Windows 11 Takes the Lead as the Most Used OS by Steam Players

Many PC users, especially gamers, have been hesitant to switch to Windows 11. However, according to Steam’s latest survey, Windows 11 has become the most used operating system among Steam players.

As of August 2024, 49.17% of users who have installed Steam are using Windows 11, followed by Windows 10 at 47.09%. When all versions are combined, almost 97% are Windows users. Including SteamOS on the Steam Deck, the percentage of Linux users is 1.92%, and macOS is only 1.3%. For a broader perspective, StatCounter reports that the percentage of Windows PC users is 71.47% in the overall desktop and laptop market.

Reaching this milestone is a significant achievement for Microsoft, especially considering it took Windows 11 nearly three years to surpass Windows 10 in Steam’s survey. In contrast, Windows 10 took less than a year to achieve the same feat. It’s been over a year since the official end-of-life date for Windows 10, and it’s likely to take longer for Windows 10 to disappear from Steam’s statistics, just like Windows 8 and Windows 7 did.

While users may have switched to Windows 10 for a more comfortable operating system, the reasons for not upgrading to Windows 11 are more complex. Microsoft is under pressure to move as many users to Windows 11 as possible, as quickly as possible. Increasing the update frequency to improve performance on newer processors could be a step in the right direction.