Windows 11 continues to grow in use among Steam gamers, now at almost 16%
Almost one out of every six Steam users is running Windows 11 on their PC.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
What you need to know
Gaming enthusiasts are slowly adopting Windows 11, according to the latestSteam hardware and software survey. Windows 10 still dominates at 75.69%, but Windows 11 is steadily on the rise, reaching 15.59% after a 2.03% increase since last month.
Steam’s hardware and software figures aren’t an overall indicator ofWindows 11market share. They do, however, show that people are upgrading to Windows 11 or getting newer PCs to play thebest PC games.
Despite being out of support, Windows 7 is still used by 4.0% of gamers that run Steam. Windows 8.1 is the least popular Windows OS among Steam users, with only 0.63% using it.
In what isn’t a surprise, macOS still trails behind almost all forms of Windows. Only 2.62% of Steam users are on macOS, which is even below Windows 7.
Gamers may not be in a rush to upgrade to Windows 11. While the operating system provides somenice features for gaming, such as HDR support, many of the most popular PC games still work well on Windows 10. Theminimum requirements of Windows 11may also prevent some PCs from upgrading to the new OS.
Other statistics from the February Steam hardware and software survey show little significant change. Intel (68.93%) is still ahead on the CPU side of things, and NVIDIA (76.14%) still dominates the GPU space.
TheOculus Quest 2is now used by 47.09% of gamers on Steam. That’s more than triple its closest competitor, the Valve Index. The original Oculus Quest (3.83%) and Oculus Quest 2 now account for more than 50% of Steam users that have VR headsets.
Get the Windows Central Newsletter
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.
Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
