Summary

  • Linux on Steam hits 3.58% of users in Dec 2025, up from 2.68% in Sept.
  • Windows 10 EOL pushed many gamers to Linux, fueling nearly a 1% rise in three months.
  • SteamOS share dipped as desktop Linux grew; Fedora-based distros (Bazzite) surged.

It doesn't feel that long ago when people said that Linux was for work, and Windows was for gaming. The idea of games working on Linux was pretty much a pipe dream, and it wholly depended on developers working hard on a separate Linux build for them to work.

These days, gaming on Linux is so much easier. Just take a look at the handheld gaming market, where two Linux-based distros, SteamOS and Bazzite, are taking big wins from Windows. We're also seeing people warming to using the open-source OS on their desktops, given how compatibility has gotten a lot better over the years.

Recently, we've been seeing Linux tick upward on the Steam charts, with the OS creeping higher and higher than ever before. And while it looked like things plateaued last month, Valve has updated its charts to show that, yes, Linux has broken its own record once more.

Linux enjoys another good month of gaming as it hits 3.58% of the Steam userbase

Small but mighty

As spotted by GamingOnLinux, Valve originally published a chart that showed Linux adoption plateauing from November. However, GamingOnLinux took a closer look at the data and saw that some of the data elements seemed to have vanished, meaning the chart wasn't telling the whole picture. Valve has seemingly rectified this, and the new data reveals that Linux adoption is still increasing.

Right now, for December 2025, Linux users made up 3.58% of the Steam userbase, which is a new record for the OS. That doesn't sound like a lot, but in September, the percentage was at 2.68%. The Windows 10 end-of-life date was seemingly a huge catalyst for the migration, and is why we saw nearly a full 1% jump in three months.

Given how Bazzite runs off Fedora, there's a good chance the spike is due to people giving that a try, but we can't say for sure.

So, which distros gained popularity, and which seemed to wane? Interestingly, it looks like SteamOS has dropped in market share, with almost a 2% loss over the space of three months. Given that SteamOS is the beating heart of the Steam Deck, I don't believe this drop is due to people leaving the OS or abandoning their handhelds; it's more likely due to an influx of desktop Linux systems, which diluted SteamOS's share.

Ubuntu and the nebulous "Other" category joined SteamOS in losing some share. Meanwhile, Arch-based distros held steady, and Fedora-based distros jumped from 5.53% to 9.34% share in the space of a month. Given how Bazzite runs off Fedora, there's a good chance the spike is due to people giving that a try, but we can't say for sure.