New data from Steam shows an interesting turnaround in the PC market. Linux has crossed the 5% share barrier among gamers, while the RTX 5070 video card, after a brief surge in popularity, has returned to more "normal" figures.
According to the Steam Hardware Survey, the share of Linux systems among gamers has grown by approximately 5%, reaching one of the highest levels in the platform's history. This is another sign that the Windows alternative, fueled by Steam Deck and Proton, is systematically gaining traction.
Although Windows still dominates, the growth of Linux is evident and fits into the trend observed for months: more and more players are testing or switching to SteamOS-based systems.
In parallel, the situation in the video card market looks interesting. The RTX 5070, which suddenly "shot up" to around 9.4% in February 2026, returned to approximately 2.7–2.8% in the next survey.
The sharp drop confirms suspicions that the February result was an anomaly, likely related to an influx of new users and specific market conditions, rather than a real jump in hardware sales. Currently, the RTX 5070 remains one of the most popular cards, but does not dominate the market as it might have seemed a month earlier.
The entire report shows two things. Firstly, Linux is growing slowly but consistently. Secondly, even impressive hardware results in such surveys can be temporary. For the industry, this is a signal that the future of PC gaming is becoming increasingly diverse in terms of both systems and hardware.
