Steam on Linux Jumps to 5.33% in March and More Than Doubles macOS Share

A widely shared r/pcgaming post is drawing attention to a striking March result in Valve’s Steam Hardware & Software Survey. As reported by Phoronix, Linux reached 5.33% of surveyed Steam users in March 2026, the first time it has cleared the 5% mark and more than doubled the macOS share of 2.35%.

The jump is big enough that it needs context. Phoronix notes Linux was around 3.5% at the end of 2025 and dropped to 2.23% in February. Moving from that level to 5.33% in a single month is unusual, especially while Windows slipped to 92.33%. The report also flags a large decline in Simplified Chinese usage and a parallel rise in English, suggesting regional survey normalization may have amplified the shift.

Why the number matters

Even if part of the jump reflects survey corrections, the result still reinforces a long-running trend: Linux gaming is no longer a fringe footnote on Steam. Phoronix says roughly a quarter of Linux users in the March survey were on SteamOS, which shows how much the Steam Deck ecosystem is shaping the platform’s share and visibility.

Linux: 5.33% of the March survey.

macOS: 2.35%.

Windows: 92.33%.

The hardware mix matters too. Phoronix says AMD CPU usage among Linux Steam users remains just under 70%, reflecting the weight of AMD-friendly Linux drivers and Steam Deck hardware in the installed base. For developers, that combination makes Linux support easier to justify than it was a few years ago, especially for PC releases that already target Proton or Steam Deck verification.

The smart reading is not that Linux suddenly became a mainstream desktop gaming majority. It is that Valve now has enough platform gravity, device volume, and software compatibility to push Linux past old ceilings. Whether March proves to be a spike or a new floor, PC publishers can no longer dismiss Linux as statistical noise.