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When it comes to PC gaming in general, Windows has always been the main OS for users, for its focused development on said OS, and for its compatibility with the vast majority of gaming software available.

While Windows has historically maintained most of the gaming market for PC, other operating systems have also hold a share in it, even if low, like Linux and macOS, which next to Windows, have also their own gaming market. For decades, Windows held the first place, with a percentage of around 95+%, followed closely by macOS and then Linux following with percentages barely breaking above the 1%.

However, due to the popularity of the recently released Steam Deck just a year ago, alongside Valve's own SteamOS, the percentage share for Linux gamers has seen a historical rise in usage, taking the 2nd place with 1.96%, which was held previously by macOS with 1.84%. That 1.96% isn't specific to a particular distribution of Linux, since Linux also ranges from a wide variety of them, with the following braekdown based on Linux distributions for gaming:

SteamOS: 42.07% Arch Linux: 7.94% Ubuntu 22.04.2: 7.38% Freedesktop.org SDK 22.08: 5.99% “Manjaro Linux”: 4.29% Linux Mint 21.1: 3.84% Pop!_OS 22.04: 2.97% Other Linux operating systems: 25.52%

Without a doubt, a huge number of the chart is taken up by SteamOS users, and while SteamOS is the operating system that comes bundled with the Steam Deck, it can also be installed in PCs, though it's unknown just how much of that 42% is taken up by actual Deck users, and how many by PCs with SteamOS users, but it might be safe to say that the majority of that portion from the chart could very well be Steam Deck players.

Source #1
Source #2

 

[Spring_Spring]

Being a game developer only for Linux is becoming more and more viable. I love that. I don't use Windows for anything else than compiling Windows versions of my games at this point.

 

[bonkmaykr]

Am I the only one surprised that Arch has a higher userbase on Steam than Ubuntu does?

inb4 Something something ubuntu users are new and prefer windows so they move back more often

 

[AkikoKumagara]

Am I the only one surprised that Arch has a higher userbase on Steam than Ubuntu does?

inb4 Something something ubuntu users are new and prefer windows so they move back more often

A lot of the Ubuntu users who don't go back to Windows may also move to Arch or something else, but Ubuntu hasn't quite got the stranglehold on new Linux users that it used to, either.

 

[tech3475]

Am I the only one surprised that Arch has a higher userbase on Steam than Ubuntu does?

inb4 Something something ubuntu users are new and prefer windows so they move back more often

Steam OS 3 (the version used on the Steam Deck) is based on Arch, which could explain things.

What I find weird is that Valve still seem to be prioritising Ubuntu/Debian for Steam Linux, given Steam OS 3.

 

[AkikoKumagara]

Steam OS 3 (the version used on the Steam Deck) is based on Arch, which could explain things.

What I find weird is that Valve still seem to be prioritising Ubuntu/Debian for Steam Linux, given Steam OS 3.

SteamOS is listed separately from Arch (as are other Arch-based distros like Manjaro).

 

[Xzi]

SteamOS is listed separately from Arch (as are other Arch-based distros like Manjaro).

Yes but I wonder if it's dependent on which mode you're in when you take the survey (desktop vs gaming mode). Desktop mode surveys might read as Arch.

 

[AkikoKumagara]

Yes but I wonder if it's dependent on which mode you're in when you take the survey (desktop vs gaming mode). Desktop mode surveys might read as Arch.

Doubtful. OS reports based on the same sort of details you'd find in something like neofetch as far as I know.

 

[tech3475]

SteamOS is listed separately from Arch (as are other Arch-based distros like Manjaro).

I wonder if people could be choosing Arch because of Steam OS? At least that was why I looked at it at one point.

That said, I knew someone years ago who said they used Arch because of it's rolling release as opposed to the X.Y version scheme used by most distros.

 

[InsaneNutter]

Being a game developer only for Linux is becoming more and more viable. I love that. I don't use Windows for anything else than compiling Windows versions of my games at this point.

Do you really want to exclude 96.21% of the Steam userbase by becoming a Linux only game developer though?

Regardless, I do think its great so many more games are actually playable on Linux, having the choice of where to play the games we own benefits us all as consumers.

 

[AkiraKurusu]

This device, and others like it, just don't hold any appeal for me - I'm not a traveller, so I don't need portability, and I already have a more powerful computer at home with a fully-functional keyboard, mouse, and 8bitdo Pro 2 controller (which also has my ideal lettered-button orientation)

Also, unlike Nintendo's previous line of handhelds (Game Boy line, DS, and 3DS), these 'gaming handhelds' don't have any real unique gimmicks or an exclusive library - there were reasons to buy and use a DS or 3DS even if you didn't travel, that don't really exist for the Deck or ROG Ally.

 

[mituzora]

Do you really want to exclude 96.21% of the Steam userbase by becoming a Linux only game developer though?

Regardless, I do think its great so many more games are actually playable on Linux, having the choice of where to play the games we own benefits us all as consumers.

I agree with this sentiment surprisingly. Native Linux is great, don't get me wrong, but with Proton becoming so good at running games, I don't see it necessary to make a native Linux port of a game, especially when you are targeting a specific Distro, and your mileage will vary. What's not to say the developer develops a game for Ubuntu and it uses out-of-date libraries that Arch and other bleeding-edge distros use, and thus segment the userbase even more.

As long as developers continue to aid in support of Proton, I don't think targeting Linux native ports is really necessary. Armored Core VI just launched a few days ago, and it's support in Linux is perfect (from what I can tell, I haven't tried any online features yet). It's a night and day difference than it was even 5 years ago.

 

[Metoroid0]

Let's go baby!
Power to the Deck users around the globe!

 

[tech3475]

I agree with this sentiment surprisingly. Native Linux is great, don't get me wrong, but with Proton becoming so good at running games, I don't see it necessary to make a native Linux port of a game, especially when you are targeting a specific Distro, and your mileage will vary. What's not to say the developer develops a game for Ubuntu and it uses out-of-date libraries that Arch and other bleeding-edge distros use, and thus segment the userbase even more.

As long as developers continue to aid in support of Proton, I don't think targeting Linux native ports is really necessary. Armored Core VI just launched a few days ago, and it's support in Linux is perfect (from what I can tell, I haven't tried any online features yet). It's a night and day difference than it was even 5 years ago.

From what I understand, there have been some attempts to remedy this such as flatpack, although this can also cause issues which require work arounds e.g. file permissions (this being both a good and bad thing).

Although I myself have had issues with compatibility between different distros with native software, in some cases requiring me to switch distros or just foregoing what I wanted to do.

That said, I agree that Windows + Proton is likely to be the most practical option as of now for games. Since this will likely require the least amount of work to be done by devs whilst still allowing Linux users reasonably easy access to the software.

Personally though, I'd like to see Proton get extended so more non-games software can see support, in some cases even where FOSS alternatives do exist, they're not always suitable e.g. Libreoffice not working with certain MS Word documents.

 

[mituzora]

From what I understand, there have been some attempts to remedy this such as flatpack, although this can also cause issues which require work arounds e.g. file permissions (this being both a good and bad thing).

Although I myself have had issues with compatibility between different distros with native software, in some cases requiring me to switch distros or just foregoing what I wanted to do.

That said, I agree that Windows + Proton is likely to be the most practical option as of now for games. Since this will likely require the least amount of work to be done by devs whilst still allowing Linux users reasonably easy access to the software.

Personally though, I'd like to see Proton get extended so more non-games software can see support, in some cases even where FOSS alternatives do exist, they're not always suitable e.g. Libreoffice not working with certain MS Word documents.

Flatpaks are nice, but it is true that they can have some issues, especially accessing the rest of the filesystem, and you may have to pass certain arguments to allow r/w access to certain directories, but this is done under the guise of security.

So far, Flatpaks have been pretty good in terms of running games, but I cannot get flatpak lutris to work properly at all (and I think it has to do with the immutable nature of Steam OS)

There has been a lot of work done to get certain proprietary apps to work on linux, such as office and the adobe suite, but they have a lot of issues to overcome. Something like bottles usually works really well with this, but I have yet to test it, because if I really need office, I'll just use the online version of office; the only reason why I need office anyways is for my job, and I get licensing due to working there. Proton was specifically made to overcome the hurdles of running stuff like DX 11 under Wine (before Proton and DXVK, games simply didn't work above DirectX 11) and now it also helps with running anti-cheat, so it's very much a possibility of running a game with proton.

personally, I will always choose FOSS if there's a viable option. I know it's easier to use lightroom for example, but I will stick with Darktable, despite it being clunky and confusing compared to Lightroom.

Edit: to add on to my previous statement, while Flatpaks and other containerized executables like such are a good step in the right direction, I still think it's not a bad idea to target Windows and work on getting proton to support the game; this means the developers only have to develop the one version of the game (excluding console ports mind you)

 

[tech3475]

Flatpaks are nice, but it is true that they can have some issues, especially accessing the rest of the filesystem, and you may have to pass certain arguments to allow r/w access to certain directories, but this is done under the guise of security.

So far, Flatpaks have been pretty good in terms of running games, but I cannot get flatpak lutris to work properly at all (and I think it has to do with the immutable nature of Steam OS)

There has been a lot of work done to get certain proprietary apps to work on linux, such as office and the adobe suite, but they have a lot of issues to overcome. Something like bottles usually works really well with this, but I have yet to test it, because if I really need office, I'll just use the online version of office; the only reason why I need office anyways is for my job, and I get licensing due to working there. Proton was specifically made to overcome the hurdles of running stuff like DX 11 under Wine (before Proton and DXVK, games simply didn't work above DirectX 11) and now it also helps with running anti-cheat, so it's very much a possibility of running a game with proton.

personally, I will always choose FOSS if there's a viable option. I know it's easier to use lightroom for example, but I will stick with Darktable, despite it being clunky and confusing compared to Lightroom.

Edit: to add on to my previous statement, while Flatpaks and other containerized executables like such are a good step in the right direction, I still think it's not a bad idea to target Windows and work on getting proton to support the game; this means the developers only have to develop the one version of the game (excluding console ports mind you)

Last I checked it is possible to 'unlock' Steam OS, which may solve certain compatibility issues, but I don't know if it could potentially cause some others long term.

I do want to try the flatpak version of Alephone/marathon, because until fairly recently that was compile from source and was one of my earliest worst experiences with Linux (it wouldn't compile). IIRC the compile from source version also wouldn't work on Steam OS due to it being 'locked down'.

I get office online via work as well, but from what I can tell it's not feature parity with the 'local' version, missing certain features I use, even if they may seem rather minor. Generally I will try the FOSS versions of software, but I won't force myself to use it if I don't want to for whatever reason, picking and choosing what best suites my needs.

That said, I refuse to use or even pirate Adobe CC because most of their software I want is subscription only with no real personal justification for it, even Office 365 includes OneDrive which does come in handy. If Adobe still sold Photoshop as a one time purchase I probably would have bought at least one version.

 

[mituzora]

Last I checked it is possible to 'unlock' Steam OS, which may solve certain compatibility issues, but I don't know if it could potentially cause some others long term.

It absolutely can, I'm just too lazy to unlock the root filesystem, and don't want to do it all over again when it updates. At some point, I'll install HoloISO and/or Arch and the required stuff to make the Steam Deck work properly, but that's a future endeavor. I don't want to delete my games, and I haven't found a solid answer as to where I have to wipe the home partition or not if I run HoloISO. I don't want to redownload all of my games LMAO

I do want to try the flatpak version of Alephone/marathon, because until fairly recently that was compile from source and was one of my earliest worst experiences with Linux (it wouldn't compile). IIRC the compile from source version also wouldn't work on Steam OS due to it being 'locked down'.

Possibly, but you can in-theory compile something and run it from the home directory as long as the necessary libraries are present on the root filesystem. Though, I stick with Flatpaks due to the simplicity of it all. The issue is that SteamOS may not have stuff like GCC by default or the necessary libraries to support compilation.

I get office online via work as well, but from what I can tell it's not feature parity with the 'local' version, missing certain features I use, even if they may seem rather minor. Generally I will try the FOSS versions of software, but I won't force myself to use it if I don't want to for whatever reason, picking and choosing what best suites my needs.

That's likely true, but I don't use it enough to use the extra features. Also, for work, I'm (sadly) on a Windows machine, so it's not much of an issue for my use-case. For everything else I need non-professionally, LibreOffice works well enough.

That said, I refuse to use or even pirate Adobe CC because most of their software I want is subscription only with no real personal justification for it, even Office 365 includes OneDrive which does come in handy. If Adobe still sold Photoshop as a one time purchase I probably would have bought at least one version.

Lol, I generally agree. I don't really want to pay for Adobe CC at all. That being said, I also get entitlement to several Adobe apps because of my job. I just prefer FOSS and would rather learn the excellent FOSS apps over paying a company like Adobe any day. Heck, I barely remember how to use Photoshop or Lightroom at this point because of GIMP/Krita and Darktable, which are solid replacements that I use in my creative workflow frequently. I thought Adobe also had a cloud storage service with their subscription, but when you're working with RAW photos, I could imagine that filling up way too fast. Not to mention that Darktable, GIMP, Krita, and LibreOffice are cross-platform and work on all of the major OSes, which is a huge plus. that way I can take my workflow and use it on anything.

 

[tech3475]

I thought Adobe also had a cloud storage service with their subscription, but when you're working with RAW photos, I could imagine that filling up way too fast.

Just looked it up and it's only 100GB, for comparison I get 1-6TB with office 365 family (6 users and each get 1TB in addition to 5 devices for office).

Note I use the OneDrive to store (encrypted) backups of important data.