NVIDIA dips to lowest GPU share in over a year as AMD and new-gen cards reshape Steam’s hardware landscape.
The Steam Hardware & Software Survey for March, April, and May 2026 reveals significant shifts in GPU market share, the rapid adoption of next-generation graphics cards, and changing system configuration trends among PC gamers. The March data specifically corrects an anomaly from February's results, setting the stage for a turbulent quarter for new hardware entries from both NVIDIA and AMD.
GPU Market Share & Popularity Rankings
Overall Market Share
According to the March 2026 survey:
- NVIDIA's total GPU market share (including integrated graphics) declined to 72.8%. This is the lowest figure recorded in over a year.
- AMD's total GPU market share increased to 18.5%, a level consistent with figures observed at the start of 2026.
Individual GPU Rankings
The March 2026 survey showed that older generation cards still dominate the chart, but a new leader has emerged in the current generation.
- The GeForce RTX 3060 regained the position of the most popular GPU among surveyed PC gamers.
- The GeForce RTX 4060 held the second position.
- The GeForce RTX 5070 ranked as the fifth most popular GPU overall. It is the most popular card within the current generation of GeForce RTX and Radeon RX models. Within the past year, its surveyed adoption surpassed that of the GeForce RTX 3070, RTX 4070, and RTX 5060.
The GeForce RTX 5070 is the most popular current-generation card, surpassing the RTX 3070, RTX 4070, and RTX 5060 in adoption within a year.
New Hardware Entries
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series (Blackwell)
The April 2026 survey reported that the GeForce RTX 50 series held a 13.41% market share across desktop and laptop systems. Desktop-specific figures from the same survey highlight the early adoption landscape:
- GeForce RTX 5070: 2.86%
- GeForce RTX 5060: 2.57%
- GeForce RTX 5060 Ti: 1.81%
- GeForce RTX 5070 Ti: 1.62%
- GeForce RTX 5080: 1.37%
- GeForce RTX 5090: 0.41%
- GeForce RTX 5050: 0.16% (first appearance)
The GeForce RTX 5070 Ti held a 1.73% share in the May survey, slightly ahead of the RX 9070 XT.
AMD Radeon RX 9000 Series (RDNA 4)
The first RDNA 4-based GPUs appeared in the survey during this period, with a staggered debut.
- The Radeon RX 9070 debuted in the March survey with a 0.16% market share, rising to 0.17% in April.
- The Radeon RX 9070 XT appeared in the May survey with a 1.33% market share.
- The Radeon RX 9060 XT appeared in the May survey with a 0.72% market share.
- The Radeon RX 7800 XT remained the highest-ranked modern Radeon desktop card in the April survey at 1.22%.
Apple M2
- The Apple M2 appeared as a new entry in the video card category in the April survey with a 1.77% share. Valve has not provided specific details on this entry.
System Configuration Trends
VRAM and Memory
- In the April survey, systems with 16GB of VRAM increased by 1.98 percentage points to 23.51%. The 8GB VRAM category remained the most common at 26.76%, a decline of 0.76 percentage points.
- In the May survey, 16GB RAM systems gained popularity over 32GB configurations, attributed by some sources to volatile pricing.
The 16GB VRAM segment is growing rapidly, while 8GB remains the most common, though its share is declining.
CPU Trends
The May survey reported a clear shift toward higher core counts.
- Eight-core CPUs constituted the fastest-growing CPU segment.
- Six-core and ten-core processor shares declined slightly.
- AMD's CPU share was reported at 45% and continuing to increase.
Storage
- The May survey indicated that SSDs larger than 1TB decreased by 1.23% as buyers shifted to smaller drives.
Operating System Trends
The May 2026 survey reported a stable but fragmented OS landscape.
- Windows market share rose by 0.38% to 94%.
- Linux held 4% of the market, macOS 2%.
- Within Linux distributions, CachyOS doubled its share to 0.5%, trailing SteamOS at 0.9%.