Is AMD on the verge of overtaking? The new Steam Survey should worry Intel
AMD continues to gain ground in the gaming PC market according to the latest data from the Steam Hardware Survey. The monthly survey published by Valve for May 2026 highlights a new all-time high for Ryzen processors, which have reached a share of 44.97% among Windows systems used by users on the platform.
This figure represents a growth of 0.79 percentage points compared to April, when AMD was just above 44%, while Intel has dropped to 55.02%, registering a decline of the same magnitude. When the comparison is extended to the beginning of the year, the trend becomes even more evident: in January, AMD controlled 43.34% of the Steam installed base on Windows, against 56.64% for Intel.
Considering all platforms recorded by the survey, AMD's share reaches 46.06%, a value that testifies to the gradual consolidation of the company in the consumer sector after the relaunch initiated in 2017 with the arrival of the first generation Ryzen based on the Zen architecture.
The growth of AMD's presence in the gaming segment is often associated with the success of CPUs equipped with 3D V-Cache technology, a feature that in recent years has allowed the company to achieve particularly competitive performance in video games. Models such as the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and other solutions continue to see strong demand.
Among the most recent innovations are the celebratory edition of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D for the AM4 platform and the 7700X3D. At the same time, the company has introduced increasingly sophisticated processors in the high-end segment, such as the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2, which for the first time adopts a configuration with additional cache on both eight-core chiplets.
| Month | Intel | AMD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56.64% | 43.34% | - |
| February | 57.04% | 42.95% | - |
| March | 55.82% | 44.17% | - |
| April | 55.81% | 44.18% | - |
| May | 55.02% | 44.97% | - |
| Difference | −0.79% | +0.79% | - |
Despite AMD's steady advance, Intel still maintains a dominant position in the Steam Hardware Survey thanks to an installed base built over many years of leadership. The American manufacturer remains above 55% and aims to reverse the trend with the upcoming generations of processors, including Nova Lake for the desktop market, expected within the year, while on the mobile front, Panther Lake solutions already represent one of the main cards to play.
The evolution of the shares recorded by Steam, however, confirms that the CPU market for PCs is going through a phase of strong competition. On one hand, Ryzen continues to benefit from the excellent reputation gained among enthusiasts and gamers, while on the other hand, Intel still has a significant edge in terms of distribution. Upcoming product launches may therefore prove decisive in determining whether AMD will manage to get closer to the 50% threshold or whether Intel will be able to further strengthen its position.