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UPDATE: Actually, it didn't go up.

The Linux market share on Steam has bounced backed a little in the latest Steam Hardware Survey for December 2017.

Note: Valve do sometimes adjust these numbers a few days later, so keep an eye on it.

As I noted in a recent article, one of the biggest causes of the Linux market share dropping on Steam was an influx of users from Asia. It seems the latest data has gone the opposite way. Here's a look at where Linux is at currently: 0.43%. That's quite an increase, considering the month before it was at 0.27%.

Why has this happened? Well, going by the same way I looked at it before, the use of "Simplified Chinese" as a language on Steam dropped by 15.31%. Also worth noting Windows 7 use dropped by 15.10%, with Windows 10 going up by 13.15%. The overall Windows share dropped by a total of 0.51%.

Here's some updated charts from the previous article (do read it for more info), first here's the Linux market share just by itself as a reference:

Here's what happens again when we look at languages and what happened with them over that same period:

And finally, here's what happens when we look at the market share when we take out Simplified Chinese and we look at just English as languages on Steam:

I did say it would bounce back. However, I expect it to be all over the place this year, up and down constantly due to games like PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS not being on Linux, which is currently the most popular game on Steam. It's also still growing, since it hit 3.1 million players online only three days ago, which is why I still expect the numbers to change both ways over the year. Also somewhat interesting, is that BattlEye tweeted out about 1.5 million bans being handed out for PUBG.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Editorial, Steam
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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.
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32 comments
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Linas Jan 2, 2018
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Quoting: ZlopezThis time I got a popup about the survey. Only one I got this year.
Once a year seems about right judging from my experience.
dorron Jan 2, 2018
I can't remember ever having had a survey pop up in Linux...


Last edited by dorron on 2 January 2018 at 8:09 am UTC
dvd Jan 2, 2018
I was fortunate having received at least 3 surveys this year.
Eike Jan 2, 2018
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Isn't a single one of the over one billion Chineese here to enlighten us a bit about what happens behind the Great Firewall?
razing32 Jan 2, 2018
Quoting: GuestWhat is PUBG ? :)

Player Unknown's Battlegrounds.
Battle Royale style shooter . Very popular at the moment .
doomwarriorx Jan 2, 2018
Quoting: ZlopezThis time I got a popup about the survey. Only one I got this year.

yeah for me too. Can't remember the last time, but very likely 1year+
Narvarth Jan 2, 2018
It's more of an "undecrease" than an increase :)


Last edited by Narvarth on 2 January 2018 at 10:52 am UTC
STiAT Jan 2, 2018
Most interesting is the w/o chinese market share. China is a huge market, and it was to be expected that overall numbers decline. But the number w/o chinese shows we actually are pretty stable, and at a mark I'd say is realistic (1.5-2%).

So it seems it's due to the heavy steam grow that our percent numbers decline, but the number of users should have grown accordingly. Maybe not as fast as we would wish it, but growth is growth.


Last edited by STiAT on 2 January 2018 at 11:32 am UTC
Koopacabras Jan 2, 2018
Few things in life of a gamer are more satisfying than watching how cheaters get hammered ban. I like to watch compilations of vac banning on youtube, they think are so smart?uh?


Last edited by Koopacabras on 2 January 2018 at 12:03 pm UTC
Leopard Jan 2, 2018
I didn't get a single survey in 2017 , got one on 2016.
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