Linux Exceeds 3% Marketshare on Steam Hardware Survey for First Time
- Thread starter The Mad Draklor
- Start date
Bernkastel
Ask me about my fanboy energy!
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Topher
Identifies as young
All true. This is why getting support from a large company like Valve is really important. Gaming has specific needs in an operating system and Microsoft has provided a great deal of that for Windows, obviously, but Linux has not had that. Proton was a massive step in the right direction. The problem of driver support remains. I suspect that is probably one of the major roadblocks for Valve in releasing Steam OS to the general public for desktops. Realistically, even with Valve's support, Windows is not in danger. Most are fine with Windows. But news like this is encouraging even if it may seem minor in the grand scheme of things.
Syphon Filter
Member
windows is garbage, im going to use linux mint eventually.
Maybe, though in the app store there's an "Installed" tab so you can always see which apps you have installed as flatpaks.
SilentSpecter
Member
If you think Windows is "garbage," wait till you try Linux.
Zero consistency, driver issues, random GUI behavior, settings scattered all over, and apps that work only when they feel like it - pure chaos.
Windows might be bloated and commercial, but at least it actually works.
b0uncyfr0
Member
Underrated quote. I tried Cachy twice, each time in the setup phase, something went wrong and it booted to emergency mode. Twice was enough, i went running back to trusty bazzite.
Immutable can be slow to apply changes (from restarts and all) but my god its nice to know ill always be able to boot to the UI. Every....single...time.
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SilentSpecter
Member
Nice milestone, but it only took, what, 20 years?
I'm talking desktop gaming here - not servers or enterprise use.
Even simple hardware used to break after the first update, while on Windows it just works out of the box/plug and play.
If Linux was really that great on desktop, it would've taken off way sooner. Steam Deck helped, sure, but that's basically Valve carrying it on their back.
I'm talking desktop gaming here - not servers or enterprise use.
Even simple hardware used to break after the first update, while on Windows it just works out of the box/plug and play.
If Linux was really that great on desktop, it would've taken off way sooner. Steam Deck helped, sure, but that's basically Valve carrying it on their back.
Edellus
Member
Good, I hope it keeps increasing even faster.
The biggest issue holding mass Linux adoption for desktop commercial software is all the packaging formats. If only Valve could set a standard for it that all other distros would want to also support then devs would no longer have much of an excuse to not build native apps for Linux.
Once the most popular software for work and gaming are able to run on Linux without any hassle, then Windows might as well become just another Linux distro.
Also, where are the Linux mobile distros? (android doesn't count anymore). Linux could try to get into that population as well, with mobile gaming being so popular nowadays.
The biggest issue holding mass Linux adoption for desktop commercial software is all the packaging formats. If only Valve could set a standard for it that all other distros would want to also support then devs would no longer have much of an excuse to not build native apps for Linux.
Once the most popular software for work and gaming are able to run on Linux without any hassle, then Windows might as well become just another Linux distro.
Also, where are the Linux mobile distros? (android doesn't count anymore). Linux could try to get into that population as well, with mobile gaming being so popular nowadays.
Ar¢tos
Member
I've been using Mint for about 15 years and never had any problems...If you think Windows is "garbage," wait till you try Linux.
Zero consistency, driver issues, random GUI behavior, settings scattered all over, and apps that work only when they feel like it - pure chaos.
Windows might be bloated and commercial, but at least it actually works.
bitbydeath
Gold Member
Good to see MacOS also got a small boost.
Bernkastel
Ask me about my fanboy energy!
Windows just sets its own Bing wallpapers now. Meanwhile on Linux.
Just kidding, kind of lol
SilentSpecter
Member
Sure, and I'm happy for you.
I've spent quite a bit of time on Linux too, across different distros, and there were always some issues - even with basic stuff like printers, adapters, or gamepads.
On Windows it just worked out of the box or after installing drivers.
Maybe Mint really is more stable now, but my past experience wasn't exactly smooth.
Linux is awesome if you like fixing things that weren't broken, reading 10-year-old wiki posts, and being told "RTFM" by the friendliest community on Earth.
For me it just doesn't make sense - I wanna launch stuff without Googling and copy-pasting commands into a terminal.
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rodrigolfp
Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
Windows might be bloated and commercial, but at least it actually works.
Those are very good "resumes" about gaming on Windows vs Linux.
Just kidding, kind of lol
rodrigolfp
Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
I envy you. I still can't even play Wuthering Waves without missing cutscene videos and having to add "SteamDeck=1" command line and still being blocked sometimes by its anti cheat.
Soodanim
Member
The smug emoji at the end of every post really adds that extra dose of credibility to your opinionSure, and I'm happy for you.
I've spent quite a bit of time on Linux too, across different distros, and there were always some issues - even with basic stuff like printers, adapters, or gamepads.
On Windows it just worked out of the box or after installing drivers.
Maybe Mint really is more stable now, but my past experience wasn't exactly smooth.
Linux is awesome if you like fixing things that weren't broken, reading 10-year-old wiki posts, and being told "RTFM" by the friendliest community on Earth.
For me it just doesn't make sense - I wanna launch stuff without Googling and copy-pasting commands into a terminal.
Ar¢tos
Member
I don't game on pc, none of his complaints was specific to gaming.I envy you. I still can't even play Wuthering Waves without missing cutscene videos and having to add "SteamDeck=1" command line and still being blocked sometimes by its anti cheat.
SilentSpecter
Member
The emoji's for flavor, not credibility. My point still stands though.
crackajack
Member
yep. I think Clonezilla must be the only Linux product I ever used that did not at one point just brick itself.
Only OS I ever used that was more reliant on terminal was HPUX. That had a gui desktop but there was simply nothing clickable on it. Was like time travel when I started to use that.
I don't think switching to Linux is particularly easy. You've got to be prepared for it being you, not Microsoft, that owns your computer and take on some of the busywork and knowledge that this inevitably demands. You've got to work out how to rebuild work-flows, sometimes multiple times if you are trying out distros from different flavours, and settle on something you can live with long-term. You have to be prepared to bounce off it multiple times -- Linux will likely feel like a compromise across one or more vectors until you start to become familiar with it. That was my experience, at least. I tried and abandoned Linux several times but kept retrying until, one time, going back to Windows felt like the compromise, and I haven't looked back since.
Realistically, come at switching with the expectation that it is going to take some effort, grit and determination. Everything worthwhile does after all.
Realistically, come at switching with the expectation that it is going to take some effort, grit and determination. Everything worthwhile does after all.
Broad Spectrum
Member
Whenever I read testimonials like this about Windows, where the user never has to fix something that breaks and there are never any problems at all, ever, I straight up think the poster is lying. I've never had that experience with either Windows or Linux. There's always been something that at some point in my use of the OS I have needed to fix and it's always been annoying. I've never had a Windows update break something on my system and thought, wow that was pleasant to fix. I've never had a Linux software update break something and though wow amazing, I loved that.On Windows it just worked out of the box or after installing drivers.
Maybe Mint really is more stable now, but my past experience wasn't exactly smooth.
Linux is awesome if you like fixing things that weren't broken, reading 10-year-old wiki posts, and being told "RTFM" by the friendliest community on Earth.
For me it just doesn't make sense - I wanna launch stuff without Googling and copy-pasting commands into a terminal.
Even if you read tech news poorly, you're going to find very recent examples of Windows not just working "out of the box."
If you've used Windows and never had to use DISM to fix something or had to resort to Powershell so you can play multiplayer or singleplayer Gamepass games from the Microsoft store when it breaks, you're either the luckiest person in the world or you're fanboying for your Operating System of choice.
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The Mad Draklor
Member
It's growing even though it requires going out of your way to install a Linux distro yourself and much of the growth recently came from traditional desktop Linux installs rather than the Steam Deck.
SteamOS for desktop isn't going to be ready until it plays nice with the majority of hardware configurations with Nvidia being the elephant in the room.
SilentSpecter
Member
Haha, yeah, not sure why I'd lie about it.
Ofc Windows definitely has its share of weird bugs and update moments. But in my case, yeah, it's been way way smoother overall. I'm not saying it's flawless, just that it usually works without me having to dig into terminal or config files every time I plug in a new device.
Just as an example - a few months ago I installed Linux (Catchy OS). Everything went fine until I tried to set up an old Xbox One S gamepad. The system wouldn't detect the controller or the BT adapter, so I spent hours googling, browsing forums, and typing commands into the terminal. Nothing worked.
Someone eventually suggested updating the firmware - which of course I had to do from Windows, because the controller wasn't even recognized in Linux. And suddenly… it worked.
But honestly, why go through all that? On Windows, the same 10-year-old adapter and pad were up and running in seconds.
That's the difference - I just want to play, not troubleshoot.
Soodanim
Member
This is what I meant in my post earlier. When you exaggerate one side's faults and downplay the other's then all people see is your confirmation bias, especially if you punctuate it with smarmy emojis that make you look like a troll. There's absolutely nothing wrong with having different preferences and priorities and that being the reason that despite trying you decided Linux isn't for you. If you just posted what you did there instead of the dickish hyperbole people wouldn't have accused you of lying.Haha, yeah, not sure why I'd lie about it.
Ofc Windows definitely has its share of weird bugs and update moments. But in my case, yeah, it's been way way smoother overall. I'm not saying it's flawless, just that it usually works without me having to dig into terminal or config files every time I plug in a new device.
Just as an example - a few months ago I installed Linux (Catchy OS). Everything went fine until I tried to set up an old Xbox One S gamepad. The system wouldn't detect the controller or the BT adapter, so I spent hours googling, browsing forums, and typing commands into the terminal. Nothing worked.
Someone eventually suggested updating the firmware - which of course I had to do from Windows, because the controller wasn't even recognized in Linux. And suddenly… it worked.
But honestly, why go through all that? On Windows, the same 10-year-old adapter and pad were up and running in seconds.
That's the difference - I just want to play, not troubleshoot.
Back on topic, I'm surprised you found CachyOS' settings to be all over the place. I have found them to be more centralised than Windows' settings, in which I've been routinely getting lost in since 10 launched. There have been some learning curves but system settings hasn't been one of them.
The One S controller surprises me, I would have thought such a basic thing would work without issue. It's a bit beyond my understanding as I've only been on Linux for a short time, but maybe when MS first made the FW they weren't concerned with other OS support and that's why the update helped, which makes it at least somewhat on MS. But you'd think it'd still be detected on some level. Weird. I suppose it's extra annoying being something so theoretically simple and commonplace. A gaming focused OS that doesn't support an official Xinput controller.
Troubleshoot is definitely right, even with Wine/Proton involved (perhaps even more so) you're trying to make things work that it wasn't made for and has an userbase that is only 3% of the total. You're inherently going to have to do more searching, learning, and fixing than on Windows because there's less pre-made answers out there. You can't just pop on PCGW or Steam and find every answer - I've already had unanswerable questions in my month or two on Linux.
Broad Spectrum
Member
That's totally valid. But, to be fair, your example is more of a problem with Microsoft hardware than Linux.Haha, yeah, not sure why I'd lie about it.
Ofc Windows definitely has its share of weird bugs and update moments. But in my case, yeah, it's been way way smoother overall. I'm not saying it's flawless, just that it usually works without me having to dig into terminal or config files every time I plug in a new device.
Just as an example - a few months ago I installed Linux (Catchy OS). Everything went fine until I tried to set up an old Xbox One S gamepad. The system wouldn't detect the controller or the BT adapter, so I spent hours googling, browsing forums, and typing commands into the terminal. Nothing worked.
Someone eventually suggested updating the firmware - which of course I had to do from Windows, because the controller wasn't even recognized in Linux. And suddenly… it worked.
But honestly, why go through all that? On Windows, the same 10-year-old adapter and pad were up and running in seconds.
That's the difference - I just want to play, not troubleshoot.
Another example of this would be making a Linux boot USB in Windows. Windows will modify the boot drive automatically, which makes it fail an integrity check when a user attempts to install Linux. Which becomes a Linux problem, because the use thinks, "Why is this integrity check constantly failing. Linux is so difficult."
Or if you decide to dual boot using separate hard drives and just happen to install your Linux operating system first. Windows will put its bootloader on the hard drive with Linux installed on it. There's no way to point Windows to a different hard drive other than physically disconnecting the Linux hard drive when you're installing Windows. If you decide to switch or reinstall Linux distros, your Windows drive will no longer boot because reinstalling Linux wiped out the Windows boot loader.
When this happened to me I initially blamed Linux for wiping my Windows install each time until someone pointed out to me, no, it's actually Windows placing its book loader on your Linux drive. If you want that to stop happening you have to physically disconnect the hard drive when installing Windows.
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rodrigolfp
Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
Drivers issues are. If you game on Linux and Windows you very probably know this.
Ar¢tos
Member
Drivers issues can refer to anything... Printers, cameras, etc.
rodrigolfp
Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
And video drivers. Especially in a thread about Steam survey, that means gaming.
Ar¢tos
Member
This is what he said:
"driver issues, random GUI behavior, settings scattered all over, and apps that work only when they feel like it - pure chaos. "
Which part of this points directly to gaming?
rodrigolfp
Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
Drivers that can be video, audio, gamepads, etc, etc, etc... in a thread about Steam, so, "gaming drivers".
SilentSpecter
Member
Haha yeah, fair point. I honestly didn't mean the emojis in a "smarmy" way - it's just how I type online. Old habit from years of forums and chats. Didn't realize that was a federal offense around here.
I get what you're saying though. I wasn't trying to exaggerate or troll anyone, just sharing my own experience. Text can come across the wrong way sometimes, especially in topics like this.
The controller thing still baffles me though. It's such a common piece of hardware that I was shocked it didn't just work out of the box. You're probably right - it's likely down to how Microsoft handled the firmware or support back then. Still, from a user point of view, it's one of those "why is this even a problem?" moments.
That controller thing was just one example - I've had plenty of similar issues over the years across pretty much every distro I've tried: Ubuntu and its spins, Arch-based ones, Fedora and its derivatives. Stuff like printers, Bluetooth adapters, or other basic hardware would randomly break or refuse to work properly/don't work. And sometimes the system would even crash or stop booting right after the very first update.
And yeah, Linux has come a long way, no doubt about that. But even now it's what, just over 3% of users after like twenty years?
And why it's only 3%?
It's not only about Windows' dominance - a lot of it comes from Linux itself. Too much fragmentation, inconsistent hardware support, systems breaking after updates, and almost no proper vendor support.
And yeah, the lack of consistency between GNU stuff, package systems, and how each distro handles updates doesn't help either. Every distro does things its own way - DEB, RPM, Pacman, Flatpak,… it's a mess for normal users. You finally learn how one works, then switch distro and half the commands or tools don't apply anymore. That's fine for enthusiasts, but it kills any chance of real mainstream adoption.
Valve and the Steam Deck honestly gave it a huge boost. Without them, I doubt it would've even reached that 3%.
Most people, especially gamers just don't want to mess with configs or check which version of Proton works this week. They wanna click "Play" and go.
That's basically where I'm coming from. It's great that Linux can do so much now, but it's still not something I'd recommend to someone who just wants to game without thinking about the OS.
Honestly, from a user standpoint, it doesn't really matter who's "to blame." If I have to spend my evening googling commands just to get a controller or bootloader working, that's already a problem for me.
Kvally
Member
The Mad Draklor
Member
You do realize that Steam on Linux didn't happen until 2013, so the question should be more along the lines of "why 'just' 3% after 12 years"? The answer to that is WINE sucked for gaming and at the time, gaming on Linux was dependent on developers making Linux ports which produced widely inconsistent results. There were some Linux ports that ran well, but also a handful that ran dogshit. Proton didn't come out until August 2018 and the vast majority of the marketshare growth occurred since then which is not surprising. Developers did not have to worry about spending money and resources maintaining two different sets of packages thanks to Proton.
While it's not only about Windows' dominance, but it is mainly about Windows' dominance and the average consumer makes it so. The average consumer will just use whatever is preinstalled in their recently purchased computer which would be Windows. The Steam Deck and the SteamOS version of the Legion Go have Linux preinstalled, but they are very niche devices. TUXEDO and System76 laptops come with Linux preinstalled, but it's the same thing: they are extremely niche. Tell the average consumer to DIY install any OS, including Windows, and they will tell you "Fuck no, absolutely not".
And yet, in spite of that, the growth in marketshare was more driven by traditional desktop Linux installations than the Steam Deck. The overall Linux share taken by SteamOS actually fell compared to the month before.
I do expect a pullback in Linux marketshare this month, btw. Usually, such a large increase accompanies a drop the month after. Even then, the YOY increase from 2024-to-2025 is greater than that from 2023-to-2024.
There's a few old men yelling at clouds in this thread.
Just kidding, kind of lol
In Bazzite you right-click on desktop, click "desktop & wallpaper", choose wallpaper, click 'apply' & 'okay'.SilentSpecter
Member
Yeah, that's fair - you're right about the timeline. I kinda rounded it up since Linux as a desktop OS has been around forever, but yeah, Steam on Linux only really kicked off in 2013, and Proton didn't show up until much later.
And yeah, totally - WINE was rough for gaming, ports were hit or miss, and Proton really changed everything. No question there.
Yeah, I saw that chart too - it's a nice bump, sitting a bit over 6% now. But that number's from Steam's hardware survey, so it's not really global desktop share - it's just people who use Steam and agreed to share their system info.
And it's worth noting that the Steam Hardware Survey doesn't necessarily mean those users play on Linux every day or even that they regularly game on it at all. It only shows what OS was running when Steam collected the data, what OS was active at the exact moment the user accepted the survey.
It's still cool to see that kind of growth, but it's mostly driven by Steam Deck users since SteamOS is Linux-based. Outside of Steam, the overall desktop share is still around 3% according to most reports.
So yeah, it's progress, but we're still talking niche territory compared to Windows.
The average user just isn't gonna install or maintain an OS, and hardware vendors still don't treat Linux as a first-class platform. Steam Deck helped a ton for visibility, but it's still a niche device - most gamers are on regular PCs with Windows preinstalled, and that's what they stick with.
Crayon
Member
Most distros I've seen lately actually have flatpak integrated into the "software store."
The real nice way to do it is from flathub.com. Search, download, click to install. And most stock package managers are all set up for it. No terminal needed. It all integrates into your start menu and updates.
The only step that would be "tricky" is if you get a flatpak that wants to touch something that is blocked by default for safety. For that, you use a gui tool called flatseal to turn permissions on and off kinda like android apps. It's widespread and very easy to use.
edit: those quotes are all busted. :/
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alf717
Member
I'm sorry the joke went over your head grandpa. I'll go easier on ya next time.There's a few old men yelling at clouds in this thread.
Sinozen
Member
You really don't need to know anything thanks to AI now. Just tell the AI what you need to do and it will guide you.
The momentum of people moving to Linux will only build. 3% is going to go to 4, 5, 6, etc. Especially with how these corporations are getting more tyrannical about monitoring and collecting user data.
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