Windows 11 is now the dominant OS among PC gamers

According to sources like StatCounter, which covers all PCs, Windows 10 is still by far the most used Windows operating system among PC users, with a 60% market share. However, looking at PC gamers - specifically, the data supplied by Valve as part of its monthly Steam Hardware & Survey Results - Windows 11 is pulling ahead.

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According to Valve's latest data, which now includes October 2024 data, 51.97% of all Steam users are on Windows 11. With Windows accounting for 96.61% of PC gamer operating systems, Windows 10 has dropped to second place with 45.95% - a figure that is 2.71% lower than September's data.

Why are PC gamers adopting or making the jump to Windows 11 versus the rest of the PC community? It comes down to the operating system's more robust integration of DirectX 12 technologies like DirectStorage and cutting-edge visual effects like ray tracing. Plus, gamers are more likely to upgrade regularly versus businesses and those simply using their PCs for day-to-day tasks like shopping and checking emails.

Outside of Windows, Linux (which includes the Steam Deck's custom SteamOS interface) is a distant second with 2%, followed by MacOS with 1.39%. Although these numbers are tiny compared to Windows, their shares grew in October.

Other notable figures from the Steam Hardware & Survey Results for October 2024 include 16GB of system memory being the configuration of choice with a 46.75% share, followed by 32GB of RAM at 31.61%. 1080p displays continue to dominate, with 57.32% of PC gamers rocking a Full HD display and 19.71% using a 1440p display.

Check out our story on NVIDIA's continued dominance below for a breakdown of the latest Steam GPU numbers.

• Read more: Top 34 GPUs among PC gamers are all GeForce, NVIDIA is competing against itself
• Read more: GeForce RTX 4060 is now the second most popular GPU, and the RTX 4060 Ti not far behind
• Read more: Steam data shows GeForce RTX 4060, 4060 Ti, and 4070 as the GPUs of choice for this generation
• Read more: Windows 11 is finally the most popular operating system in the world... for PC gamers