AMD's RX 9070 Makes Modest Steam Debut as 16GB VRAM Gains Momentum

The latest Steam Hardware Survey reveals AMD's Radeon RX 9000 series has finally made its debut, with the RX 9070 appearing at a modest 0.16% market share. This underwhelming entry comes despite AMD's strategic shift toward mass-market GPUs and the positive reception these cards received in reviews throughout 2025.

RX 9070's Quiet Entry

The RX 9070's appearance in the Steam Hardware Survey marks a significant milestone for AMD's RDNA4 architecture, though the 0.16% share suggests adoption remains tepid. For context, this puts the RX 9070 below Nvidia's aging GeForce GT 730 from 2014, which still maintains a larger presence in the survey.

Interestingly, the RX 9070 XT briefly appeared in December 2025's survey at 0.22% before dropping below the 0.15% threshold for charting. This volatility highlights the limitations of Steam Hardware Survey data, which captures only a snapshot of active Steam gamers and can be influenced by various factors including regional additions and seasonal trends.

Market Context and Competition

While AMD celebrates this first RDNA4 charting, the competitive landscape tells a different story. The last-generation RTX 4060 gained 0.46% market share in the same period, and the newly released RTX 5060 surged ahead with a 0.72% increase. When sorted by monthly gains, the RX 9070 actually climbs to 6th place in the rankings, suggesting stronger momentum than its absolute market share indicates.

This pattern reflects the ongoing challenge AMD faces in shifting gamers away from the established GeForce ecosystem. Despite positive reviews praising the RX 9070's efficiency, quiet operation, and strong mainstream performance at competitive price points, many gamers continue to default to Nvidia's offerings.

16GB VRAM Adoption Accelerates

One of the most notable trends in the January 2026 survey is the dramatic increase in 16GB VRAM adoption. Gamers using 16GB GPUs increased by an impressive 5.85%, while 12GB configurations declined by 4.01% and 8GB setups fell by 3.11%.

This shift suggests growing awareness of VRAM requirements for modern gaming, particularly as games become more demanding and AI-enhanced features become standard. If this trend continues, 16GB VRAM is poised to overtake 12GB as the second-most common VRAM configuration in Steam's survey, potentially as early as February 2026's results.

Technical Context

The RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT launched in early March 2025 with 16GB of VRAM, positioning them well for this emerging trend. Both cards received praise for their mainstream performance, efficient cooling, and meaningful improvements in AI and ray tracing capabilities compared to previous generations. The RX 9060 XT followed in June with both 8GB and 16GB variants, though the 16GB version garnered more positive feedback.

AMD's strategy of focusing on the mass market rather than flagship performance appears to be paying dividends in terms of efficiency and value, but the Steam Hardware Survey suggests this approach hasn't yet translated into significant market share gains against Nvidia's dominant position.

Data Limitations and Interpretation

As with all Steam Hardware Survey data, these figures should be interpreted cautiously. The survey only captures a subset of active Steam users and can be influenced by external factors such as major game releases, seasonal buying patterns, and even the addition of new countries to the survey pool. The disappearance of the RX 9070 XT from the charts after its December appearance underscores the volatility of these measurements.

The modest debut of AMD's RX 9070, coupled with the strong momentum of 16GB VRAM adoption, paints a picture of a market in transition. While AMD has delivered technically impressive cards that reviewers and early adopters appreciate, breaking Nvidia's grip on the gaming GPU market remains a significant challenge. The coming months will reveal whether the RX 9070's efficiency and value proposition can translate into broader market penetration, or if the GeForce ecosystem's inertia will continue to dominate Steam's hardware landscape.