A shift has taken place in the PC memory configurations of Steam users. According to Valve's October 2026 Steam Hardware & Software Survey, the share of PCs equipped with 32GB of RAM across all operating systems dropped by 5.16 percentage points month-over-month, allowing 16GB configurations to reclaim the top spot.
In the October survey, 32GB RAM accounted for a 37.06% share, down 5.16 percentage points from 42.22% in the previous month. Meanwhile, 16GB RAM rose 3.60 percentage points from 37.82% to 41.42%. Additionally, 8GB RAM increased by 1.05 percentage points to 7.52%, while 64GB RAM edged up 0.23 percentage points to 3.94%.
These results draw attention because they stand in sharp contrast to the survey conducted just a month earlier. In September, the share of 32GB RAM grew by 4.77 percentage points, overtaking 16GB to become the most common memory configuration. However, after surrendering most of those gains in October's survey, 16GB returned to the No. 1 spot.
Tech outlet Tom's Hardware raised the possibility that this shift could be tied to supply strains in the memory market caused by soaring demand from the AI industry. It noted that PC manufacturers have recently moved toward more conservative memory and storage setups, adding that the share of systems with storage exceeding 1TB also fell by 4.68 percentage points in this month's survey.
That said, it is difficult to conclude based solely on this survey that PC gamers are actively reducing their memory capacity. The Steam Hardware Survey relies on users opting in to participate, meaning the sample composition fluctuates month to month. Indeed, significant variations were also observed between the September and October surveys regarding major graphics cards, display resolutions, and language breakdowns. Therefore, while these figures serve as a reference point highlighting potential shifts in the memory market, further observation is required to pinpoint the direct cause.
