https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/11/linux-gamers-on-steam-finally-cross-over-the-3-mark/ This website makes use of cookies to enhance your browsing experience and provide additional functionality -> More info Deny Cookies - Allow Cookies * Login * Register * Anti-Cheat * Mailing List * Steam Tracker * Support Us * Tips & Guides * Steam Play * Search Articles * Contact Us * Bluesky * Discord * Search * Theme: [ ] * GamingOnLinux * GamingOnLinux * Sections + Anti-Cheat + Mailing List + Steam Tracker + Support Us + Tips & Guides + Steam Play + Search Articles + Crowdfunded Games * Contact Us + Email Us + Meet The Team * Bluesky * Discord search articles [ ] Go [SUBMIT] Login * Login * * Register * * Theme: [ ] * [ ] [SUBMIT] Patreon Logo Support us on Patreon to keep GamingOnLinux alive. This ensures all of our main content remains free for everyone. Just good, fresh content! Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal Logo PayPal. You can also buy games using our partner links for GOG and Humble Store. [INS::INS] We use affiliate links to earn us some pennies. Learn more. Linux gamers on Steam finally cross over the 3% mark By Liam Dawe - 2 Nov 2025 at 1:03 pm UTC 19 comments Last updated: 2 Nov 2025 at 1:04 pm UTC It finally happened. Linux gamers on Steam as of the Steam Hardware & Software Survey 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. As of the October 2025 survey the operating system details: * Windows 94.84% -0.75% * Linux 3.05% +0.41% * macOS 2.11% +0.34% The snapshot chart from our dedicated Steam Tracker page shows the clear trend: [1139496631] 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. Sadly, Valve have not given out a more recent monthly active user number but it's likely a few million higher, especially with the Steam Deck selling millions. And if we look at the distribution breakdown chart from our page: [2144552950] The overall distribution numbers for October 2025: * SteamOS Holo 64 bit - 27.18% (-0.47%) * Arch Linux 64 bit - 10.32% (-0.66%) * Linux Mint 22.2 64 bit - 6.65% (+6.65%) * CachyOS 64 bit - 6.01% (+1.32%) * Ubuntu Core 22 64 bit - 4.55% (+0.55%) * Freedesktop SDK 25.08 (Flatpak runtime) 64 bit - 4.29% (+4.29%) * Bazzite 64 bit - 4.24% (+4.24%) * Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS 64 bit - 3.70% (+3.70%) * Linux Mint 22.1 64 bit - 2.56% (-5.65%) * EndeavourOS Linux 64 bit - 2.32% (-0.08%) * Freedesktop SDK 24.08 (Flatpak runtime) 64 bit - 2.31% (-3.98%) * Fedora Linux 42 (KDE Plasma Desktop Edition) 64 bit - 2.12% (+0.19%) * Manjaro Linux 64 bit - 2.04% (-0.31%) * Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS 64 bit - 1.93% (-0.04%) * Fedora Linux 42 (Workstation Edition) 64 bit - 1.75% (-0.43%) * Other - 18.04% (-4.28%) The numbers are still being massively pumped up by the Steam Deck with SteamOS Linux, which is not surprising considering that the Steam Deck is still in the top 10 of the global top sellers on Steam constantly. And with all the rumours and leaks surrounding the upcoming Steam Frame, which will hopefully be a SteamOS Linux powered VR kit, we could see the numbers just continue to jump higher. Source: Valve Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com. Tags: Steam Deck, Misc, Steam, SteamOS, Valve 24 Likes Share Bluesky Mastodon Reddit Facebook Telegram About the author - Liam Dawe author picture I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly checked on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. See more from me Some you may have missed, popular articles from the last month: [1189875021id27798gol] KDE's 29th anniversary is here and they need your funding [1529337420id27768gol] Blue Protocol: Star Resonance is out now and does work on Linux [1033243491id27887gol] Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection gets Steam Deck Verified ahead of release [1483852794id27867gol] From former Telltale Games veterans, Dispatch is out and Steam Deck Verified [INS::INS] Comments icon You can also find comments for this article on social media: Mastodon Bluesky All posts need to follow our rules. Please hit the Report Flag icon on any post that breaks the rules or contains illegal / harmful content. Readers can also email us for any issues or concerns. 19 comments Subscribe [Arch]pb 10 hours ago * Flag * Link User Avatar To the Moon! 7 Likes, Who? [Arch]lucinos 10 hours ago * Flag * Link I guess Debian is pushed in to "other" category because Debian 13 is new and the userbase is now split between Debian 12 and Debian 13. Also please split the linear approximation in pieces (Steam Deck release is a good mark) Last edited by lucinos on 2 Nov 2025 at 1:18 pm UTC 2 Likes, Who? [Fedora]PaldinoX 9 hours ago * Flag * Link View PC info Interesting that MacOS usage went up as well, been a while since that's happened. 3 Likes, Who? [Kubuntu]CatKiller 9 hours ago * Flag * Link * Supporter Plus View PC info Interesting that MacOS usage went up as well, been a while since that's happened. It's been trending back up since around the start of the year. https://i.ibb.co/tT3g0WT7/Combined.png [External Link] It's a smidge behind non-Deck Linux. A bigger non-Windows share (above 5% for the first time since 2013) is a good thing for encouraging multi-platform development and support, although Apple makes it harder than it needs to be with their refusal of Vulkan, and harder than it used to be when OpenGL would work on Windows, Linux and Mac. 5 Likes, Who? [Bazzite]_Mars 8 hours ago * Flag * Link I'm glad that the Steam Deck only makes up a fraction of the userbase. Once marketshare is high enough for more multiplayer games, it makes limiting support just to the Steam Deck hardware much less viable. That is definitely a risk as seen with games like Delta Force. But if the trend continues, they'll have to support a wide range of hardware and distros. Let's keep climbing. 4 Likes, Who? [Debian]Shmerl 8 hours ago * Flag * Link I'm surprised in general that Linux Mint is ahead of Debian (testing / unstable). 1 Likes, Who? [Debian]GustyGhost 7 hours ago * Flag * Link Literally what I rejoined Steam for. Glad I could be part of the big 3.00% percent push. 3 Likes, Who? [Ubuntu]Kimyrielle 7 hours ago * Flag * Link User Avatar I'm surprised in general that Linux Mint is ahead of Debian (testing / unstable) Mint user here. I think that's because for gaming, Mint is a great compromise. Debian's ultimate focus is stability, which makes it a fantastic choice for servers, but in gaming, you often want components that aren't quite that old. It still doesn't randomly break your stuff, unlike rolling release distros. 1 Likes, Who? rustynail 6 hours ago * Flag * Link I'm surprised in general that Linux Mint is ahead of Debian (testing / unstable) I would be surprised if something that is explicitly unstable was significantly popular. Iirc every more or less official Debian related place tells you not to use those unless you really know what you're doing in a way that makes Arch or Fedora much more appealing if you want fresh packages 1 Likes, Who? [Pop]Highball 6 hours ago * Flag * Link User Avatar View PC info Valve needs to drop the GabeCube2. If you could buy the GC2 in the brick and mortar stores, especially now with the Windows debacle going on currently. It's a good time for Valve to grab some easy market share. 1 Likes, Who? [Debian]Shmerl 6 hours ago * Flag * Link Mint user here. I think that's because for gaming, Mint is a great compromise. Debian's ultimate focus is stability, which makes it a fantastic choice for servers, but in gaming, you often want components that aren't quite that old. It still doesn't randomly break your stuff, unlike rolling release distros That's why I said Debian testing / unstable, not Debian stable. Such kind of approach (whether in Mint or Debian stable itself) can cause problems too unless people understand its limitations. I periodically see a bunch of people complaining that their hardware doesn't work, which ends up being them using Mint which doesn't ship recent kernel and Mesa. Rolling flavors of Debian are a better fit in my opinion. Also, I think KDE is a better fit for modern gaming features, due to Cinnamon being way slower in supporting Wayland. Having focus on its own DE and not keeping up with the times is a downside for Mint. Even Ubuntu stopped its own DE efforts for that reason. irc every more or less official Debian related place tells you not to use those unless you really know what you're doing You should know what you are doing no matter what you are using. That's my experience. I'd say Debian testing/unstable isn't any worse than a bunch of other rolling distros, like Arch or what not. If anything, it's more stable than Arch. Those who say not to use it are doing a disservice. Last edited by Shmerl on 2 Nov 2025 at 5:05 pm UTC 0 Likes [Ubuntu]Kimyrielle 6 hours ago * Flag * Link User Avatar That's why I said Debian testing / unstable, not Debian stable. My bad! :) Mint which doesn't ship recent kernel The version numbers might seem dated, by mind that Ubuntu based distros maintain these kernels for a longer time and backport newer features. Also, I think KDE is a better fit for modern gaming features I love KDE Plasma, really. Only reason why I didn't switch is because Cinnamon is "good enough" for the time being, and my requirements of DE features aren't all that high. Wayland is not required in any shape or fashion for gaming as of today. I'd notice if it were (still not using it). ;) it's more stable than Arch Anything is. ;) 0 Likes AnonymousBroccoli 5 hours ago * Flag * Link User Avatar https://files.catbox.moe/nogivi.png [External Link] 2 Likes, Who? [SteamOS]Linux_Rocks 5 hours ago * Flag * Link User Avatar 3 Likes, Who? d3Xt3r 2 hours ago * Flag * Link I'm surprised CachyOS and even Arch(?!) actually scores higher than Bazzite! You'd think that Bazzite being more user-friendly would score higher... seems like Linux gamers are more tech-savvy than I thought! 0 Likes [Debian]Shmerl 2 hours ago * Flag * Link From what I gathered Bazzite is a very specific distro, it's not general purpose. So I'm not surprised it's more niche than general purpose Arch. Not everyone uses computers only for gaming, I'd imagine majority actually uses them for everything, and gaming is just one use case among many. Last edited by Shmerl on 2 Nov 2025 at 8:40 pm UTC 1 Likes, Who? [Mint]tuubi 2 hours ago * Flag * Link User Avatar * Supporter Plus View PC info I periodically see a bunch of people complaining that their hardware doesn't work, which ends up being them using Mint which doesn't ship recent kernel and Mesa. This can happen if you've got very recent hardware. You don't get anything newer than Ubuntu's HWE kernels via the kernel manager UI, and Mesa is whatever Ubuntu LTS ships. My own solution is to install latest Mesa from Kisak's PPA and the kernel from Xanmod. Only takes a couple of minutes to set these up, but it's not something I'd expect a complete Linux newbie to do, obviously. 0 Likes [Debian]Shmerl 1 hour ago * Flag * Link this can happen if you've got very recent hardware. Or simply recent enough, say latest generation of AMD GPUs that have minimum requirements that distros like Mint often don't supply by default. My point is that I find it a bit counter productive to recommend such distros for newcomers from Windows, since it results in them having problems. On the other side of it, the trade off of rolling distros is the need to learn more stuff, but I think such trade off is worth it and that's not time wasted. Last edited by Shmerl on 2 Nov 2025 at 9:38 pm UTC 0 Likes PokestarFan 1 hour ago * Flag * Link User Avatar * New User Not surprised, I'm seeing a lot of people switching to Linux from Windows (or at least dual booting). 0 Likes While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on: Reward Tiers: Patreon Logo Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal Logo PayPal. This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue! You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you! Login / Register [ ] [ ] [ ] Stay logged in. Note: Checking this box requires a cookie. It is not required. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Login --------------------------------------------------------------------- Register Forgot Login? 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