Linux on Steam hit 5.33% market share in March 2026 — an all-time high, and more than double the platform’s share from just six months prior. The driver is the Steam Deck: Valve’s handheld registers every owner as a Linux user in its monthly hardware survey whether or not they know it. This article covers the latest verified figures on that growth, including survey data, sales estimates, distribution breakdowns, and the Proton game catalog.
Steam Deck Linux Statistics at a Glance
- Linux reached 5.33% of the Steam user base in March 2026, the highest figure ever recorded on the platform.
- The Steam Deck had an estimated 5.6 million units shipped by mid-2025, holding 48% of the tracked handheld gaming PC market in 2024.
- Proton makes roughly 106,000 of Steam’s 117,881 games playable on Linux, up from about 9,000 with native builds alone.
- AMD CPUs power approximately 70% of Linux Steam users, compared to 39% in the general Steam Windows population.
- Steam Deck users logged 330 million hours of playtime in 2024, a 64% increase year-over-year.
Steam Deck Linux Statistics: Market Share on Steam
Valve’s Steam Hardware and Software Survey is the primary public dataset for OS share among Steam users. The three most recent data points show a sharp upward move in Linux gaming market share that has no prior equivalent in the survey’s history.
| Month | Linux Share | Windows Share | macOS Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2025 | 3.05% | 94.84% | — |
| November 2025 | 3.20% | 94.79% | 2.02% |
| March 2026 | 5.33% | 92.33% | 2.35% |
Source: Valve Steam Hardware Survey, as reported by Phoronix, GamesHub, Command Linux
The 2.13 percentage point jump between November 2025 and March 2026 is the largest single-period increase Linux has recorded in the survey. A partial contributor: Valve corrected Simplified Chinese language representation in the March 2026 data, which showed a 31.85% month-over-month drop in Simplified Chinese usage. Since Chinese Steam users are overwhelmingly Windows users, the correction pulled Windows’ share down and lifted Linux’s proportionally. The underlying growth trend, though, had already been building since October 2025.
March 2026 also put Linux above double macOS’s 2.35% share for the first time, while Windows dropped 4.28 points to 92.33% in the same survey period.
How Many Steam Decks Have Been Sold?
Valve does not publish unit sales. The figures below are from IDC (International Data Corporation) and analyst estimates, covering the four devices tracked in IDC’s handheld gaming PC methodology: Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and MSI Claw. Smaller manufacturers are excluded, so the combined totals represent a floor, not a ceiling.
| Metric | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Steam Deck lifetime units shipped | ~3.7 million | End of 2024 |
| Steam Deck estimated units | ~5.6 million | Mid-2025 |
| Steam Deck market share (tracked handhelds) | 48% | 2024 |
| Handheld gaming PC market growth forecast | +29.7% to 1.92M units | 2025 |
Source: IDC via The Verge, GamingBolt; Command Linux
Steam Deck’s 48% share of 2024 tracked shipments confirms its position even with the ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go having full years of availability. The device reached the Australian market in November 2024, extending its geographic footprint into the 2025 sales cycle. Every unit sold adds one Linux entry to Valve’s survey data, making the IDC estimates the closest available proxy for the hardware contribution to Linux’s Steam share.
Which Linux Distributions Are Steam Gamers Using?
Within Linux’s Steam share, SteamOS Holo — the Steam Deck’s OS — leads all distributions, but its percentage within the Linux population has been falling. That reflects growth among desktop Linux distributions outpacing SteamOS alone.
| Distribution | Share of Linux Users | Period |
|---|---|---|
| SteamOS Holo | 26.42% | November 2025 |
| SteamOS Holo | 24.48% | March 2026 |
| Arch Linux | 9.97% | November 2025 |
| Linux Mint 22.2 | 7.36% | November 2025 |
| CachyOS | 6.74% | November 2025 |
| Flatpak runtime | 5.96% | November 2025 |
| Bazzite | 5.53% | November 2025 |
Source: Valve Steam Hardware Survey, via Command Linux, OC3D
SteamOS Holo’s share within Linux users dropped from 26.42% in November 2025 to 24.48% by March 2026. Desktop Linux distributions collectively accounted for over 70% of Linux gaming installations beyond SteamOS as of November 2025. CachyOS gained 0.73% and Bazzite added 1.29% in November 2025 alone — both gaming-focused distributions built on Arch and Fedora bases, attracting desktop users who are actively choosing a gaming-optimized Linux environment rather than arriving through Valve’s hardware.
How Many Games Run on Linux via Proton?
Valve’s Proton compatibility layer is what makes Linux viable at scale as a gaming platform. Without it, the Steam Deck would be limited to titles with native Linux builds — a small fraction of Steam’s library.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total games on Steam | 117,881 |
| Games with native Linux builds | ~9,000 |
| Games playable via Proton | ~106,000 |
| Deck Verified or Playable (official) | 21,694 |
| Windows games compatible via Proton | ~90% |
| Steam Deck playtime hours (2024) | 330 million (+64% YoY) |
Source: Command Linux, citing Valve and ProtonDB data (November 2025)
Proton expands the playable catalog from roughly 9,000 native titles to about 106,000 — a 12x increase through compatibility rather than porting. The 10% of Windows games that remain incompatible are largely titles using kernel-level anti-cheat systems that don’t support Linux. The Deck Verified program‘s 21,694 certified games represents Valve’s own quality assurance bar, distinct from Proton compatibility alone. The 330 million playtime hours in 2024 at +64% year-over-year shows the installed base is actively using the device, not just owning it.
AMD Hardware Among Linux Steam Users
The Steam Deck runs a custom AMD APU. Because every Steam Deck counts as an AMD CPU in Valve’s survey, the device has structurally anchored AMD’s share among Linux users regardless of general PC hardware trends. The gap versus Windows users is wide, as seen in the broader Linux desktop data.
| CPU Brand | Linux Steam Users | Windows Steam Users |
|---|---|---|
| AMD | ~70% | ~39% |
| Intel | ~29.6% | ~60% |
Source: Valve Steam Hardware Survey, via Phoronix (December 2024, March 2026 estimate)
AMD’s ~70% CPU share among Linux gamers versus 39% on Windows reflects two compounding factors: the Steam Deck’s hardware (all models use AMD APUs) and the Linux community’s longstanding preference for AMD’s open-source Mesa/RADV driver stack, which predates the Steam Deck. That preference exists independently of Steam Deck ownership and has made AMD the default hardware choice among desktop Linux gamers for years.
FAQs
What is Linux’s current market share on Steam?
Linux reached 5.33% of Steam users in March 2026, an all-time high. The previous record was 3.20% in November 2025. The pre-Steam Deck baseline was approximately 1%.
How many Steam Decks has Valve sold?
IDC estimates approximately 3.7 million units shipped through end of 2024, rising to an estimated 5.6 million by mid-2025. Valve does not publish official sales figures.
How many Steam games work on Linux with Proton?
Approximately 106,000 of Steam’s 117,881 games are playable via Proton as of November 2025, covering roughly 90% of Windows titles. Around 21,694 are officially Deck Verified by Valve.
Why do so many Linux Steam users have AMD processors?
Every Steam Deck uses a custom AMD APU, adding AMD data to Linux survey results with each unit sold. AMD’s open-source Mesa drivers also make it the preferred choice among desktop Linux gamers independently of Steam Deck ownership.
Is Linux gaming growing beyond just Steam Deck users?
Yes. SteamOS Holo’s share within Linux users fell from 26.42% to 24.48% between November 2025 and March 2026, meaning desktop Linux distributions are growing faster. Gaming-focused distros like CachyOS and Bazzite both gained over 1% in a single month in late 2025.
