Linux Usage Fell on Steam in September 2026
The platform's latest monthly survey shows Windows regaining market share while Linux usage saw a notable decline.
Updated on Oct. 2, 2026 in Computers
Data from the September 2026 Steam Hardware and Software Survey reveals that Linux usage on the platform dropped to 3.05%. This marks a 0.85 percentage point decrease, coinciding with an increase in Windows market share.
Why it matters
These fluctuations in operating system share track the evolving composition of the Steam user base and platform compatibility. Monitoring these trends provides insight into the adoption rates of gaming environments across different desktop platforms.
Windows captured 95.03% of the Steam user base in September, rising 1.08 percentage points, while macOS fell to 1.92%, a 0.22 percentage point decline. These figures highlight the dominant baseline against which alternative operating systems compete for gaming market share.
The players
Valve
The operator of Steam, a dominant global digital distribution platform for PC gaming that manages hardware and software telemetry.
The details
Valve tracks platform usage by aggregating anonymized hardware and software profiles submitted by users who opt into the monthly Steam Hardware and Software Survey. This telemetry identifies the primary operating system used to access the Steam client, providing a distribution of OS usage across the global gaming population. The data offers a snapshot of how gaming hardware and software environments change over time, though it does not detail individual user motivations for switching platforms.
Timeline
September 2026 marked the period for the latest Steam Hardware and Software Survey data collection.
The Tech Race
The Steam Hardware and Software Survey serves as a primary benchmark for assessing the reach of gaming ecosystems beyond the Windows standard. Tracking these monthly shifts reveals the fluctuating competitiveness of Linux and macOS in an environment where Windows maintains long-standing dominance.
The survey data primarily impacts developers who must prioritize resource allocation for platform-specific gaming optimization. Users may see these shifts reflected in the long-term support roadmaps that game publishers use to decide which operating systems receive priority development effort.
The takeaway
The latest survey highlights that while Linux remains a core focus for specialized gaming setups, it currently holds only a small fraction of the total Steam user base. Observers should track the next monthly survey release to determine if this 0.85 percentage point decline represents a sustained shift or a temporary fluctuation.
Further reading
For broader trends in gaming hardware performance, visit Computers.
Source note: This article includes information reported by GamingOnLinux.
