Linux User Share Surpasses Multi-Year High on Steam in May 2025
Linux user share on Steam reached an impressive 2.69% in May 2025, marking the highest level since at least 2018, according to GamingOnLinux. This represents a significant 0.42% increase from the previous month, with Windows maintaining its dominant position at 95.45% and macOS holding steady at 1.85%. The growth in Linux adoption is not directly tied to the newer SteamOS 3, which saw only marginal gains in its availability. Instead, the rise seems to stem from the broader Linux community on Steam, with various distributions seeing increased adoption.
Among the Linux distributions, SteamOS Holo 64 bit remained the most popular at 30.95%, although it experienced a slight decline of 2.83% compared to the previous month. Arch Linux 64 bit and Linux Mint 22.1 64 bit also saw notable increases, with the former gaining 0.64% and the latter 1.56%. Freedesktop SDK 24.08 (Flatpak runtime) 64 bit also saw a rise of 1.01%. These trends suggest a growing interest in Linux for gaming, especially as developers continue to optimize their titles for Linux platforms.
While the overall Linux user share on Steam has been increasing steadily, the market remains primarily dominated by Windows. However, the sustained growth in Linux adoption indicates a shifting landscape in gaming platforms, with more developers and gamers recognizing the benefits of Linux for gaming. As Linux continues to gain traction, the gaming industry may see further innovation and expansion of Linux-based gaming solutions in the coming years.