For the first time, the monthly Steam Hardware Survey shows a majority of gamers are playing on systems with at least 10GB of VRAM.
Not having enough VRAM has been a problem for PC gamers for much of this console generation, but it’s become far more pronounced in recent years. Although I’d argue 8GB is still fine if you’re not playing the latest AAA games or anything above 1080p, there are games that demand more, and 10GB+ may become standard for future games.
Gamers seem to be ready. As of July 2026, 51.42% of surveyed Steam gamers have at least 10GB of VRAM. The bulk of that is made up of those on 12GB (12.88%) and 16GB (25.9%), but there are also 5.43% of us on 24GB; 4090 and 7900 XTX gang represent!
The 16GB cohort is particularly impressive, as it alone eclipses the 25.32% of gamers running a card with 8GB of VRAM. It also grew the most in the past month, raising its share of the survey by 1.4% since June.
There are still a lot of gamers running 6GB, 4GB, and 2GB cards,but fortunately for them, most of those groups are shrinking. Indeed, all sub-16GB groupings lost survey share last month, except for the 2GB gamers. Pour one out for the more than 4% gaming on 1GB or less.
Nvidia cards still dominate, despite the popularity of the RX 9000-series. (Credit: Valve)
As for what cards people are playing with, the RTX 3060 has made a surprise reappearance at the top of the pile, possibly driven by its re-release. It maintained its near-4% market share since June, enough to beat the RTX 4060 laptop GPU, which fell to second place, alongside the RTX 4060 desktop, with an equal 3.6% share among survey respondents.
Recommended by Our Editors
AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT vs. Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti: Which Midrange Graphics Card Is Right for You?
Listings for RTX 5070 Mobile Laptops With 12GB VRAM Spotted Online
Nvidia: RTX 5070 Ti Cards Are Not ‘End of Life,’ All Models Still Shipping
Although the high prices of new graphics cards are slowing upgrades, it’s clear they’re heading toward RTX 50-series cards. The RTX 5070 is now the most popular of its generation, nailing a fourth-place spot on the charts and a 3.62% share of the market. The RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti aren’t far behind.
AMD’s RX 9000 series cards, meanwhile, are lower on the list though they’re picking up steam compared with previous generations. The 9060 XT ranks in the top 25 with a 1.4% share, and in the top 35 with 0.76%.
About Our Expert
Jon Martindale
Contributor
Experience
Jon Martindale is a tech journalist from the UK, with 20 years of experience covering all manner of PC components and associated gadgets. He’s written for a range of publications, including ExtremeTech, Digital Trends, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, and Lifewire, among others. When not writing, he’s a big board gamer and reader, with a particular habit of speed-reading through long manga sagas.
Jon covers the latest PC components, as well as how-to guides on everything from how to take a screenshot to how to set up your cryptocurrency wallet. He particularly enjoys the battles between the top tech giants in CPUs and GPUs, and tries his best not to take sides.
Jon’s gaming PC is built around the iconic 7950X3D CPU, with a 7900XTX backing it up. That’s all the power he needs to play lightweight indie and casual games, as well as more demanding sim titles like Kerbal Space Program. He uses a pair of Jabra Active 8 earbuds and a SteelSeries Arctis Pro wireless headset, and types all day on a Logitech G915 mechanical keyboard.
- Here’s How AMD Zen 6 Could Help Eliminate Gaming Frame Rate Stutters
- Remember Winamp? It’s Making a Comeback in 2027
- The Best Portable Scanners for 2026
- First RX 9050 Tests Suggest It’s Much Slower Than RTX 5050
- Steam Deck Patch Boosts Low Frame Rates by 30% for Smoother Gameplay
- More from Jon Martindale
