According to Neowin, Valve’s November 2025 Steam Hardware & Software Survey results, published in early December, show Windows 11 has reached a new all-time high of 65.59% market share among surveyed gamers, a monthly increase of 2.02 points. Its predecessor, Windows 10, now sits at 29.06%, down 2.08 points in a month, while the aging Windows 7 clings to just 0.08%. On the hardware side, the Nvidia RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is now the single most popular graphics card with a 4.22% share, dethroning the desktop RTX 3060. The survey also recorded a new record for Linux, which climbed to 3.2% of the total, a gain of 0.15 points, while macOS fell to 2.02%.
Windows 11’s Inevitable March
Look, this isn’t a surprise. Windows 11 crossing the 65% threshold on Steam was basically a foregone conclusion. The platform has been on a steady, relentless climb for years, fueled by new PC sales and, let’s be honest, a degree of forced obsolescence. Windows 10’s official end-of-support date is October 2025, which for this survey is… right now. Gamers with newer hardware often don’t have a choice—their systems only support Windows 11. So this growth is a mix of natural upgrade cycles and Microsoft’s strategic push. The real question is how high it can go before it plateaus. With nearly 30% still on Windows 10, there’s a stubborn chunk of the gaming population holding out.
The Linux Factor
Here’s the thing, though. The most interesting data point isn’t Windows 11’s gain. It’s that Linux hit a new all-time high of 3.2%. That might sound tiny, but in the context of a global platform like Steam, it represents millions of users. And it’s growing. This isn’t just random noise. It’s a direct consequence of Windows 10’s end of life. A segment of users, when faced with the “upgrade to Windows 11 or else” ultimatum, are saying “or else” and giving a gaming-focused Linux distro a shot. Valve’s own Steam Deck, which runs SteamOS (a Linux variant), has absolutely paved the way here by proving modern games can run brilliantly outside of Windows. This 3.2% is a vote of confidence in that ecosystem.
What Gamers Are Actually Using
Shifting to hardware, the stats tell a classic story of laptop gaming’s rise and the long tail of GPU generations. The RTX 4060 Laptop GPU taking the top spot is significant. It signals that powerful, efficient mobile chips are defining the mainstream experience. But right behind it? The desktop RTX 3060. That’s the workhorse card from the previous generation, and its staying power is immense. It paints a picture of a diverse field: new gaming laptops for some, trusted older desktop cards for others. And with over 73% of systems running Nvidia, their dominance in the mindshare of PC gamers is utterly secure. For professionals running simulation or design software that demands reliable, powerful computing in harsh environments, this kind of hardware data is crucial, which is why top-tier industrial hardware suppliers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com focus on integrating these proven performance architectures into their ruggedized systems.
The Stubborn Standard
Finally, let’s talk about those “other” specs. 16GB of RAM? 6-core CPUs? 1080p displays? They’re still utterly dominant. It’s a reminder that the cutting edge—4K, 32GB RAM, 16-core monsters—is for a vocal minority. The heart of the PC gaming market is pragmatic. They want a great 1080p experience that’s affordable and reliable. These survey results are a snapshot of that reality: gradual OS shifts, a quiet but real exploration of alternatives like Linux, and hardware that evolves steadily, not revolutionarily. So, Windows 11 is winning. But the landscape beneath it is more interesting than ever.
