New data shows that Windows 10 is really popular with video game fans

Steam, the popular gaming service, has tracked the usage of Windows 10 over the past month and the results are in: Windows 10 is popular among gamers.

According to the data, the number of Windows 10 users on Steam has increased by 13.68% since July, bringing total usage to over 17%. In comparison, usage of Windows 7 and 8.1 is down a collective 12.8%.

The older operating systems do, however, still command a strong lead of almost 40% share for Windows 7 and a little over 23% for Windows 8.1. In total, Windows users make up over 95% of total Steam users - Mac and Linux make up 3.2% and 0.92% respectively - meaning that the growth of Windows 10 represents a significant amount of people.

Earlier reports suggested that while Windows 10 was doing well, only a small number of users were actually using the new apps, such as the Edge browser. While this may be the case, growth in other areas - particularly gamers, who are traditionally hard to please - is a positive sign.

Windows 8 was panned by gamers who disliked the jarring nature of the "Modern UI," which removed the desktop of Windows 7, and so Microsoft will be pleased to see that Windows 10 does not repeat history.