The Steam Hardware & Software Survey for September 2023 is out now and shows that both macOS and Linux have dipped down, although Linux still remains above macOS. With this being the second month a row where the overall Linux share dipped, and September had Linux dip more than macOS even though Linux remains higher overall.
Latest stats are:
- Windows 96.94% +0.33%
- Linux 1.63% -0.19%
- macOS 1.43% -0.14%
As shown on our dedicated Steam Tracker:
One of the potential reasons here is that Simplified Chinese as a language on Steam has risen two months in a row as well with September 2023 showing it now at 32.22% +5.36%. We often see Linux dip when there's bigger rises in Simplified Chinese.
The current most popular Linux distros on Steam are:
- SteamOS Holo 64 bit 43.04% -1.14%
- Arch Linux 64 bit 8.09% +0.41%
- Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS 64 bit 6.49% +3.58%
- Manjaro Linux 64 bit 3.91% -0.08%
- Linux Mint 21.2 64 bit 3.67% +0.26%
- Other 34.79% +10.01%
Some you may have missed, popular articles from the last month:
10 comments
Fester_Mudd Oct 2, 2023
In any case, Linux has come such a long way now that gaming is a true choice in the ecosystem. These little dips up or down don't mean much.
macOS is going away as a gaming platform, that's sure. Let's see what happens when Chrome OS (also Linux btw!) gets Steam without flags and out of beta (so usable as default in select Chromebooks which you buy from shelves in store).
Steam Deck keeps going strong
macOS is going away as a gaming platform, that's sure. Let's see what happens when Chrome OS (also Linux btw!) gets Steam without flags and out of beta (so usable as default in select Chromebooks which you buy from shelves in store).
Steam Deck keeps going strong
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The big jump was never going to last. Just a statistical anomaly and it's reverting to the realistic trend line. To visualise the real effect of the Steam Deck, the trend line could be split to show the trend before and after the release of the Steam Deck.
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benstor214 Oct 2, 2023
I don't comprehend why the fluctuations tend to grow stronger recently.
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Quoting: benstor214I don't comprehend why the fluctuations tend to grow stronger recently.. . . And since Valve won't tell anything about the methodology of the survey, I expect we'll keep on not comprehending.
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To smooth out these fluctuations, Valve needs to start selling Steam Decks in China! 
3 Likes, Who?
Quoting: Fester_MuddIn any case, Linux has come such a long way now that gaming is a true choice in the ecosystem. These little dips up or down don't mean much.
macOS is going away as a gaming platform, that's sure. Let's see what happens when Chrome OS (also Linux btw!) gets Steam without flags and out of beta (so usable as default in select Chromebooks which you buy from shelves in store).
Steam Deck keeps going strong
Yeah yeah 😁
Interesting that Mac is getting more and more AAA ports than ever. There is only one catch: you will not find them on Steam but on the Mac App Store as exclusives.
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Quoting: pytrysInteresting that Mac is getting more and more AAA ports than ever.Interesting if true, yes. Kind of cuts against most of what I've heard about Mac lately though. Source?
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Quoting: Purple Library GuyTo smooth out these fluctuations, Valve needs to start selling Steam Decks in China!Would it be more effective to sell Steam Decks in Australia? Only half joking, I wouldn't know how to do the maths; my gut feeling before morning coffee is you'd need to sell way more SDs in China to balance out fluctuations from China, while needing only a comparatively small number to off-balance the rest of the world via Australia :)
Also, I'm acutely aware of explosive population growth and China's decision to revert the one-child policy, but whiskey tango actual foxtrot... that can't be the reason for such massive fluctuations? ;)
Last edited by Valck on 3 October 2023 at 7:52 am UTC
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Quoting: Gueststatistic fluctuations happen, the overall trend is what matters. and to me, the growing plot looks not linear, but accelerating, like the beginning of parabola
Pretty much double linear. Did a quick estimate and pre-Steam deck growth is about 0.0065% per month, but after the Steam Deck release it is 0.033% per month. A pretty impressive change.
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So we are getting more points to start to see a better trend.
We know this has to be sigmoid in nature and so best fitting on that produces the profile below ... it will be interesting over the next 6 months to see if this follows this because if it does then we are entering into the expansion stage of adoptions. If it comes down and it is then reverts to linear we are still in the early adoption
We know this has to be sigmoid in nature and so best fitting on that produces the profile below ... it will be interesting over the next 6 months to see if this follows this because if it does then we are entering into the expansion stage of adoptions. If it comes down and it is then reverts to linear we are still in the early adoption
4 Likes, Who?
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