GDC 2026 report: 36% of devs use GenAI; 28% target Steam Deck and 8% target Linux

The GDC 2026 State of the Game Industry full report is out with "over 2,300" professionals in the industry surveyed, and here's some of the highlights from it. Not ideal for a comparison to last year's survey, as there was a drop from 3,000 people surveyed in 2025 but still an interesting insight into the health of the industry.

Starting with the rough side of things, sadly their data shows 11% of people survey were laid off in the last 24 months, and 17% were laid off in the last 12 months. 41% of those laid off were as a result of their studio being acquired, 63% because the studio closed and 13% due to mergers.

And now of course onto generative AI, because it's a hot topic right now. 36% of participants noted they're using generative AI as part of their job.That number only increases when the participants talked about the company they work for as a whole with 52% saying their company is using generative AI. Who use it varies based on the role as noted in the survey:

Respondents at game studios reported using AI tools (30%) less than those at publishing companies, support
teams, and marketing/PR firms (58%). Business professionals’ usage (58%) far outweighs most other job disciplines.
And upper management (47%) uses AI tools more than those in the lower decks (29%). Studio directors (36%) sit
between the two groups.

As for what tools people are using, ChatGPT came out on top at 74%:

As for the impact generative AI has? 52% said they felt it had a negative impact on the gaming industry. With those working in technical arts, game design and narrative, and game programming having the most unfavourable views on it. Only around 7% of respondents felt it was having a positive impact.

Onto game engines from the survey 42% are using Unreal Engine, 30% on Unity, 19% on some other proprietary / in-house game engine and 5% use Godot.

For what platforms developers are working on / optimising for, this is where it gets quite interesting. PC remains the default for most at 83%, with Steam Deck now at 28% and Linux at 8%. While 40% said they were interested in the Steam Deck and 12% said they were interested in Linux. The upcoming Steam Machine and Steam Frame were not included as the survey opened before the announcements.

A key point I'll make here as I'm sure it will come up in comments somewhere - the Steam Deck is Linux, it's powered by SteamOS (based on Arch Linux). The Steam Machine and Steam Frame will also be Linux - but developers tend to treat them like special platforms since they're set hardware they can target and optimise for.

When it comes to XR (virtual reality / mixed reality) only 8% worked on it in some form over the last year. The vast majority for Meta platforms at 82%, SteamVR was next at 37%. Perhaps the Steam Frame will shift this over.

Touching on the recent issue with payment processors hitting the likes of Steam and itch.io along with various countries expanding their age verification laws, here's a few choice quotes from developers:

Creators of adult media deserve support, for one—but also, we all know the goalposts will keep moving. It starts with sex, it continues with the mere existence of queer people or mentions of accurate history of racism and colonialism. AAA studios need to join companies that are fighting these laws. The rest of us do not have lawyer money.
- SENIOR EMPLOYEE (GAME PROGRAMMING), FRANCE

Developers will have to choose between compromising their vision or losing out on a certain market. I fear many people will be forced to compromise for survival.
- MANAGER (GAME DESIGN), MASSACHUSETTS

LGBTQ+-focused work will be targeted as ‘inappropriate for minors,’ disincentivizing developers from incorporating those themes at all into their games—reducing LGBT visibility and, in general, moving those works underground.
- SOLO DEVELOPER (AUDIO), VIRGINIA

Some, however, fully support it:

Age verification and stricter payment processes are definitely increasing friction, but I actually think this shift is healthy. It’s forcing the industry to become more compliant, transparent, and ultimately more trustworthy.
- MANAGER (GAME PRODUCTION), INDIA

I believe the core intent—protecting citizens, particularly minors, from predatory monetization practices—is justified.
- EDUCATOR (VISUAL AND TECHNICAL ARTS), PORTUGAL

Onto marketing and how they're pushing their games, the vast majority believe social media to be the top discovery method at 65%, Twitch / Youtube at 39%, with traditional press and bloggers (hello) being only 25%:

The results also showed that 82% of those surveyed support the unionisation of game industry workers, 5% said they didn't and 13% were unsure.

There's a lot more covered in the survey results, these are just some choice picks from me.