Steam reports a decline in Linux usage to less than 5% of users.

Linux on Steam: Sharp Fluctuations and Possible Causes

Month Share of Linux (%) March 2025 5.33 % May 2025 3.99 %
In March 2025, the share of Linux-based systems on Steam reached a record 5.33 %. Two months later, this figure fell to 3.99 %, which at first glance looks like a sharp rollback. According to analysts from *Linuxiac*, such spikes are more likely a statistical anomaly than a sustained trend.

What does 3.99 % mean?
- Windows remains the dominant OS with a share of 93.85 %, up by 0.38 points.
- macOS grew to 2.16 % (+0.15 points).
- Linux lost 0.53 points (the sum of the gains for Windows and macOS) and fell from 5.33 % to 3.99 %, i.e., down 1.34 points compared with March.

Thus, even in the worst case, the share of Linux remains higher than that of macOS and is close to the long‑term level of 3 %, which it only reached at the end of 2025.

Distribution by Distribution
Distribution Share (%) Arch Linux 0.35 Linux Mint 22.30 Ubuntu Core 240.14 Ubuntu 24.04 LTS 0.11
Other distributions (Nobara, Debian, EndeavourOS, Fedora, Manjaro, etc.) each account for less than 0.1 %.

Why Does This Happen?
1. Data Collection Methodology

The Steam survey on OS usage is voluntary and anonymous. Monthly results depend on which users choose to participate, which can cause fluctuations in the figures.

2. Valve’s Influence

- *Steam Deck* boosts interest in Linux as a gaming platform.
- *SteamOS*, based on Arch, promotes this OS among gamers.
If Valve changed its system classification between March and May, it could explain the sharp rise to 5 % and subsequent drop below 4 %.

3. Historical Context

Linux took several years to climb from 1 % to 2 %, only reaching 3 % in 2025. Therefore a jump of more than 2 points to 5.33 % looks too fast and is likely related to sampling quirks.

Conclusion
The May figure of 3.99 % should be viewed as reflecting the long‑term growth of Linux on Steam, not as a signal of mass user churn. Despite fluctuations, the share of Linux remains higher than macOS’s and continues to grow, driven by Valve’s portable devices and active work on gaming distributions.