According to XDA-Developers, Valve has updated its Steam Survey data for December 2025, revealing that Linux has hit a new all-time high of 3.58% of the platform’s userbase. This corrects an earlier chart that suggested growth had plateaued. The new figure represents a sharp rise from just 2.68% in September 2025, a nearly one-percentage-point gain in only three months. The report pins a significant portion of this migration on the end-of-life for Windows 10, which pushed many gamers to seek alternatives. Within the Linux numbers, the share held by SteamOS actually dipped, while Fedora-based distributions like Bazzite saw a notable surge from 5.53% to 9.34% of the Linux pie in a single month.
Windows fatigue is real
Here’s the thing: a 1% shift on a platform as massive as Steam represents hundreds of thousands</em of users. That's not just a few hobbyists in a basement. This is a meaningful migration, and it's being driven by a very practical concern. Windows 10's end-of-life was a clear line in the sand. For a lot of people, the choice wasn't between Windows 10 and Windows 11—it was between an upgrade they might not want (due to hardware requirements or UI preferences) and trying something completely new. And Linux gaming, thanks largely to Valve’s Proton compatibility layer, is finally a viable “something new.” It’s not a theoretical exercise anymore; it’s a practical escape hatch from Microsoft’s upgrade cycle.
The distro shuffle is telling
The internal shift within the Linux numbers is maybe more interesting than the overall growth. SteamOS losing share isn’t a sign the Steam Deck is failing. It’s the opposite. It means a flood of new, traditional desktop users are diluting its percentage. The real story is the Fedora spike. That’s almost certainly the handiwork of Bazzite, a Fedora-based distro that’s become wildly popular for gaming handhelds and desktops alike. It offers a SteamOS-like experience but on any hardware. So what we’re seeing is a two-pronged attack: SteamOS converts people on its own hardware, and distros like Bazzite lower the barrier for everyone else. Arch holding steady is no surprise—it’s the DIY powerhouse—but Ubuntu dipping? That feels like the old guard slowly giving way to more specialized, gaming-first alternatives.
What this means for everyone else
For developers, this creeping percentage is a signal they can’t ignore forever. Native Linux ports are still rare, but Proton compatibility is now a critical part of the sales equation. A game that runs flawlessly via Proton is, for all intents and purposes, a Linux game. For Microsoft, it’s a warning. Gamers are a loyal bunch, but they’re also pragmatic. If you make your OS less appealing or more demanding, they now have a tangible exit strategy. And for the average gamer? It means choice. The idea that you need Windows to play the latest games is officially, completely dead. Now, whether you *want* to make the switch is a different question involving tinkering and learning. But the door is wide open, and more people are walking through it every month. Basically, the niche is becoming a market segment.
