The State of Linux Gaming: A 10% Slice and What It Means
A recent statistic from early September 2025 caught the eye: in one week, out of 458 games released on Steam for Windows, 44 also received a native Linux client. This represents 9.6% of the total—almost one in every ten games.
At first glance, it might not seem like much. Windows remains the undisputed king of PC gaming. However, for those who have followed the penguin’s ecosystem for years, this number is a testament to how far we’ve come.
The Age of Viability
There was a time, not long ago, when gaming on Linux was an exercise in patience and workarounds. Wine, Cedega, and complex scripts were the daily bread for running anything that wasn’t an open-source game. The idea of having nearly 50 games, including commercial titles, get native support in a single week would have been a dream.
Today, the situation is different. Thanks to initiatives like Valve’s Proton, the barrier to playing Windows-exclusive titles has been drastically lowered. But the 9.6% figure is about something even more important: native support. It shows that a significant portion of developers, especially in the indie scene, see Linux as a market worth the effort of compiling and maintaining a dedicated version.
The Steam Deck Effect
One cannot discuss the state of Linux gaming without mentioning the elephant in the room: the Steam Deck. Valve’s handheld console, running a version of Arch Linux (SteamOS), has legitimized Linux as a gaming platform in a way that no desktop distribution could alone.
Developers who optimize their games for the Steam Deck are, by extension, improving compatibility with Linux in general. And, as we see, many are going a step further by offering a native client that ensures the best possible performance and stability without the need for compatibility layers.
The Future is Bright, But With Caveats
The 9.6% number is encouraging. It solidifies Linux as a fully viable gaming platform, no longer just a niche for enthusiasts. The convenience of the Steam Deck and the robustness of Proton will continue to drive adoption.
However, the reliance on Proton for major AAA titles is still a reality. Native support, while growing, is still predominantly an indie phenomenon. The big question for the future is whether major studios will ever see native Linux support as a standard, not an exception.
For now, the community can celebrate. Having a slice of almost 10% of the Steam pie is a significant milestone and a clear sign that the penguin, in the world of gaming, is here to stay.
Data source: BoilingSteam - New Steam Games with Native Linux Clients
