Steam Survey: Linux climbs to 5.33%, more than double macOS
Valve’s March 2026 Steam Hardware & Software Survey puts Linux at 5.33% of surveyed users, up 3.10 percentage points month over month. That is the first time Linux has moved above the 5% mark in Valve’s published survey data . Windows fell to 92.33%, while macOS rose to 2.35%.
The data for February was skewed due to Chinese New Year and the influx of Chinese players on the platform. The language stats confirm that there was a change in language preferences. English increased by 16.82 points to 39.09%, while Simplified Chinese dropped by 31.85 points to 22.75%. That suggests at least part of the Linux gain came from a change in the survey mix rather than a sudden one-month platform shift.
Source: Steam
Within the Linux segment , SteamOS Holo accounted for 24.48% of reported Linux systems in March. That keeps SteamOS as the single biggest identified Linux entry in Valve’s platform breakdown, ahead of individual desktop distributions listed on the same page.
Source: Steam
Valve’s Linux-specific processor data also shows AMD holding a clear lead among surveyed Linux users. AMD represented 67.48% of Linux CPU vendors in March, while Intel stood at 32.51%. Of course it is mainly because the native SteamOS systems run on AMD hardware.
As always, the Steam survey is optional, so month-to-month swings should be read carefully. Even so, the March data gives Linux its highest reported Steam share to date, and more than double the macOS figure for the same month.
