Don't want to see articles from a certain category? When logged in, go to your User Settings and adjust your feed in the Content Preferences section where you can block tags!
We do often include affiliate links to earn us some pennies. See more here.

Linux continues to remain above 1% on the Steam Hardware Survey

By - | Views: 40,702

We don't usually comment directly on the Steam Hardware Survey every month, not unless it's something real interesting and this is the second month where it is because we're still officially above 1%! It was actually quite big news last month because it's the highest we've seen in many years.

The trend appears to be continuing, with the August numbers up from Valve which show Linux now at 1.02%. You can see a bit of history over on our dedicated Steam Tracker.

Using the latest months recorded share that's an estimated 1,228,080 "monthly active" Linux users on Steam, based on the last data Valve gave from January 2021. Going by the data that Steam provide we can see a breakdown of the most popular Linux distributions (when filtered to just Linux) on Steam right now as these:

  • Ubuntu 20.04.2 LTS 64 bit - 15.77%
  • Manjaro Linux 64 bit - 12.72%
  • Arch Linux 64 bit - 11.14%
  • Pop!_OS 21.04 64 bit - 7.36%
  • Ubuntu 21.04 64 bit - 6.60%
  • Linux Mint 20.2 64 bit 5.50%

You can also see that Steam Flatpak shows up being used by 5.58% of Linux/Steam users.

Want to see what systems our readers are running? Check out our statistics page.

We expect the hype around the Steam Deck and Proton getting some bigger mentions from Valve has helped. Since the Steam Deck is a Linux machine with SteamOS 3 being based on Arch Linux, it's not overly surprising to see a bump in people trying Linux out before the release.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
41 Likes
About the author -
author picture
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check 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. Find me on Mastodon.
See more from me
The comments on this article are closed.
35 comments
Page: 1/4»
  Go to:

Eike Sep 2, 2021
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
And that's despite Windows country had a rise...

QuoteEnglish
33.56%
-4.40%

Simplified Chinese
30.12%
+7.21%
FauconNoir Sep 2, 2021
You should use a Javascript library like Highcharts to have an interactive chart, it is cooler !
Liam Dawe Sep 2, 2021
Quoting: FauconNoirYou should use a Javascript library like Highcharts to have an interactive chart, it is cooler !
We already do, on the dedicated page which is linked in the article but we're not going to stick JavaScript required stuff into an article content for something like that.
nenoro Sep 2, 2021
and 0.001% Gentoo
Probably the only one who uses gentoo and plays games on it...

I just hope Valve switches for gentoo for steam OS hue hue hue
thoughtfulhippo Sep 2, 2021
Actually had the survey pop-up for the first time on my daughter's account last night. That's only the third time I recall getting asked across 4 accounts and 7 years.

The survey is such a mystery!
Eike Sep 2, 2021
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
Quoting: thoughtfulhippoActually had the survey pop-up for the first time on my daughter's account last night. That's only the third time I recall getting asked across 4 accounts and 7 years.

The survey is such a mystery!

That's ok in my book. How often are you asked which party you'd be voting for...?
(It seems the result is always taken on the first of a month, that's also the only time I had it.)
Mal Sep 2, 2021
  • Supporter
What is the adoption in the USA alone?

I know all good businessmen will actually focus more on chinese numbers before rest of the world because there is where big money is made today (well, unless Winnie is able to kill his country VG market with the new restrictions), but USA is meaningful for trend setting and it can give a hint on what to expect in the years to come.
Eike Sep 2, 2021
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
Quoting: MalWhat is the adoption in the USA alone?

Nobody knows, but Liam's tracker has got the English only graph for a guess (nice increase lately!):



Liam, I'm still not sure how you're calculating it, despite reading the description. Which numbers do you use?


Last edited by Eike on 2 September 2021 at 9:33 am UTC
gradyvuckovic Sep 2, 2021
Oh nice! That's awesome!
Considering 1% is well above 'trend', to be staying above that mark is really awesome!

1.02% of 120 million monthly active gamers.
That's 1,224,000 penguins. Hardly "no one".

And the number is highly likely to rise even higher once the Steam Deck starts shipping.
I really think 2% is within reach next year at this rate.
Liam Dawe Sep 2, 2021
Quoting: EikeLiam, I'm still not sure how you're calculating it, despite reading the description. Which numbers do you use?
It's based on an older comment. I'm still not 100% sure if that's actually correct or not, maths is a real weak point of mine - the code is on GitLab if anyone wanted to verify and fix if it's wrong.


Last edited by Liam Dawe on 2 September 2021 at 9:49 am UTC
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: 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!
The comments on this article are closed.