Linux recorded a significant increase in Steam usage during October 2026, gaining approximately 0.9 percentage points as Windows experienced a decline in Valve's latest hardware survey.
The October results also revealed changes in operating system preferences, system memory configurations and graphics card memory capacity.
SteamOS emerged as one of the strongest contributors to Linux's growth, while Windows 10 continued losing ground to Windows 11.
However, Steam's monthly hardware survey has shown considerable fluctuations before, making it difficult to determine whether these changes represent lasting trends.
Linux Gains 0.9 Percentage Points as Windows Declines
According to the October survey, Windows lost approximately 1.3 percentage points compared with September.
Windows 10 experienced a particularly sharp decline of 2.5 percentage points, although Windows 11 recorded an increase during the same period.
Linux gained around 0.9 percentage points, with several popular distributions reporting higher representation.
SteamOS, the operating system powering Valve's Steam Deck, recorded one of the most notable improvements.
Meanwhile, macOS also gained share, supported by the introduction of macOS 27.
| Category | October 2026 change |
|---|---|
| Windows overall | Down 1.3 percentage points |
| Windows 10 | Down 2.5 percentage points |
| Windows 11 | Increased |
| Linux overall | Up 0.9 percentage points |
| SteamOS | Significant increase |
| macOS | Increased |
These figures reflect changes among surveyed Steam accounts rather than the entire global PC market.
Language Distribution May Explain the Sudden Changes
One important factor behind the October results is the changing language distribution of survey participants.
English language representation increased by approximately 4.8 percentage points, while Chinese language representation declined by around 9.4 percentage points.
This shift could influence operating system statistics because different regional groups may have different hardware and software preferences.
Similar changes have occurred in earlier surveys, sometimes reversing the following month.
Consequently, the latest Linux increase should be interpreted cautiously until subsequent results establish a consistent pattern.
16GB RAM Returns as Steam's Most Popular Configuration
The survey also showed that 16GB of system memory regained its position as the most common RAM configuration, replacing 32GB.
The change comes during a period of increasing memory prices, although the survey does not establish whether rising costs directly influenced purchasing decisions.
Graphics memory statistics also changed, with configurations containing between 4GB and 8GB gaining representation.
Meanwhile, several configurations offering more than 8GB of VRAM recorded declines.
These results suggest that mainstream hardware continues to represent a substantial portion of Steam's surveyed gaming systems.
The November survey will provide a clearer indication of whether Linux's growth and the shift toward lower memory configurations continue or reverse.
For now, October's figures highlight another month of considerable movement in Steam's hardware statistics, particularly across operating systems and memory capacities.
Discussion (0)
Be the first to comment.