support.
I doubt many people using Windows 10 for gaming would see the attraction of switching to Linux when it would be easier to stay put, or switch to Windows 11 and continue to play every
Re: (Score:2)
Many users would need to buy new hardware in order to run windows 11, and 11 breaks compatibility with some things that worked in 10.
Also newer games will probably not be compatible with 10 in the future.
SteamOS will run on their current hardware, and continue to do so in the future. Compatibility with existing games varies and could go either way, compatibility in the future is likely to be better as new games drop support for 10 and proton is under active development.
Cue the hate... (Score:1)
... from a bunch of insecure Windows users that this for some reason scares the piss out of.
Re: (Score:2)
It a windows user, but why would they give a fuck?
Article is right, 3% doesn't seem like much. After all this time?
Re:Cue the hate... (Score:5, Informative)
As a game developer: Even a few percent are, as the article points out, millions of users. Us indie devs cannot compete with AAA studios in marketing. It's not that the playing field isn't level, it's not even the same playing field.
But in a niche, you have a good chance to be noticed and word of mouth spreading. And that means grabbing as much of the niche as you possibly can.
And it matters to you Windos users as well, because it means games are developed without being tied to a specific OS or driver feature. Which means your new game will run even if you're not running it on the latest hardware.
And finally, it matters because Linux gamers are more useful to a game developer. Maybe 3% of the Steam users run Linux, but for my last game, at least 30% of the useful bug reports came from Linux users.