2025 has been a year of significant news related to operating systems. The first of these was the end of support for Windows 10, always a traumatic moment for Windows users. It's common for them to be reluctant to upgrade to a newer version of Windows, but what has happened this year is that many haven't even been able to update. There have been other news stories of this kind, but the latest one features Bazzite.
Bazzite is a Fedora-based operating system that looks to SteamOS to offer a polished gaming experienceAlthough I know it has considerable room for improvement (its gameplay didn't work very well). when I used it), the games yes They perform much better than on Windows.And that alone is reason enough to at least give it a chance. This week, as reported by the specialized media outlet... Windows CentralIt has been reported that "thousands of gamers are installing Bazzite instead of sticking with Windows."
Thousands of gamers are installing Bazzite instead of sticking with Windows.
Bazzite's official account on X published The statistics for 2025 show that since April, user numbers have jumped from just under 15000 per month to nearly 50000. In the last month alone, their user base has multiplied by 1.25. Is this in itself a threat to Windows? Not at all; this alone isn't enough. But we need to put things in context.
90% of Windows games already work on LinuxIt's true that some games have the "bronze" rating, meaning the user has to tinker with the settings a bit more to get them working, but they are ultimately playable. The 10% that are "broken" are usually so because they are online games that also trigger some kind of in-app purchase. anti-cheat Not compatible with Linux. To summarize this point, It could be said that all Windows games work on Linux unless their developers explicitly block it..
Besides working, they do so with better performance. For players like me, who aren't very demanding, increase from 40 to 52-53fps It won't represent a huge change, but for the most demanding players it is important. At the very least, it's something that catches their attention.
Bazzite is compatible with TPM
Bazzite is Compatible with TPM 2.0, but not requiredLooking at the figures and dates, everything seems to indicate that some of those nearly 35000 players who joined Bazzite in 2025 did so because of the Windows 11 requirements for installation.
It's pure speculation, but I think many did it out of spite, out of anger towards Microsoft. Installing Bazzite isn't difficult, but I think many of those who did it might have used some trick to install Windows 11 on unsupported computers.
The Steam Machine could indeed be the turning point
What can change things quite a bit is the Steam Machine coming next springThere will be plenty of news about the new machine; in fact, we've already published a lot about it (and we'll publish even more before and after its launch), and that news will be part of its marketing. Furthermore, Valve is preparing its own tool to facilitate dual Windows/SteamOS installations, so many will do as I do: use Linux to play almost everything and only switch to Windows when absolutely necessary.
The Steam Machine will join the existing Steam Deck and Bazzite, so I don't think it's impossible that the Linux gaming market share will approach or exceed 10%. It's still not a figure that threatens Windows' dominance, but every journey begins with a first step. And if developers decide to relax their anti-cheat measures or use some that are compatible with Linux… we'll have to see what happens.
Currently, Linux gamers make up less than 4% of the total, while Windows accounts for nearly 95%. If Linux gains around 5% and Windows drops below 90%, then we'll be entering uncharted territory.