Windows 11 is poised to finally become more popular than Windows 10 – at least with PC gamers

PC gamer playing on a desktop
(Image credit: Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock)

The Steam hardware survey for June 2024 has revealed that Windows 11 is soon to overtake Windows 10 as the most popular operating system on the gaming platform.

According to Valve's most recent figures, Windows 11 now accounts for a total of 46.63% of users on the platform (of which, in total, there were over 37 million people last month). That's an increase of 0.55% on the previous month.

Windows 10 still edges out the newer OS for now, remaining in the lead with 49.42%, although it's only a few percent ahead now - and saw a decrease of 0.93% in June.

Given this kind of trajectory with Windows 11 on the up, and Windows 10 declining, it'll likely only take a couple of months for the former to claim pole position, finally.

As for other Windows versions, they amount to less than 1% (Windows 7 and 8), and are pretty much irrelevant at this point.

In fact, there are now more users on macOS 14.5 at 1.31% than these two older versions of Windows, and Linux is further ahead at 2.08% (likely thanks to its usage in the Steam Deck as SteamOS). Of course, Microsoft's desktop operating system will continue to be dominant for many years to come, no doubt.

Despite Windows 11's success here, it hasn't been without problems. Far from it, and indeed in recent times, the OS has travelled along a very rocky road. That includes the appearance of more advertising than ever in everything from the Weather app to the Start menu of all things. There have also been instability issues for some users, with Microsoft pausing the rollout of new features, and the taskbar breaking, as well as some unlucky Windows 11 users finding themselves stuck in reboot loop hell

Steam logo on a Windows 11 background

(Image credit: Microsoft / Valve)

Windows 11 is destined to take the OS crown

The numbers don't lie. Despite its issues, Windows 11 is on track to soon become the biggest operating system for PC gamers. In a way, it kind of wins by default as it's naturally going to be supported for longer, and will continue to receive essential security updates and improvements as Microsoft sends Windows 10 off to pasture.

Still, all the recent problems won't help persuade Windows 10 users to migrate, and indeed outside of the gaming world, adoption of Windows 11 has proved far more sluggish. Worryingly so for Microsoft, given that Windows 11 is a free upgrade too (though some folks can't upgrade due to the hardware requirements of the new OS, of course).

Windows 10 will no longer be supported come October 2025, so one way or another, in not much more than a year, people are going to be forced to upgrade to Windows 11, or look at an alternative such as Linux (or pay for extended Windows 10 support, which is a third option).

You may also like...

Aleksha McLoughlin
Contributor

Formerly TechRadar Gaming's Hardware Editor, Aleksha McLoughlin is now a freelance writer and editor specializing in computing tech, video games, and E-commerce. As well as her many contributions to this site, you'll also find her work available on sister sites such as PC Gamer, GamesRadar, and Android Central. Additionally, more of her bylines can be found on Trusted Reviews, Dexerto, Expert Reviews, Techopedia, PC Guide, VideoGamer, and more.

Read more
Windows 11
Has the rush to upgrade to Windows 11 just begun? New stats show a marked uptick as Windows 10 End of Life looms later in 2025
female PC gamer playing on a desktop
Microsoft lays out reasons Windows 10 gamers should upgrade to Windows 11, but I can pick a few holes in these arguments
a person's hands holding a black PC gaming handheld
Microsoft is finally fighting back against the rise of SteamOS by overhauling Windows 11 to be better on handhelds
Ryzen 9000 promotional material
AMD's most powerful processor ever actually runs better on Windows 10 than Windows 11
Windows 11 forced onto old hardware
Windows 11 is still my favorite OS, ads and all
A finger touching a screen showing the Windows 11 logo
5 reasons why I’m finally upgrading to Windows 11 in January
Latest in Windows
Printer
No, your printer isn't possessed: a Windows 11 23H2 bug could be making it print random characters when connected via USB
Man having Windows 11 problems with his laptop
Fed up of adverts creeping into Windows 11? You won’t like Microsoft’s latest update, then, although it does provide some important bug fixes
Acer Aspire 14 AI laptop display showing the Windows 11 login screen
Shock, horror – I’m not going to argue with Microsoft’s latest bit of nagging in Windows 11, as this pop-up is justified
A laptop on a desk with the Windows 11 background on its screen.
Microsoft is adding image editing and compression to its Windows Share feature - and I couldn't be happier
AOC Agon Pro AG276FK gaming monitor tilted slightly to the side, showing the Windows desktop screen
Windows 11 users get ready for more ‘recommendations’ from Microsoft – but I’m relieved to say these suggestions might actually be useful
Microsoft Store logo on a blurred background
There's finally a fix for an annoying Microsoft Store bug that's older than Windows 11
Latest in News
The Google Gemini logo against a black background.
I tried Gemini's new AI image generation tool - here are 5 ways to get the best art from Google's upcoming Flash 2.0 built-in image upgrade
An image of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra from a hands-on event
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could resurrect an intriguing camera feature
Eurocom Raptor X18
At $15,000, this massive 256GB RAM laptop makes Apple's MacBook Pro look affordable, tiny and very, very slow
Cristin Milioti in Black Mirror season 7
Netflix launches trailer for Black Mirror season 7, giving us a look at its first-ever sequel episode and an unexpected returning character
A graphic of the PC Gaming Show
Get ready for a bounty of PC games on June 8, as the PC Gaming show is back
A close up of The Daily podcast from Pocket Casts' web page
‘Podcasting shouldn’t be locked behind walled gardens’: Pocket Casts slams Spotify and makes its web player free to all