Valve’s latest Steam Hardware & Software Survey reveals that SteamOS has crossed the 21% mark among Linux users on the platform. The statistic offers a snapshot of the Steam Deck’s footprint within the Linux gaming ecosystem.
Linux itself accounts for roughly 2–3% of all Steam users. Within that slice, SteamOS now claims more than one-fifth of the territory. That makes the Steam Deck’s actual presence on Steam fairly modest in absolute terms, but it signals meaningful growth for a handheld that launched in February 2022.
The other side is equally interesting. Nearly 80% of Linux gaming on Steam happens outside SteamOS. Desktop Linux users, other Linux distributions, and potentially other handheld setups make up the majority. If SteamOS share was reportedly higher in previous years, that suggests non-Steam Deck Linux gaming is growing faster than the handheld itself.
SteamOS 3 ships as the default operating system on every Steam Deck. Built on Arch Linux, it features a console-style interface for handheld mode and a full KDE Plasma desktop environment. The OS comes pre-configured with Steam integration, Proton compatibility, and game-specific optimizations that make Windows titles playable without modification.
Proton is the engine behind this shift. Valve’s compatibility layer builds on Wine, the decades-old project that translates Windows API calls into Linux equivalents. Proton adds gaming-specific components like DXVK for DirectX-to-Vulkan translation and VKD3D-Proton for DirectX 12 support. The result is that thousands of Windows-only games run on Linux with minimal hassle.
The anti-cheat problem won’t go away
Multiplayer anti-cheat remains the biggest obstacle to Linux gaming parity. Kernel-level anti-cheat solutions like those used in Call of Duty, Valorant, and other competitive titles often require Windows-specific drivers or system access.
Some solutions like Easy Anti-Cheat and BattlEye offer Linux support pathways, but implementation depends on individual developers enabling the feature.
