Linux is losing ground on Steam as Windows 11 continues its rise among PC gamers — is Microsoft repairing its reputation?

Steam’s latest hardware survey for May 2026 is here, and it paints an interesting picture. Of course, we’ve covered hardware surveys before, including periods where it genuinely looked like Linux was gaining serious ground.

To be fair, that growth was understandable. Microsoft continued to drop the ball with Windows on multiple occasions, leading some users, albeit not many, to give Linux a try and see what it had to offer.

In the latest hardware survey results, Windows 11 saw an increase of 2.02%, bringing its total share of Steam users to 69.76%. Windows as a whole now accounts for 93.85% of all Steam users.

Turning to Linux, which has made impressive strides over the past few months, the operating system peaked at 5.33% back in March before dipping to 4.52% in April. Now, in May, Linux accounts for 3.99% of Steam users.

That's still well above the below-2% figures Linux was stuck at for a long time, but it's hard to ignore the fact that its share has declined month after month since reaching that March peak.

I’m a strong believer in healthy competition, and seeing Windows fumble over the past few months has created an opportunity for Linux to become more well-known. That's ultimately a good thing for the industry.

Whether it's Microsoft focusing more heavily on gaming performance to compete with Linux, something I'm sure most gamers would appreciate, especially ahead of Project Helix, Xbox's PC and console hybrid, or improvements to the overall user experience and a gradual pullback from some of its AI ambitions, it's hard to imagine we'd be seeing such a noticeable shift in tone from Microsoft without meaningful competition pushing it forward.

Or perhaps I'm alone in thinking that, which is perfectly fine too. Either way, I'd love to hear your thoughts. How do you feel about Linux losing ground on Steam while Windows 11 continues to gain traction?

Personally, I've had a pretty miserable experience every time I've tried Linux, which is a real shame because I can absolutely see the appeal. Still, let me know what you think in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll!

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