14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft launched Windows 10 as the ideal operating system not only for working but also for gaming, with a number of new technologies, such as DirectX12, being offered to make this activity the best ever on a Windows PC.
As a result, the moment Windows 10 launched on July 29, the majority of gamers running Windows 7 and 8.1 rushed to upgrade to the new OS, with the biggest incentive obviously being the free upgrade offer that Microsoft prepared for genuine users.
Statistics provided by Steam for its gaming platform Valve show that Windows 10 has been a success until now, and it has recorded one of the biggest share increases in the last couple of years. What's more, it becomes a powerful rival to Windows 7, which has been the top option for Steam gamers for many years after launch.
Windows 10, the only OS with an increase
Last month, Windows 10 was the only operating system that actually scored an increase in the number of users (aside from Windows Vista 64-bit, which also improved its share by 0.01 percent).
Windows 7 64-bit remained number one but lost no less than 5.26 percent of users, dropping to 39.71 percent. Windows 8.1 64-bit was the runner-up with 23.36 percent, down 7.60 percent, while Windows 10 64-bit already jumped on the third position with 16.39 percent. The increase this Windows 10 version has achieved is overwhelming: 13.17 percent in just 30 days.
Overall, Windows powers 95.76 percent of the machines running Steam, down 0.16 percent from the month before, while OS X improved by 0.09 percentage points and achieved 3.22 percent. Linux is third with 0.92 percent, up 0.07 percent.
Windows 10 is expected to continue its growth on Steam, as the new OS is yet to land on all PCs eligible for an upgrade. The Windows 10 rollout continues, so Windows 7 is very likely to lose its leading spot on Steam very soon.