AMD Gains on Steam as Windows 11 Surges to 63% in September

The September Steam Hardware & Software Survey delivered a clear signal to the PC gaming ecosystem: AMD’s CPU share among Steam users hit a new high (41.31%) while Intel slipped to a multi-month low (58.61%), and Windows 11 surged past the 60% mark on Steam (63.04%) as Windows 10 retreats ahead of end-of-support.

Background / Overview​

Valve’s monthly Steam Hardware & Software Survey is a voluntary, anonymized snapshot of a rotating sample of active Steam clients. The survey reports device-level telemetry—operating system version, GPU model, CPU vendor, memory capacity, and more—and it is widely used as a bellwether by game developers, hardware vendors, and the press because it reflects the hardware profile of active gamers. Steam itself emphasizes the survey’s sampling limits: it is not a global census but a high-signal view of the gaming segment.
September’s topline movements are straightforward and consequential. Steam’s public tables show Windows 11 (64‑bit) at 63.04% of reported Steam users (an increase of +2.65 percentage points month‑over‑month), while Windows 10 (64‑bit) fell to 32.18% (‑2.90). On the CPU front, Valve’s processor vendor table lists GenuineIntel at 58.61% and AuthenticAMD at 41.31%, a 1.15‑point month‑over‑month swing in AMD’s favour.
Independent outlets and industry coverage recorded the same numeric shifts and placed them in context: press reporting emphasized the Windows 10 end-of-support calendar and OEM shipping patterns as proximate drivers of the Windows 11 surge, and highlighted AMD’s steady gains—driven in part by popular Ryzen X3D and Zen-series products—as the explanation for the narrowing CPU gap. These corroborating write-ups mirror Valve’s data and add market context around OEM defaults and midrange GPU supply.

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Why September moved the needle​

The calendar effect: Windows 10’s end-of-support​

Microsoft’s consumer Windows 10 support cutoff (October 14, 2025) is the clearest short-term driver for the OS migration visible in September’s Steam sample. When a widely used OS reaches its end-of-support date, many consumers choose one of three paths: upgrade to the latest OS (Windows 11), enroll in a limited Extended Security Updates (ESU) program where available, or replace hardware. In the weeks leading up to a hard cutoff, upgrade velocity typically spikes—exactly what Steam’s September snapshot captured. Valve’s dataset and subsequent analyses repeatedly point to that deadline as the proximate cause of the month’s Windows 11 jump.

OEM flows and replacement purchases​

A heavy share of new laptops and prebuilt desktops ship with Windows 11 preinstalled. Buyers who purchase machines for the late‑summer and fall windows (back‑to‑school, early holiday shopping) often receive Windows 11 by default, which pulls the Steam sample toward greater Windows 11 representation—particularly because gamers tend to refresh hardware more frequently than the general PC population. OEM shipping patterns and the composition of new systems (current CPUs paired with midrange GPUs) were repeatedly referenced in concurrent market commentary.

Market supply and midrange GPU economics​

Parallel to OS shifts, GPU availability and pricing shape which GPUs appear in the Steam sample. September’s dataset again showed the RTX 4060 family—especially the laptop variant—leading the midrange field, reflecting inventory, OEM bundles, and buyer preference for price‑to‑performance. Supply constraints for newly launched cards (for example, some RDNA 4 desktop SKUs) can suppress their presence in the survey even if demand is strong, which amplifies the visibility of plentiful midrange parts. That inventory dynamic helps explain why the midrange Nvidia family appears so prominently in Steam’s list.

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The CPU race: AMD’s incremental wins, Intel’s endurance​

The numbers and their trendline​

Valve’s processor vendor table for September 2025 lists Intel at 58.61% and AMD at 41.31%, a month‑over‑month gain of +1.15 percentage points for AMD and an equivalent decline for Intel. Those precise values are pulled directly from Steam’s server‑hosted breakdown. The swing continues an ongoing trend of AMD gains across 2024–2025.
Two points matter beyond the headline: first, the monthly swings are relatively small and incremental, indicating a steady pull rather than a sudden market flip; second, AMD’s gains on Steam track back to a combination of compelling product-level performance (notably 3D V‑Cache/X3D variants that punch above their price in gaming workloads), strong value in the midrange and mobile segments, and motherboard/platform continuity that lowers upgrade friction for some buyers. Independent reporting and commentary from outlets that analyzed Steam’s tables echoed these explanations.

Strengths for AMD​

• Gaming-focused performance leadership in key SKUs: AMD’s X3D/3D V‑Cache parts deliver gamer‑oriented gains that translate into measurable in-game benefits for many titles.
• Platform longevity: AM4/AM5 upgrade pathways reduce total upgrade cost for some buyers compared with repeated Intel socket shifts.
• Competitive price/performance: For many midrange buyers, AMD’s offerings present attractive value compared with equivalently priced Intel parts.

Strengths for Intel​

• Deep install base in OEM channels: Many mainstream laptops and prebuilt desktops remain Intel-based, sustaining Intel’s majority.
• Rapid product cadence: Intel’s roadmap and marketing continue to drive volume shipments into OEM partner channels.
• Ecosystem relationships: Intel’s presence in business and consumer channels keeps it central to many supply chains.

So is Intel losing? Not yet—context matters​

Steam’s survey shows Intel’s share declining within a particular, upgrade-prone slice of the PC market—not a universal market collapse. Intel’s share remains comfortably above 50%, and OEM shipments, enterprise fleets, and regional buying patterns vary. The Steam snapshot signals a narrowing gap in the gaming segment, not an immediate market reversal across all PC categories. Steam’s own documentation and multiple independent reports caution readers against over-extrapolating the Steam sample to every PC on Earth.

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Windows 11 adoption: implications for gamers, developers, and vendors​

What the 63.04% Windows 11 share on Steam means​

Windows 11 reaching 63.04% on Steam’s September table is an all‑time high for Valve’s gamer sample and is significant because game developers, anti‑cheat vendors, and middleware providers often care more about the OS mix of active gamers than the global desktop base. A larger, growing Windows 11 install base inside the gaming vertical reduces testing fragmentation and raises the practical floor for Windows 11‑first features—DirectStorage optimizations, modern driver model assumptions, and platform integrations that rely on contemporary OS behaviours.

Immediate practical effects​

• Security posture: Gamers staying on unpatched Windows 10 after end‑of‑support are exposed to growing security risk; ESU is a stopgap not a long‑term fix.
• Development targeting: A Windows‑11 majority on Steam lowers the cost of prioritizing Windows 11 APIs for new titles in the short term.
• Driver and anti‑cheat expectations: Middleware and anti‑cheat providers are likely to tighten their minimum supported OS baselines as Windows 11 concentration grows.

Limitations and nuance​

• Steam’s sample skews towards youthful, upgrade‑prone gamers who buy new hardware more frequently than the general desktop population; broader market trackers (StatCounter, NetMarketShare) often show slower Windows 11 penetration. Translating Steam’s 63% into an absolute claim about all desktops would be misleading. Valve’s documentation explicitly warns about the survey’s scope and voluntary nature.

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Tactical recommendations for stakeholders​

For game developers and QA leads​

• Prioritize Windows 11 compatibility for feature testing where it reduces cost and complexity.
• Maintain Windows 10 test coverage for a measured period according to player telemetry and sales geography.
• Re-evaluate support windows for legacy OS features: document timelines and communicate clearly to players and partners.
• Audit your CI matrix to ensure Windows 11 builds are green and reproducible.
• Stress-test anti‑cheat and driver interactions in Windows 11 environments.
• Re-weight telemetry sampling to reflect your actual player base rather than global averages.

For hardware vendors and OEMs​

• Recognize the midrange laptop GPU market’s continuing importance; the RTX 4060 family’s prominence inside Steam suggests where volume lives.
• Emphasize out-of-box Windows 11 validation and driver QA for gaming SKUs.
• Consider messaging that clarifies upgrade paths for consumers on older hardware.

For gamers and PC buyers​

• If security and long-term support matter, plan to migrate to Windows 11 or enroll in ESU prior to the October 14 deadline.
• If buying a new system now, be mindful of OEM preinstalls—most modern systems ship with Windows 11, and buying new effectively migrates your Steam footprint.
• For owners of older machines that cannot meet Windows 11 hardware requirements, investigate Linux alternatives or consider hardware refresh options.

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Risks, caveats, and what to watch next​

Measurement and sampling bias​

Valve’s survey is voluntary and taken from a rotating sample of active Steam clients; localized spikes, regional anomalies, or temporal purchasing patterns can amplify short‑term swings. The survey is valuable for seeing where gamers are headed, but it’s not a substitute for a global OS market measurement. Multiple contemporaneous reports and community analyses repeat this caveat and advise cross-referencing broader trackers.

Supply-side distortions​

GPU and CPU adoption within Steam’s sample reflect what’s actually being used by gamers—not necessarily what’s being purchased at the same pace worldwide. Scarcity or delayed launches (for example, constrained RDNA‑family shipments) can understate demand. Conversely, OEM bundles and promotions can over-represent certain SKUs in a given month. Market commentary alongside Valve’s numbers stresses inventory dynamics as a moderating factor.

Short‑term volatility​

Monthly Steam swings—especially when driven by calendar events like an OS support cutoff—can overshoot and then partially retrace. Watch the October and November reports for whether Windows 11’s September jump is sustained or followed by a smoothing effect as remaining enterprise and legacy users respond in different ways. The October dataset will be especially informative given its proximity to the Windows 10 cutover.

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Reading the September snapshot with balanced perspective​

Steam’s September 2025 data is a high‑signal pulse check for gamers: Windows 11 is now the majority operating system among Steam respondents, and AMD has continued its steady climb toward parity within the gaming user base. Those shifts matter for developers, anti‑cheat vendors, and OEMs who rely on Steam’s concentrated slice of the market to shape testing matrices and SKU planning. At the same time, these are measured changes inside a specific sampling frame—not a definitive pronouncement about every desktop or commercial fleet. Valve’s tables, independent press coverage, and community analyses together form a consistent narrative: migration to Windows 11 accelerated in September largely because of Microsoft’s end‑of‑support horizon, and AMD’s momentum on the gaming side continues, driven by product‑level performance and platform economics.

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What to watch next (short checklist)​

• October Steam survey: the first full month that follows Windows 10’s support cutoff—look for continued Windows 11 growth or a post-cutoff stabilization.
• CPU vendor trends across Q4: track whether AMD’s incremental monthly gains persist or accelerate into holiday buying cycles.
• GPU inventory shifts: check whether newly launched desktop SKUs register in Steam’s top 100 or remain scarce due to supply constraints.
• Developer targeting statements: watch publisher patch notes and platform requirement updates for signs that Windows 11 is being elevated in minimum‑support matrices.

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Steam’s latest numbers are not a speculative blip—they’re a concrete data point that aligns with calendar realities and market behaviour. For the gaming ecosystem, September’s snapshot tightens the focus: developers can lean further into Windows 11-centric testing, OEMs should prioritize Windows 11 validation for gaming SKUs, and gamers should make deliberate upgrade choices as Windows 10 support winds down. The longer-term picture remains dynamic; month‑to‑month survey updates will determine whether AMD’s growth trajectory continues toward parity and whether Windows 11’s lead in the gamer cohort becomes a broader desktop majority.

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Source: HotHardware Steam Survey Gaming Trends: AMD Chips Away At Intel & Windows 11 Dominates