Windows 11’s journey toward mainstream acceptance has been a gradual one, and the latest data suggests momentum is building—but not without its hurdles.
The Steam Hardware and Software survey for May 2026 paints a picture of cautious progress. Windows 11 gained 2.02% in user share among PC gamers this month, while Windows 10 saw a slight decline of 1.64%. Linux, despite Valve’s push with SteamOS, lost another 0.53%, reinforcing the notion that the desktop Linux dream remains just that—a dream.
That’s the upside—here’s the catch: overall, these shifts barely move the needle. Windows still dominates, holding roughly 98% of Steam’s user base, with macOS trailing far behind at around 1%. The growth is real but incremental, reflecting a market where inertia trumps innovation.
English-language users skew the results slightly, with a 2.71% increase in participation compared to previous surveys. While this could introduce bias—such as a preference for certain hardware or operating systems—it doesn’t change the broader trend: Windows 11 is gaining ground, but not at breakneck speed.
On the GPU front, NVIDIA’s RTX 3060 remains the king of Steam’s hardware landscape. But AMD isn’t standing still. The Radeon RX 9070 XT, after a period of detection issues that frustrated users and skewed survey data, saw a modest 1.24% bump in May. This suggests Valve’s fix for faulty GPU identification has stabilized, though it doesn’t yet translate to a major market shift.
For gamers, the takeaway is clear: Windows 11 is becoming more common, but the transition isn’t urgent. Meanwhile, AMD’s RX 9070 XT is back in the conversation, but NVIDIA still holds the lead by a comfortable margin. Whether this trend continues depends on performance, driver stability, and—perhaps most importantly—the next wave of hardware that could redefine the landscape.
