PC Gaming OS Shifts in 2025: Windows Decline, Linux Rise & What It Means

As end-of-support for Windows 10 draws near, evidence is mounting that the PC gaming landscape is shifting—perhaps more quickly than many expected. This sea change is readily apparent in the latest results from Steam’s highly influential Hardware and Software Survey, which has become an industry bellwether for both gamers and hardware manufacturers. In May 2025, user adoption figures revealed marked declines for Windows 10, surging numbers for Windows 11, and unexpectedly robust growth for Linux-based platforms, signaling a transformative period for how—and on what—people play their games.

The Steam Survey: A Living Index of Gaming Trends​

Steam’s monthly Hardware and Software Survey collects anonymized data from millions of its users, tracking everything from graphics card prevalence to operating system market share. While the top graphics card spot often reflects the relentless pace of GPU innovation and generational transition—witness the flip-flopping between the RTX 3060 and RTX 4060 families—OS market share trends reveal more about the underlying software currents steering the global gaming PC fleet. As of May 2025, these currents show a clear migration away from Windows 10 as its final days draw near.

Windows 10 Decline Accelerates​

The trajectory of Windows 10’s market share on Steam has undergone a notable inflection in 2025. For years, Microsoft’s previous flagship held the lion’s share, buoyed by its reliability and broad hardware compatibility—a godsend for gamers keen to avoid the teething issues of newer systems. However, the end of support slated for October 14, 2025, has fundamentally altered the risk calculus. Continued use, once a matter of preference, now exposes users to growing security and compatibility vulnerabilities. In response, the May 2025 Steam survey recorded a 1.09% decrease in Windows 10 usage among Steam gamers, reducing its share to just 37%. This represents a sharp drop for an OS that once commanded a supermajority among PC gamers within the platform.
Several factors underpin this downward trend:

• Security Concerns: As official patches and security updates will cease, gamers—often prime targets for malware due to their high-value hardware and digital assets—face increasing risks.
• Game and Driver Compatibility: Developers, keen to focus resources on active platforms, are beginning to depreciate Windows 10 support in favor of Windows 11 and, increasingly, select Linux platforms.
• Prompting By Steam: Valve itself has historically nudged users towards supported OS versions, restricting certain features to modern Windows flavors, a policy likely to intensify later in 2025.

While some holdouts remain, motivated by inertia or specific hardware incompatibilities with Windows 11, the writing is largely on the wall for Windows 10’s dominance in the Steam ecosystem.

Windows 11: The New Default—By Choice and Necessity​

Taking up much of the slack is Windows 11. According to the same Steam survey, Windows 11’s market share grew by 0.46%, now representing 58.3% of all Steam gamers—an all-time high. Unlike the halting, sometimes controversial rollout that characterized its 2021 debut, 2025 is witnessing a slow normalization:

• Improved Driver and Game Support: A stream of post-launch updates has helped Windows 11 shake its earliest compatibility woes, with major AAA game publishers now routinely targeting it as the lead development platform.
• Performance Stabilization: Benchmarks from outlets like PC Gamer and Tom’s Hardware now show near-parity (or in some cases, modest performance gains) between Windows 11 and late versions of Windows 10 on identical hardware.
• Mandatory Upgrades: With security compliance and feature support receding on Windows 10, users and system integrators are finding themselves gently but firmly herded toward the newer operating system.

However, it is important to note that Windows 11’s newfound dominance is not purely by user enthusiasm; rather, it is as much a product of Microsoft policy as it is grassroots adoption. For gamers with hardware eligible for the strict system requirements of Windows 11, migrating is increasingly less optional and more about self-preservation.

Linux Rising: From Niche to Notable​

If there is a surprise in the May 2025 data, it is surely the robust increase in Linux-based gaming. Linux now claims 2.69% of the active Steam user base, with month-over-month growth of 0.42%. While this might seem modest in absolute terms, it represents the highest level of Linux adoption Steam has ever recorded, and may be an early signal of shifts in the broader gaming OS landscape.

SteamOS and the Power of Devices Like the Steam Deck​

Much of this growth can be directly traced to Valve’s own initiatives. SteamOS, Valve’s Linux-based distribution, powers not only the popular Steam Deck but is increasingly finding a home on AMD-powered handhelds, such as the Legion Go. Recent reviews have even suggested that SteamOS delivers a superior experience to Windows on these devices, with smoother frame pacing, better battery life, and a gamer-centric interface.
Manufacturers are starting to notice. For instance:

• Lenovo Legion Go: SteamOS was made an official option, with multiple reviewers highlighting improved performance compared to Windows versions.
• ASUS ROG Ally: YouTubers have showcased SteamOS 3.8 running natively, with early impressions pointing to palpable advantages in user experience and resource efficiency.

Such developments suggest that Linux gaming—once derided as a fringe pursuit—now boasts real competitive advantages on specific hardware, particularly portable game consoles.

Alternative Linux Distributions​

It is not just SteamOS that is reaping the benefits. Alternative Linux distros designed for gaming, such as CachyOS, have enjoyed increased attention and adoption. These distributions build on recent advances in projects like Proton (Valve's Windows compatibility layer) and contribute to a virtuous cycle: more gamers using Linux means more developers patching bugs and optimizing engines for the platform, in turn begetting further migration.

Why Linux Gaming Is Gaining Steam​

The surge in Linux gaming on Steam is not an accident. Several factors have converged to create a favorable environment:

• Valve’s Investment: Steam’s Proton layer now supports a vast majority of top-tier Windows games, erasing the most persistent barrier to Linux migration: compatibility.
• Handheld Gaming’s Explosion: With Steam Deck and competitors selling hundreds of thousands of units, each preloaded or optimized for Linux-based OSes, users are exposed by default to non-Windows environments.
• Security and Control: As privacy and vendor lock-in concerns grow—particularly among advanced users—Linux’s open-source nature becomes an increasingly attractive proposition.

The Challenges Facing Windows​

Microsoft’s response to these trends is, understandably, to emphasize innovation and support on Windows 11. Redmond is ramping up direct partnerships with game publishers, optimizing DirectStorage, Auto HDR, and other technologies squarely for Windows 11. Yet even as Windows 11 ascends to become the de facto standard among Steam players, a dual reality persists:

• Fragmentation: Not all hardware running Windows 10 can transition to Windows 11, leaving a broad swath of older PCs in the lurch.
• Perception Problems: Gamers are a notoriously skeptical cohort, and memories of buggy releases and unpopular feature changes linger. Microsoft must do more to build trust and demonstrate clear, tangible benefits of Windows 11 over both Windows 10 and competitive Linux offerings.

A Closer Look at the Numbers​

To appreciate the magnitude of these shifts, consider the precise figures from the May 2025 Steam Hardware & Software Survey:

Operating System	Share (May 2025)	Change (MoM)
Windows 11	58.3%	+0.46%
Windows 10	37.0%	–1.09%
Linux (Total)	2.69%	+0.42%

These numbers may not seem seismic in the context of the entire PC gaming universe, but they are directionally significant. Windows 10’s drop of more than 1% in a single month is the steepest documented since the early pandemic years, while Linux’s near-half-percent uptick is a breakthrough for open-source supporters. On a base of tens of millions of computers, this equates to hundreds of thousands—potentially millions—of systems migrating in just a few weeks.

Risks and Unknowns​

The rapid OS churn in the gaming community presents a number of risks and open questions:

• Security Gaps on Legacy Windows: As Windows 10 ages beyond its support lifecycle, staying put could expose gamers to exploits. "EternalBlue" style vulnerabilities could resurface in various forms. Security experts warn that a significant unpatched userbase makes for an attractive target.
• Driver and Compatibility Stalemates: Not every device or game will receive timely patches for Windows 11 or Linux. Users with rare or legacy hardware—think discontinued VR headsets or exotic controller peripherals—face difficult choices as their preferred OSs fade from official support.
• Fragmentation of Linux Gaming: While Valve’s Proton and SteamOS have worked wonders, not all Linux distributions are created equal. Some community distros may lag in updates or lack commercial support, raising questions about long-term stability for newcomers.
• Possible Rebound Effects: There remains a cohort disaffected by Windows 11’s system requirements or UX, but unenthused by Linux’s intricacies. Should Microsoft ease its hardware strictness or improve its upgrade messaging, some of the apparent momentum toward Linux could stall or reverse.

Advantages for Consumers​

Despite the turbulence, competition in the PC gaming OS space is overwhelmingly good news for enthusiasts:

• Faster Innovation: Both Microsoft and Valve are incentivized to deliver tangible improvements—be it better performance, lower resource usage, or richer gaming APIs—to attract and retain users.
• Pricing Pressure: The availability of a robust, free, open-source alternative to Windows could gradually erode Microsoft’s ability to charge a premium for gaming-centric editions of Windows or subscription services.
• Hardware Diversity: Linux’s hardware-agnostic ethos has the potential to breathe new life into older or atypical systems, enabling a broader array of devices to participate in the gaming ecosystem.

The Role of Cloud Gaming Services​

A sidebar to the OS migration story is the emergence of cloud gaming apps like GeForce Now on the Steam Deck and other portable devices. With hardware requirements delegated to the cloud, the underlying operating system becomes less significant for certain genres—and this trend could further dilute Microsoft’s longtime advantage in native PC gaming.

What to Watch For: The Remainder of 2025​

Looking ahead, several scenarios could play out as the Windows 10 end-of-support deadline approaches:

• Aggressive Microsoft Upgrades: Expect more persistent notifications and, possibly, one-click upgrade paths aimed at minimizing the Windows 10 “toxic tail.”
• Linux Ecosystem Consolidation: As SteamOS continues to prosper, Valve may deepen partnerships with hardware manufacturers, resulting in more “Steam Deck-like” devices and even SteamOS-certified PCs.
• Developer Uptake: The acid test for Linux gaming growth will be direct support: will more game studios ship native Linux builds, or will Proton remain the de facto compatibility layer?

Critical Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, and the Road Ahead​

If there is one clear advantage for Valve and the Linux camp, it is adaptability. The open-source model, combined with Valve’s singular focus on the gaming market, allows for faster response times and user-focused improvements—qualities sometimes lost within Microsoft’s vast bureaucracy. SteamOS, for example, can push updates optimized for handheld use cases within days, while Windows often requires months to move changes through testing and deployment.
However, the weaknesses of the Linux approach remain. Despite decade-long strides in user-friendliness, many advanced settings and troubleshooting steps still require familiarity with the command line or arcane configuration files. Additionally, anti-cheat software and some proprietary digital rights management (DRM) technologies continue to pose obstacles, leaving certain popular multiplayer titles still out of reach for Linux users.
On Microsoft’s side, deep integration with DirectX, Game Bar, and a vast developer pipeline confer undeniable advantages—platform loyalty and network effects are powerful forces. Yet the company's strict system requirements, heavy-handed telemetry, and sporadic UI decisions (such as the shifting Control Panel settings) have hampered the goodwill built during the Windows 10 era.

Final Thoughts​

Steam’s May 2025 survey numbers do more than catalog technical minutiae—they illustrate the evolving battle for the hearts and hard drives of PC gamers. With Windows 10 on the wane, Windows 11 cementing its reign, and Linux-based platforms making incremental but meaningful gains, the next several months will reveal whether this is a short-term reaction to impending obsolescence or the beginning of a more competitive, diverse PC gaming OS market.
For gamers and PC enthusiasts, now is the time to watch and, perhaps, to experiment. Whether you stick with Windows for its unrivaled convenience and support, or venture into the increasingly accessible world of Linux gaming, the evidence points to more choice, more innovation, and—crucially—a user base unwilling to settle for the status quo. As the Steam ecosystem evolves, one thing remains certain: in the world of PC gaming, the only certainty is change.

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Source: PC Guide Windows 10 usage on Steam continues to drop as end of support looms, Linux also sees growth