Windows 11 Quietly Reclaims Steam — 70% Market Share

If you thought Windows 10 would linger on for years, the Steam numbers tell a different story. Short answer: people are upgrading. Fast.

The June 2026 Steam Hardware Survey (Khordad/Tir 1405) shows Windows 11 continuing its ascent, now claiming 70.44% of the platform’s active users after a 0.68 percentage-point gain. Windows 10, by contrast, slipped 0.43 points — a clear nudge toward the newer OS as gamers replace rigs or accept Microsoft's upgrade prompts.

Windows 11 now holds 70.44% of Steam's active users, marking a steady migration away from Windows 10.

Linux’s position is more nuanced. Month-over-month it fell by 0.30 points to 3.69%. Look back a year and you see growth—Steam reported Linux at 2.57% in the same period of 2025—so the platform has expanded over the longer term even if it cooled this month. Why the wobble now? A mix of factors: driver quirks, shifting player bases, and the constant tug-of-war between Proton compatibility gains and new Windows-only titles.

macOS eked a small rise, up 0.05 points to 2.21%, also higher than the 1.76% seen a year earlier. It’s still a niche among Steam gamers, but it’s moving in the same incremental way many non-Windows platforms do — steady, not spectacular.

Numbers alone don't tell the whole story. Hardware turnover, new PC sales bundled with Windows 11, and Microsoft's push around security and feature updates all accelerate migration. Game developers and publishers keep targeting Windows APIs first. And when performance or easy installability matters, users default to the path of least resistance.

For the Linux community and Apple users, the trend is a reminder: progress can be slow and uneven. Valve’s Proton and other compatibility tools have closed important gaps, but market share shifts take time and a few big wins.

So what happens next? Expect Windows 11 to remain dominant on Steam for the near term, while Linux and macOS nibble away at specific corners of the market — indie titles, niche communities, and cloud gaming experiments. The real drama will be whether cross-platform compatibility keeps pace with the pace of hardware upgrades.