Steam survey shows Windows 11 gains, Linux growth pauses

Summary

Steam's December 2025 survey reveals Windows 11's growth among Steam users, while Linux's growth has paused. Windows 11 now accounts for 70.83% of Steam users, driven by migration from Windows 10 and new users from devices like the Xbox Ally.

Key Takeaways

1. Windows 11 recorded a sizeable jump, rising by 5.24% overall.
2. Linux saw a very slight decline overall, slipping from 3.20% to 3.19%.
3. Meta’s Quest 3 increased its user share by 24.42%, making it the most popular VR headset and placing it 2% ahead of the Quest 2.

Statement Breakdown

• Claimed Facts: 80% of statements the article presents as facts
• Opinions: 10% of statements classified as editorial or subjective
• Claims: 10% of statements surfaced for additional reader evaluation

Credibility & Bias Reasoning

Credibility assessment: The article presents data from Steam's user surveys, a reliable source for gaming hardware and software trends. The data is presented without sensationalism, focusing on observed changes. While the author offers some potential explanations for the trends, they are framed as possibilities rather than definitive conclusions.

Bias assessment: Technological Trend Reporting. The article focuses on reporting trends in PC gaming hardware and software, specifically operating system usage and hardware configurations. The author's interest seems to be in presenting the data and offering possible explanations for the observed shifts, rather than advocating for a particular platform or product. The bias is towards reporting on technological trends.

Note: This article presents data from Steam's user surveys. Interpretations are possibilities, not definitive conclusions.

Credibility flag: Data-Driven

Claimed Facts (8)

• States the availability of the survey data.
• Presents the specific percentage decrease in Linux usage.
• Provides the exact percentage increase for Windows 11.
• States the current market share of Windows 11 on Steam.
• Provides the percentage decrease and current market share of Windows 10.
• States the overall decline in Linux usage.
• Presents the percentage changes in RAM configurations.
• Identifies the most popular GPU on the platform.

Opinions (2)

• Offers a possible explanation for Windows 11's growth, but acknowledges other potential factors.
• Interprets the data to suggest a trend of Windows 11 dominating growth.

Claims (4)

• The term "notable amount of momentum" is vague and subjective without further quantification.
• The word "feel" is subjective and doesn't provide concrete evidence.
• This is a call for anecdotal evidence, which is not reliable data.
• This question encourages subjective self-assessment rather than objective analysis.

Key Sources

• Adam Hales — Author
• Steam — Gaming Platform