Windows 11 Now Surpasses Windows 10 in Popularity for PC Gaming

Windows 11 has overtaken Windows 10 in usage on Steam for the first time, marking a positive shift for Microsoft’s latest operating system.

Since its launch in 2021, Windows 11 has steadily gained ground among Steam users, despite Windows 10’s strong hold over the past few years. Microsoft has been preparing for the end of support for Windows 10 in October 2025, and now, the adoption of Windows 11 seems to be accelerating.

According to Steam’s August hardware survey data, Windows 11 usage has risen to 49%, a 3% increase from July’s figure of nearly 46%. Meanwhile, Windows 10 usage has dropped by approximately 3%, now standing at 47%. macOS and Linux usage on Steam has remained largely unchanged during this period.

Beyond Steam, Windows 11’s adoption across the web has also grown over the past year. In July 2023, it held a market share of around 23%, which has now increased to nearly 32% in August 2024, as reported by StatCounter.

Leaked data from October indicated that Windows 11 was installed on over 400 million devices at the time, showing a slower adoption rate compared to Windows 10. While it took Windows 10 just one year to reach 400 million active devices, Windows 11 took two years to hit the same milestone. This slower pace can be attributed to the stricter hardware requirements for Windows 11, including the need for a TPM security chip and processors released from 2018 onwards.

Although Windows 11 was offered as a free upgrade to Windows 10 users, many older machines were unable to upgrade due to these hardware requirements. In contrast, Windows 10 was made available as a free upgrade to Windows 7 and 8 users, with fewer hardware restrictions, allowing millions to upgrade without needing to purchase new devices.

Looking ahead, Microsoft plans to charge businesses for continued use of Windows 10 after support ends in October 2025. Consumers will also have the option to pay for additional security updates for Windows 10 for the first time, though Microsoft has only provided business pricing details so far.