32GB Main Memory Becoming the New Standard for Gaming PCs

Recent data from Steam's monthly hardware survey reveals a significant shift in the memory capacity landscape for gaming PCs. While 16GB of RAM has long been the mainstream standard, its share is declining, making way for 32GB configurations, which are steadily gaining popularity and expected to become dominant within the year.

Trends in RAM Capacity Share

The latest survey data up to August 2025 shows that the share of gaming PCs equipped with 16GB of RAM has decreased from 43.12% in March to 41.67% in August, a dip of about 2.5%. Conversely, 32GB systems increased from 32.85% to 35.42% in the same period, marking a growth of approximately 3.5%. This indicates a clear and steady transition towards higher memory capacities among gamers.

Reasons Behind the Shift

Several factors are driving this trend. Modern games, especially open-world titles with expansive maps, demand more memory to run smoothly. Graphical fidelity has also seen marked improvements, which in turn require larger memory pools. Additionally, the price of DDR5 memory, particularly in larger capacities, has dropped noticeably, making upgrades more affordable. Many newly purchased gaming PCs now come standard with 32GB of RAM, further accelerating this shift.

Impact of Windows 11 Transition

With around 35% of Steam users still on Windows 10 as of August 2025, and the planned end of support for Windows 10 in October 2025, many users are expected to either upgrade their current systems or purchase new PCs. Given that many new machines feature 32GB RAM as standard and the declining prices of DDR5, the share of 32GB PCs is likely to surpass that of 16GB configurations before the end of the year, establishing itself as the new mainstream standard.