Valve released the data for the Steam Hardware & Software Survey for July 2025, showing the Linux user share making gains towards hitting 3%.
We continue to see the slow but steady increase in the overall Linux user share on the desktop, good news for the health of the platform as more people realise just how good Linux is now.
Here's the current operating system share on Steam for July 2025:
- Windows 95.23% -0.44%
- Linux 2.89% +0.32%
- macOS 1.88% +0.12%
If you take a look at our dedicated Steam Tracker page for the charts, we can see that steady increase.
Plus the breakdown of Linux distributions that were popular across July 2025 on Steam. This is possibly the most expansive list Valve has given for the distribution breakdown yet.
- SteamOS Holo 64 bit 28.31% -2.73%
- Arch Linux 64 bit 10.82% +0.33%
- Linux Mint 22.1 64 bit 7.83% -0.07%
- Freedesktop SDK 24.08 (Flatpak runtime) 64 bit 6.54% -0.08%
- Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS 64 bit 4.44% +0.23%
- CachyOS 64 bit 4.21% +1.03%
- Ubuntu Core 22 64 bit 4.17% -0.23%
- Bazzite 42 (FROM Fedora Kinoite) 64 bit 3.20% +0.83%
- Manjaro Linux 64 bit 2.46% 0.00%
- EndeavourOS Linux 64 bit 2.33% -0.07%
- Fedora Linux 42 (Workstation Edition) 64 bit 2.21% +2.21%
- Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS 64 bit 2.14% +0.08%
- Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm) 64 bit 1.96% -0.02%
- Fedora Linux 42 (KDE Plasma Desktop Edition) 64 bit 1.79% +1.79%
- Other 17.58% -3.29%
And a snapshot again from our Steam Tracker with our combined distribution chart.
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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Tuxee a day ago
For anyone wondering, Ubuntu Core means they installed steam with snap. In theory like Flatpak it could be any distribution but I expect 100% of these are ubuntu users that don't know better. (snap is not the recommended way).
So, what would be the "recommended way"? I'm on Ubuntu and have Steam running as snap with no problems whatsoever (at least on par with my previous deb-installer-package). However it avoids all the i386 dependencies drawn in by the latter installation method.
And what's this condescending "Ubuntu users that don't know better"? I have been on a Linux desktops for 17 years now (which is actually longer than all the years spent on any Windows) - I'm pretty sure I know my way around in the Linux world.
5 Likes
scaine a day ago
I think the "official" way to install Steam is just from the Valve website. That said, Canonical had a big push to fix various snap issues with Steam a year ago:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2024/08/canonical-bring-more-steam-snap-improvements-also-hiring-more-desktop-software-engineers/
Pretty sure the snap version of Steam is better than the flatpak at this point, but if you want to avoid container issues entirely, then the website version is the way to go. You'll get any updates quickest that way too, as you don't have to wait for Canonical to update the snap after a new Steam release.
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2024/08/canonical-bring-more-steam-snap-improvements-also-hiring-more-desktop-software-engineers/
Pretty sure the snap version of Steam is better than the flatpak at this point, but if you want to avoid container issues entirely, then the website version is the way to go. You'll get any updates quickest that way too, as you don't have to wait for Canonical to update the snap after a new Steam release.
3 Likes
poiuz a day ago
You'll get any updates quickest that way too, as you don't have to wait for Canonical to update the snap after a new Steam release.You really don't know how Steam works, do you?
It makes absolutely no difference if you've installed it via the distributions package, Flatpak or snap because the package is irrelevant for Steam updates (in its core, it's still a bad Windows software).
2 Likes
Adutchman a day ago
I think I am slowly seeing a more logistical or exponential growth instead of linear growth for the first time, but it is too early to say based just on the graph. Anecdotally, it does line up though. Let's hope it is the case.
1 Likes
neolith a day ago
... and I can now finally be part of those 3% after having installed Linux on my new computer instead of using it in a VM like I did for the last 20 years. Well, that is, once Valve asks me to participate in the survey again. 
5 Likes
LungDrago a day ago
I dual booted as well but Windows lasted only for like 2 years before I realized the SSD space would be better used differently :) So, a whole decade of dual booting sounds like a lot to me. But I understand it, it's normal relatable human behavior. I think everyone has left the cheese too long in the fridge at least once in their lives and only threw it out when it went really, really bad.
2 Likes
Eike 22 hours ago
I've been dual booting from 1998 to 2014.
0 Likes
iwantlinuxgames 17 hours ago
"So, what would be the "recommended way"? I'm on Ubuntu..."<snip>
sudo apt install steam.
it doesn't install a snap(as of 25.04(just did a fresh install of it last weekend)). i purged snap/snapd and steam runs fine...
2 Likes
iwantlinuxgames 17 hours ago
I've been dual booting from 1998 to 2014.
i STOPPED dual booting in 98 and went fulltime linux after that code red fiasco.
1 Likes
Caldathras 16 hours ago
@Mohandevir
I keep getting these notifications on the Win10Pro systems at work telling me this.
I'm just wondering how many of these new Linux users are running old pcs that will be left unsupported by Win11, when Win10 will have been buried by Microsoft.Ah, but M$ is just discontinuing free support, not burying Win10. Win10 will be continuing, but you will have to pay for the support instead.
I keep getting these notifications on the Win10Pro systems at work telling me this.
1 Likes
Caldathras 16 hours ago
I've been dual booting from 1998 to 2014.I went cold turkey in 2014 and ran Linux Mint exclusively for about 2 years after my HDD failed and the Windows backup wouldn't install (part of the backup was stored on the failed HDD -- brilliant idea, M$). I eventually had to reinstall Windows in a dual-boot after my preferred tax software stopped supporting WinXP on my old netbook. I maintain dual-boots on all my systems now but only use Windows for software that will not run on Linux.
Linux Mint 13 & LibreOffice showed me that Linux had become a serious contender against the M$ Windows behemoth. Linux has been my primary O/S ever since.
1 Likes
ElectricPrism 13 hours ago
The stats are pretty interesting:
India ( 8.46% )
US ( 5.24% )
https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/united-states-of-america
Europe ( 4.31% )
https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/europe
World ( 3.9% )
We're on the right path, much thanks to everyone who has laid stones on this roadway to bliss.
India ( 8.46% )
US ( 5.24% )
https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/united-states-of-america
Europe ( 4.31% )
https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/europe
World ( 3.9% )
We're on the right path, much thanks to everyone who has laid stones on this roadway to bliss.
1 Likes
gabber 12 hours ago
4% this year?
The trendline does not fit. Maybe only take the last 3 years for a linear fit.
Maybe add a point when the Steam OS 3 was releaed for other devices.
The trendline does not fit. Maybe only take the last 3 years for a linear fit.
Maybe add a point when the Steam OS 3 was releaed for other devices.
1 Likes
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