Linux on Steam Surpasses 3% – Record Set
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The latest hardware survey from Steam shows a important increase in Linux usage among its user base, driven largely by the popularity of the Steam Deck.
Growth of Linux on Steam
As of November 2025, Linux accounts for over 3% of all Steam users, marking a new record for the operating system on the platform. Steam’s Hardware & Software Survey, published monthly, provides these statistics based on user-submitted data.
This represents a substantial increase from approximately 2% a year prior. The most recent month-on-month increase is reported at 0.37%.
the Steam Deck Affect
The surge in Linux usage is strongly correlated with the success of the Steam Deck,Valve’s handheld gaming console. More than 27% of Linux users on Steam are utilizing steamos, a Linux distribution based on Arch Linux developed by Valve.
The Steam Deck’s accessibility has introduced many gamers to linux, demonstrating its viability as a gaming platform. This has spurred interest in installing Linux on desktop computers as well.
Historical Steam OS/Linux Usage
While Linux has always had a presence on Steam, it remained a niche operating system for gaming. Here’s a table illustrating the growth over the past few years:
| Date | Linux User Share (%) |
|---|---|
| November 2024 | 2.01% |
| May 2025 | 2.45% |
| August 2025 | 2.82% |
| november 2025 | 3.18% |
Data sourced from monthly Steam Hardware & Software Surveys.