TL;DR
67.74% of Steam users now run Windows 11, according to Valve's latest Steam Hardware & Software Survey data released in May 2026. This marks a decisive shift in the PC gaming ecosystem, with Windows 11 surpassing Windows 10 by a margin of over 35 percentage points, and signals that Microsoft's push for gaming-specific features and stricter hardware requirements has fully reshaped the installed base.
What Happened
Valve's May 2026 Steam Hardware & Software Survey reveals that 67.74% of all Steam users are now running Windows 11, a staggering increase from just 46.82% in the same month last year. The data, published on May 3, 2026, confirms that Windows 11 has not only overtaken Windows 10 but has achieved a commanding lead, as Windows 10's share has collapsed to approximately 31.5%, with the remainder of Steam's user base on older Windows versions, macOS, or Linux.
Key Facts
- 67.74% of Steam users now run Windows 11, up from 46.82% in May 2025, representing a gain of 20.92 percentage points in 12 months.
- Windows 10's share fell to roughly 31.5%, down from 50.15% in May 2025, meaning it lost nearly 19 percentage points over the same period.
- The survey data was collected by Valve throughout April 2026 and published on May 3, 2026 via the Steam Hardware & Software Survey portal.
- Windows 11's growth accelerated sharply after Microsoft's October 2025 end-of-support announcement for Windows 10, which set a final cutoff date of October 14, 2026.
- Linux remains a marginal player on Steam, holding approximately 1.2% of the total user share, despite continued gains from the Steam Deck and Proton compatibility layer.
- macOS accounts for roughly 2.5% of Steam users, with Apple Silicon Macs now representing the majority of that segment.
- The survey is opt-in and updates monthly, but Valve weights the data to reflect the broader Steam population of over 120 million monthly active users.
Breaking It Down
The shift from Windows 10 to Windows 11 on Steam has been building for over two years, but the pace of change has accelerated dramatically since late 2025. The primary catalyst was Microsoft's decision to set a hard end-of-support date for Windows 10: October 14, 2026. With that deadline now less than six months away, gamers—who are typically early adopters of new hardware and software—have moved in large numbers to ensure continued security updates and compatibility with the latest titles.
Windows 11 gained 20.92 percentage points in 12 months, while Windows 10 lost 18.65 percentage points—nearly a one-to-one transfer of users.
This near-perfect correlation suggests that the migration is largely a direct swap rather than new users entering the ecosystem. The Steam platform's user base is mature and stable, so the data reflects an existing population making an OS upgrade decision. Gamers are uniquely sensitive to performance and compatibility: Windows 11's features like DirectStorage, Auto HDR, and better support for modern CPUs with hybrid architectures (such as Intel's 12th through 15th Gen processors) have become de facto requirements for many AAA titles released in 2025 and 2026.
The remaining Windows 10 holdouts—approximately 37.8 million users based on Steam's 120 million monthly active base—are likely running older hardware that does not meet Windows 11's strict TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot requirements. Microsoft has offered no official bypass for these systems beyond the initial unsupported installation workaround, which remains unsupported and does not receive updates. This hardware wall has effectively forced a large portion of the PC gaming community to either upgrade their machines or risk being left behind.
Linux continues to show slow but steady growth, now at 1.2%, driven almost entirely by the Steam Deck, which runs a custom Arch Linux-based OS (SteamOS 3.x). However, this share remains trivial compared to Windows. The Steam Deck's success has not translated into a broader desktop Linux migration for gaming, as most Deck owners also maintain a Windows PC for higher-end gaming or compatibility with anti-cheat software that does not function under Proton.
What Comes Next
The next six months will be decisive for the remaining Windows 10 holdouts. Several concrete developments are on the horizon:
- October 14, 2026 — Microsoft's final end-of-support date for Windows 10. After this, no security updates will be issued for the OS. Expect a final surge of migrations in September and early October, potentially pushing Windows 11's Steam share above 75% .
- Valve's June 2026 Survey — The next monthly data point will show whether the migration rate is accelerating as the deadline approaches. A jump above 70% would confirm the trend is still building.
- Microsoft's potential extension — While unlikely, Microsoft has historically extended support for enterprise customers at a cost. Consumer (Home/Pro) editions are almost certainly locked to the October date. Any announcement of a paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for consumers would change the migration calculus.
- New game release requirements — Several major publishers, including Ubisoft and Electronic Arts, are expected to announce that their holiday 2026 titles will require Windows 11 for DirectStorage and ray tracing optimizations, further pressuring holdouts.
The Bigger Picture
This migration is part of two larger dynamics in technology. First, Microsoft's OS Monetization Shift — Windows 11 represents a move toward a more Apple-like hardware lock-in, with TPM 2.0 and CPU generation requirements that effectively shorten the usable lifespan of older PCs. This is driving a faster upgrade cycle among gamers, who are the most performance-sensitive segment of the PC market. Second, The Platform Consolidation Trend — As Windows 11 approaches near-universal adoption on Steam (projected above 80% by end of 2026), the already tiny marketshare for macOS and Linux becomes even less attractive for game developers, reinforcing a cycle where Windows dominance becomes self-perpetuating.
The data also underscores a broader reality: gaming remains the primary driver of consumer PC upgrades. The 20-point swing in 12 months is not happening on enterprise machines or casual office PCs—it's happening in the living rooms and bedrooms of gamers who need the latest OS to run the latest titles. Valve's survey is the clearest real-time indicator of consumer OS migration behavior available anywhere in the industry.
Key Takeaways
- [Windows 11 Dominance]: 67.74% of Steam users now run Windows 11, a 20.92 percentage point gain in one year, driven by Microsoft's October 2026 end-of-support deadline for Windows 10.
- [Migration is Nearly Complete]: The shift is almost entirely a direct transfer from Windows 10, with the two OS shares moving in near-perfect inverse correlation.
- [Hardware Wall Remains]: The remaining ~31.5% of Steam users on Windows 10 are likely blocked by TPM 2.0 and CPU requirements, facing a forced upgrade or obsolescence by October 14, 2026.
- [Linux Still Niche]: Despite Steam Deck's success, Linux holds only 1.2% of Steam users, confirming that Windows remains the de facto gaming platform with no serious challenger on the horizon.
