Steam's latest hardware and software survey for August 2024 has unveiled a significant shift in the operating system landscape among its users. Windows 11 has now surpassed the 50% mark, capturing the attention of the gaming community with a usage rate of 50.81% among Windows Steam users. This marks an increase of 3.36% from the previous month, signaling a robust transition towards Microsoft's latest operating system.
Windows 10's Decline
In contrast, the venerable Windows 10 has seen a decline, now holding 48.66% of the market share, a drop of 3.29%. Meanwhile, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 continue to linger in the background, with usage rates of 0.38% and 0.07%, respectively. Both of these older systems are unsupported, having lost security updates—Windows 7 in January 2020 and Windows 8.1 in January 2023. This raises concerns for users still operating on these platforms, as they are advised to upgrade to at least Windows 10 or consider alternatives like Linux Mint.
RAM Configurations and Language Trends
The survey also sheds light on the hardware configurations of Steam users. The most prevalent RAM configuration is now 16 GB, utilized by 47.35% of users, reflecting a growth of 1.50%. Following closely is 32 GB at 30.76%, while 8 GB has dropped to 10.16%, indicating a trend towards higher memory setups among gamers.
In a broader context, language preferences among Windows users on Steam have also evolved. Earlier this year, Simplified Chinese emerged as the most common language, and in August, it further solidified its lead with a usage rate of 35.97%, an increase of 3.05%. English, on the other hand, has seen a decline, now representing 29.79% of users, down by 2.83%.
As Windows 11 continues to gain traction, it stands poised to eclipse Windows 10, especially with the latter's retirement date set for October 14, 2025. However, the data indicates that a segment of users may remain on older systems, highlighting the challenges of transitioning away from established platforms.
