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PayPalThe Linux user share on Steam has been slowly but steadily trending upwards, with May 2025 showing the highest point in years. At least since 2018, this is the highest it has ever been in a long time. When you take into account how Steam is always growing, it's showing that the amount of Linux users on Steam continues to grow nicely too.
Overall user share for May 2025:
- Windows 95.45% -0.65%
- Linux 2.69% +0.42%
- macOS 1.85% +0.23%
See more on our interactive Steam Tracker page.
Even with SteamOS 3 now being a little more widely available, the rise was not from SteamOS directly. Filtering to just the Linux numbers gives us these most popular distributions:
- SteamOS Holo 64 bit 30.95% -2.83%
- Arch Linux 64 bit 10.09% +0.64%
- Linux Mint 22.1 64 bit 7.76% +1.56%
- Freedesktop SDK 24.08 (Flatpak runtime) 64 bit 7.42% +1.01%
- Ubuntu Core 22 64 bit 4.63% +0.01%
- Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS 64 bit 4.30% -0.14%
- CachyOS 64 bit 2.54% +2.54%
- EndeavourOS Linux 64 bit 2.44% -0.02%
- Manjaro Linux 64 bit 2.43% -0.18%
- Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS 64 bit 2.17% -0.06%
- Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm) 64 bit 1.99% -0.28%
- Other 23.27% -2.27%
One likely reason is how Simplified Chinese as a language option on Steam went down for May 2025, which does usually bring the Linux numbers up too. Linux with Steam in that region just isn't particularly popular.
Source: Valve
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
About the author - Liam Dawe
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. You can also follow my personal adventures on Bluesky.
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hardpenguin a day ago
Hooray! We need to go higher than that though for large publishers to stop ignoring us and locking us out of multiplayer.
5 Likes
mr-victory a day ago
What is the all time high of Linux share?
2 Likes
Eike a day ago
What is the all time high of Linux share?
I think this one is it.
2 Likes
elmapul a day ago
its to eary to see the effects of piewdiepie promoting linux?
1 Likes
Eike a day ago
its to eary to see the effects of piewdiepie promoting linux?
I'd be surprised if that had huge effects. I see it more as one puzzle piece among many.
3 Likes
Pyretic a day ago
It might take a while before we can see the real aftereffects of SteamOS 3's public release for handhelds, since it literally just released.
3 Likes
pb a day ago
3% incoming 
9 Likes
So if I not-quite-arbitrarily divide that graph into before Steam Deck and after Steam Deck, from Sep-2018 to Mar 2022 (when Steam Deck came out) we have growth of 0.24%. From Mar 2022 to Mar 2025, a slightly shorter time, we have growth of 1.67%.
I'd say growth has accelerated.
I'd say growth has accelerated.
7 Likes
mi1stormilst a day ago
I have been doing my bit to push the idea of Linux on the desktop for about two years now. Ten years ago, I would never have expected my wife to use it. We have five PCs in the house, and only one of them is running Windows full-time. My belief is that most people just need Linux, a browser and a printer for surfing, shopping, banking and youtubing.
3 Likes
benstor214 a day ago
@mi1stormilst: I have a very similar (opinionated) belief. Although it clashes on a regular basis with the reality that seemingly everyone has this one special-need software that only runs on Windows. Sometimes I really do wonder where people go dig up this obscure stuff...
@Purple Library Guy: Impressive! Although I am also interested in a comparison Sep 2018 - Mar 2022, Mar 2022 - release of OLED model, release of OLED model - now. Could you do this, please?
I know I come off as a lazy bum who is trying to load off the thinking stuff on other people, but I sincerely lack the brain juice at the moment.thanksbye
edit: added pls
Last edited by benstor214 on 2 Jun 2025 at 6:46 pm UTC
@Purple Library Guy: Impressive! Although I am also interested in a comparison Sep 2018 - Mar 2022, Mar 2022 - release of OLED model, release of OLED model - now. Could you do this, please?
I know I come off as a lazy bum who is trying to load off the thinking stuff on other people, but I sincerely lack the brain juice at the moment.thanksbye
edit: added pls
Last edited by benstor214 on 2 Jun 2025 at 6:46 pm UTC
0 Likes
mi1stormilst a day ago
@benstor214: You are not wrong, there are some people who are dead set on continuing to use some silly free or $59.00 program to make family movies or something. I push a little harder and suggest that they do that on their iPad or their phone instead. When I can eventually convince my own son and brother to make the move to Linux, the possibilities for Linux will be real 
1 Likes
pb a day ago
> When I can eventually convince my own son and brother to make the move to Linux, the possibilities for Linux will be real
My son was a "forced" Linux user for years, always planning/threatening to buy his own copy of Windows to spite me, until eventually he got a Windows laptop for work... He is now a sworn Linux supporter, lol.
My son was a "forced" Linux user for years, always planning/threatening to buy his own copy of Windows to spite me, until eventually he got a Windows laptop for work... He is now a sworn Linux supporter, lol.
6 Likes
Chrisznix 21 hours ago
These numbers always remind me that more than 19 people out of twenty still have the calm to put up with that other systems. I have to cope with this software at work, and every bit of it makes me unconfortable. I just recently bought a pre-owned steam deck for tinkering, and all the sheer amount of useful thought that is visible on almost every aspect of the UI is enough to make me happy and just use the device with a smile, despite me being myopic and a diehard mouse and keyboard guy.
2 Likes
Eike 20 hours ago
My son was a "forced" Linux user for years, always planning/threatening to buy his own copy of Windows to spite me, until eventually he got a Windows laptop for work... He is now a sworn Linux supporter, lol.
Could you refrain from saying the never getting old "I told you, son."?
2 Likes
@benstor214 Hrm, let's see. So, from Feb 2022 (introduction of the Steam Deck) to Nov 2023, which I make 21 months, we've got 0.89%. From Nov 2023 to Apr 2025, 17 months, we've got 0.78%. On a per-month basis, the second period is very slightly faster but I wouldn't want to make much of it--the increase is slight and the data is noisy.
Still, we're looking at about half a percent per year. Which doesn't sound like much, but at that rate in about 4-5 more years we're hitting 5%. And if more devices start coming out with SteamOS on them, we could see a further acceleration. These are not, by historical standards, bad times to be into Linux.
Still, we're looking at about half a percent per year. Which doesn't sound like much, but at that rate in about 4-5 more years we're hitting 5%. And if more devices start coming out with SteamOS on them, we could see a further acceleration. These are not, by historical standards, bad times to be into Linux.
0 Likes
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