The monthly Steam Hardware Survey remains one of the most useful tools to understand what hardware PC gamers actually use worldwide. However, its data should always be read with caution. The latest edition offers insights into RAM, operating systems, and the real distribution of graphics cards among millions of Valve users. The picture is very different from the world of enthusiasts who chase the newest hardware. The high price of products like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 puts them out of reach for most players, and the data confirms this.
Before looking at the numbers, it is important to mention a recent issue. The Steam Client Beta update notes revealed a bug, now fixed, where the VRAM of some graphics cards was reported incorrectly. This means some past GPU data may have been inaccurate. Steam statistics should therefore be seen as trend indicators, not absolute truth.
16 GB of RAM Still Leads
The most relevant figure for system memory is 16 GB of RAM, which remains the most common setup at 40.24% of surveyed PCs. This is a drop of less than 1% compared to the end of last year, a very small change.
It is unclear whether this shift comes from users upgrading or from changes in the RAM market. In any case, recent tests confirm that 16 GB is still enough for modern gaming.
Windows 11 gained only +0.11%, reaching 66.71% of the total share. The increase is minimal, especially since Windows 10 entered its final support phase last October.
Windows 10 is still installed on 27.79% of surveyed systems. Users in the European Economic Area can receive extended security updates for free, which slightly reduces short-term risks. However, staying on an operating system without full support remains a long-term security concern.
