As the end of support for Windows 10 draws near, a noticeable hesitance among regular users to transition to Windows 11 persists. However, the gaming community appears to be embracing the new operating system with open arms. According to Valve’s latest Hardware and Software Survey, Windows 11 achieved a remarkable milestone in November 2024, capturing nearly 53% of the market share among Steam users.
Market Share Insights
When examining the broader landscape of Windows operating systems, which encompasses Windows 11, 64-bit Windows 10, and 64-bit Windows 7, it becomes evident that Windows dominates the gaming platform. A staggering 96.56% of all Steam users operate on Windows. Specifically, 52.98% are utilizing Windows 11, marking an increase of 4.18% from the previous month. In contrast, the share of 64-bit Windows 10 has declined to 43.31%, reflecting a loss of 4.15%. Meanwhile, Windows 7, despite its inability to support the latest Steam updates, still retains a small presence at 0.21%, down by 0.07 points.
Interestingly, the Linux and macOS platforms have also seen slight gains in their respective shares on Steam. Linux now accounts for 2.03% of users, up by 0.03 points, while macOS holds 1.41%, increasing by 0.02 points. Among Linux distributions, Arch Linux stands out as the most popular choice, whereas macOS version 15.1 Sequoia leads the pack for Apple users.
Hardware Trends
On the hardware front, the landscape remains relatively stable. The average gaming PC on Steam is equipped with:
- 16GB of RAM (46.02%)
- A six-core processor (31.07%)
- Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card (4.89%)
- 8GB of VRAM (35.17%)
- A monitor resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (55.98%)
Intel processors continue to be favored by 64.23% of users, although this figure has dipped by 1.94 points. In the graphics card arena, Nvidia maintains a commanding lead with a market share of 75.76%.
It is important to note that participation in the Steam Hardware and Software Survey is voluntary, with Valve selecting participants at random. Consequently, some fluctuations in the data are to be expected. The survey aims to provide a snapshot of the average platform experience and highlight overall trends within the gaming community. For those interested in delving deeper into the latest survey results, additional information is available on Valve’s official website.
