I’m trying to get into Linux atm. Working at the kinks and work flow. I will dual boot for the exception that I really want to play that doesn’t run on Linux.
Strangely enough, “Windows always fucking up my dual boot setup” is what caused me to drop Windows for good about a decade ago. And Linux gaming has come on absolutely leaps and bounds since then.
I don’t have much of a choice. I don’t have another system to work on and I’m not ready for Linux to be daily driver yet.
I’ve installed on a separate SSD.
Edit: Sorry, I just saw and remembered what I wrote originally lol nevermind… I will keep that in mind going forward. Thanks.
Unless you have something truly obscure, I can confidently say any of them will do at this point.
I recommend Pop!OS myself, others will disagree. Pop! has a download for AMD hardware and a separate for NVidia GPU-equipped machines.
Try it out on a USB today! YOU CAN DO EEET!
And how many run on linux via a well documented way?
I’ve been playing around with bazzite a bit, and for sure, i can run a lot of games on it, but you often end up googling which launcher to use, which settings to use, … And then even if you find something, it doesn’t always work.
Linux is making good progress in this regard, but this title feels a bit over optimistic (or at least, users who take it at face value will quickly be disappointed when they can’t get 90% of their games to work).
A lot of people have mentioned ProtonDB already, but I’ll throw in Lutris as well. It’s a multi-platform game launcher that supports Steam, GOG, Humble Games, Epic Games, EA, etc. but its website also lets you search for a game title, and most should have a user-created method to launch.
I know, i’ve got steam, and lutris, and heroic.
And some games work in some of these things. For some free games i only find ancient versions in these launchers, …
All i’m saying is that it’s still far away from “just working”. It’s made incredible leaps, but if someone reading this will think “this’ll be easy”, and they try to play an older or less known game, they’ll quickly be disillusioned…
I am genuinely interested in helping here, can you list a few titles here?
Also the whole compatibility statistic is a misnomer, not accounting for windows games and applications that are now only supported with Wine and Proton. Windows 11 doesn’t have 100% windows compatibility either.
It’s just my experience when playing around with bazzite on my legion go.
But look at the other replies, there are people mentioning issues they encounter (like one guy replying a game not working because he’s using multiple monitors. If that’s breaking games on linux… that’s a far better description of the current state than the title of this thread).
And some of the other replies here are “launch steam, press play”…
why are we all running to steam when we’re using linux to have freedom of software? I’d expect more GOG love in a thread like this.
steam is indeed nice, but we also have lutris, and heroic, and i’m probably missing some other launchers here.
And i’ll give you a quick example of what i encountered: i thought of giving visual pinball a go on my legion go. It’s a free project, not on steam. Checked lutris, it was on there, but an ancient version, not kept up to date. But since the latest version, they have an actual linux build, gave that one a go, and had to manually tinker with it expecting a symlink for a certain dll to exist, but bazzite is fedora based, and uses a different convention for that dll than other distros, so had to manually make a symlink so the game could find it.
I’m a programmer, the above is an hour of frustration until i have solved it, i can manage. But that’s an example of what i encounter. I’ve got some older games in my steam library that have warnings that there are controller issues with them, …
And that is just the linux experience. Wrong distro? it might not work. Multiple screens? It might not work. The latest hardware? You’ll never guess it, but it might not work. It’s tuesday? It might not work…
I’m amazed with proton etc… how much progress linux gaming has made, but we have to keep our feet on the ground, and be honest with ourselves. If we act as if we’re already there, while we’re not. How will we actually get where we need to get if everyone acts as if it’s good enough already?
Please let me know if you find good documentation. I want to make the jump off of windows, but honestly I’m scared it will just cause a ton of frustration
Honestly, check https://www.protondb.com/ and look for the games you want to play, it will let you know how well they work out of the box by just installing them on steam and hitting play. The reality is that it very much depends on what games you want to play, if you like CoD and other competitive multiplayer you’re unfortunately in the missing 10%, but for most cases you should be fairly well covered.
thing is, not even protondb is reliable. There’s been many times I’ve tried running a game, and encountered an error not posted anywhere, nor protondb, reddit or steam forums. All the comments on protondb will say, “works great out of the box!”, and I’m just left digging through random forums at that point.
Why the fuck is that breaking games… Reminds me of when i was playing around with linux 15 years ago, and i saw how poor multimonitor support was compared to windows back then. And they’re still managing to have stupid issues like this in 2025…
This is why the linux desktop keeps failing “i want to play a game but it doesn’t work because i have 2 monitors”… Who wants to use that as an OS??
I previously played with just Steam and there’s basically one setting to enable - allowing the install of non-native games - and then (for supported games) it’s pretty much the same as Windows. In some cases you need to select the Proton version but generally using “latest” does the trick.
There are games that require Proton-GE to work. These were essentially ones where Valve’s Proton version doesn’t have workarounds for various DRM etc (likely because doing so would get them in trouble). On Steam Deck this is done by pretty much going into the local Appstore in “desktop mode” to install. Other distros may vary.
For non-Steam games it’s a bit more of a pain, and can vary widely by game. I’ve installed a ton either just by running the Windows installer from Wine or scripts provided by Lutris.
Honestly if you’ve got the cash and want to try things, grab a Deck and give that a shot. If it works for you, take the leap to Linux on PC. Alternatively on PC, add/resize a disk and go dual-boot. The guided installers on Ubuntu variants generally make this pretty easy.
Most games will just launch, no problems. But then you’ll get one title like the above poster has, that just refuses to launch no matter what you do.
Most of the times there’s a work around on ProtonDB that will get you running in a few minutes. But sometimes it feels like, or is the case, where the developers actively prevent the game from launching on Linux.
My comment isn’t meant to scare away people, but to keep our feet on the ground. Linux gaming has made amazing progress. If you play recent, mainstream games, it’ll be very well documented, and most things will work, unless they’re explicitly made to not work (such as certain anti cheat systems).
If you play lesser known indie games, really old games, or more specific things (not sure how good VR support is?), you’ll quickly encounter issues that may or may not be well documented.
Also, in another reply thread to my post, someone commented a game not working because he has multiple monitors on linux. Stuff like that is also still happening.
So it can be really decent, but know that you might encounter issues. Give it a try and see if it works for the games that are the most important for you :).
Games still crash on windows for multiple monitors, or launching in full screen for the first time, and more. Often without an error message without digging into event viewer or game logs.
And TBH, once you learn how to troubleshoot on Linux, it’s actually quite informative. For instance, I resolved a cryptic error message being returned by steam on game launch by launching steam from the CLI and then used the steam gui to launch the game and was given live event stream logging.
Once there’s better GUI tooling and and more passionate techs with a design/UX passion join the community, I can only imagine how seamless things will get.
Gaming on Linux is like gaming on Windows 20 years ago when you spent more time just trying to get the fucking game to run than actually playing the game.
I got an error trying to launch a BF2 expansion that told me to contact the nearest rendering developer.
My comment isn’t meant to scare away people, but to keep our feet on the ground. Linux gaming has made amazing progress. If you play recent, mainstream games, it’ll be very well documented, and most things will work, unless they’re explicitly made to not work (such as certain anti cheat systems).
If you play lesser known indie games, really old games, or more specific things (not sure how good VR support is?), you’ll quickly encounter issues that may or may not be well documented.
Also, in another reply thread to my post, someone commented a game not working because he has multiple monitors on linux. Stuff like that is also still happening.
So it can be really decent, but know that you might encounter issues. Give it a try and see if it works for the games that are the most important for you :).
I’ve been playing around with bazzite a bit, and for sure, i can run a lot of games on it, but you often end up googling which launcher to use, which settings to use, … And then even if you find something, it doesn’t always work.
One of the biggest traps for new linux users since forever has been to jump straight into the deep end- tweaking any and every tunable- then when that inevitably all breaks, blaming Linux and moving back.
For anyone reading- You don’t need Arch as your first distro, you don’t want to on the bleeding edge unless you’re prepared to bleed. You don’t need things like Golden Eggroll Proton or any external launchers.
Just keep it simple to start- Something like Mint, SuSE or plain Fedora with Steam using the built-in Proton.
Bazzite gets… let say ‘advertised’ a lot and it’s got a lot of good ideas - but if you’re coming from Windows I think it’s just too much - it’s an immutable system* with containers for everything. That’s an ocean away from Windows unless you were comfortable with Sandboxie beforehand (if you were, dive right in)
*\the system is read only, you cannot change anything in the default image, ie. imagine if you were never allowed to add files to c:\windows
Block the game from the Internet so it can’t collect data on you or go offline for a while and it may or may not still work.
#4 is the main reason I’m hesitant to install games from Steam instead of alternative versions of the game that don’t have this limitation. But then installing games on Linux often becomes a time-consuming feat of trial and error.
If you only play new popular games, and buy them on steam (and not GOG which is a platform that’s far more aligned with the linux way of thinking), sure.
But i’ve got plenty of old steam games that have issues, or require me to muck around with custom control stuff, have warnings that they might not be fully supported, …
I love that we’re all moving to linux to be free, and then be using steam iso GOG XD.
You think you’re describing a problem with Linux, but you’re just describing a problem with the game. If it’s not on steam it would be the same way on Windows. It will most likely be in a different, less popular and barely supported launcher. By then it is the publisher who is screwing you up, not Linux.
I was simply offering a case where steam isn’t the simple solution to gaming on Linux, as described by the post above.
I never said I was describing a ‘problem with Linux’ or a ‘problem with the game’.
Not all games are available on Steam or will work with steams proton/wine/whatever.
Game publishers have the right to choose how and where they publish their games. If I can’t install and play them on my machine I simply won’t. AS there is already an endless list of great games I haven’t played.
I use a quest 2 headset through my desktop via desktop streamer into steam VR into VRchat. Would this all work on linux? it’s already a pain on windows.
Lots of off topic comment threads so I don’t mind adding my own: going to make the Linux dive here soon and just had a general question on VR. I recently got a mostlySteam setup (sensors / controllers) with a Vive Pro 2 headset. Overall is VR supported? Is it limited to certain headsets? I was thinking of getting a Bigscreen Beyond 2, if that makes a difference. Any info appreciated.
Probably a somewhat popular opinion in the Linux crowd already, but I think we should be pressing companies to find better ways to manage anti-cheats than kernel-level anti-cheat anyway. I’m glad I don’t play games like that because I don’t like how it works at all.
Absolutely. It’s completely possible too by using server side verification and not giving the client info they shouldn’t have, but that costs them slightly more in server costs (which aren’t significant).
It would also require designing the games code to account for this from the start, so not insignificant but definitely all reasonably possible, as in if there were magically legislation tommorow forcing all new multiplayer games to stop doing invasive anti cheat in a year, it’d be done in 6 months.
The implicit implication of your comment is that sever side verification etc inherently means unacceptable latency and I see no reason to believe it; only gut feelings
No, but it is a far more complex problem than what the other comment made it sound like. That it is only because they cheap out on server hardware and it could be perfect if they just wasn’t cheap.
I think the lack of EAC support is a red flag for some users that there may be more cheaters compared to windows (and more bugs). At least that was my perspective when I was reading the Reddit posts and forum posts at the time.
That loops back to the “Facepunch doesn’t believe they have the technical expertise/manhours available to support Linux users so therefore simply provides refunds to prior Linux customers and a ‘no support but not antagonistic approach’ to Proton/Wine users” problem that they’ve found themselves in. I would imagine internally, if they flipped that hypothetical switch, it would be seen as them committing to provide Linux support again (which they’ve admitted they aren’t prepared to do).
From their perspective, it’s better to just allow Proton users to play but not allow them to join “official servers” or community servers with the existing EAC so they aren’t accused by the community (I know, we suck sometimes) of “allowing Linux cheaters to fly under the radar”. They also won’t have to handle their support tickets, I reckon, and can just provide a refund if needed.
As a former RUST addict, I can tell you that Facepunch didn’t really know what they were doing initially with the game on Linux (although they gave an honest try).
Later, they basically said, “Look, we don’t really have the knowledge to support this, so you can ask for a refund if you exclusively bought the game to play on Linux, and if you are using Proton/Wine/etc, you can play on non-EAC community servers” (since official servers use Linux incompatible EAC). They aren’t hostile to the Linux community, but Gary and the team feel like they aren’t up to the task, so they don’t officially support things anymore.
Seems about 40% working, I personally only have one game that doesn’t jive with Linux. If the game you’re playing doesn’t work that’s the fault of the specific anti-cheat developers because it’s obviously possible to do it right.
Sure, but from the end user perspective, it doesn’t matter whose fault it is - the result is you can’t play a game you otherwise just can in Windows. We know it’s their fault.
If you never play any games with anticheat that’s fine, but all it takes is one game, and then later another, and then later another, to make Linux a dealbreaker for many gamers. These are not unpopular games.
It can be the whole difference between someone sticking with Windows but itching to make the switch, and someone actually making the switch.
What good is 90% of games working if you have 3 games that you really want to play that don’t work?
I used to be huge into Battlefield. Even on Linux, I played the shit out of BF4. But I will never be sad about avoiding kernel level anticheat. I don’t even feel like I’m missing out, quite the opposite really, especially after Saudi Arabia bought out EA. Why would I ever want kernel level anything from them? They’d have to pay me.
I guess that’s all to say that I just don’t play those games, and I’m better off for it. I think we should be educating other gamers on what they’re sacrificing to play these games for little reduction in cheaters (BF6 has them, I’ve seen videos of it). Is it really worth it to have a Saudi rootkit on your computer to play that game? Are they willing to sacrifice their security, privacy, and digital freedoms so they can play a game for a couple of hours a day or week? If so, that’s fine, but games that use kernel level anticheat tend to try to mask the risks of running them, which is fucked.
I 100% get what you are saying. But I’m also 100% fine with voting with my wallet by not supporting game developers that demand kernel-level access to my machine.
Think about the EA stuff. You install one of their games, and now Saudi Arabia and Jared Kushner* have kernel-level access to your machine. Why, why the hell is that worth it for just a game?
While this is awesome we still need to have the same performance on Windows. Yes, some games run better through proton for some reason, but that’s the minority. Hopefully, proton will not be needed for new games in the future and we get native builds like CS2.
Had no major issues with Steam games so far on Linux mint, but I like owning my games, so I buy as much as I can from GOG, and Lutris and Heroic both have not given me exactly easy experiences :L
Heroic has gone pretty well for me. I’ve found a few exceptions that are solved by the same trick though. If you’re running a game like The Thaumaturge, and it doesn’t boot on the GOG version, take a look at SteamDB. SteamDB’s entry for the game has a “depot” for VC 2019, VC 2022, and DirectX 2010. If you run winetricks on The Thaumaturge via Heroic and install those three dependencies, it works.
You own your games on steam just as much as you do on gog for like 99% of them. The majority of steam games have no form of drm.
Out of my 2000 ish steam games less then 50 actually use drm that ties them to steam and those are basically only triple A games that arnt on gog anyways.
Just remove the overlay and the VAST majority of games just work with out steam entirely.
Is there a tool you can use to check that against your own library? I never got the sense it was anywhere close to a majority of my library, but years ago, I was just cross checking my then-small library against a hand-maintained list.
I don’t know of a bulk tool, but the Augmented Steam browser extension shows a DRM warning above the purchase button when you go on a game’s Steam store page.
Better than nothing. Thanks! Steam’s DRM has reared its head more often thanks to, ironically, the Steam Deck and playing on the go in places without internet access.
EDIT: Although, the results thus far are a little disappointing. I went to the store pages for a few known offenders and didn’t see what I’d hope to see. Dragon Ball FighterZ, for instance, has no DRM mentioned by the extension, but that one was one of the most finicky for launching in offline mode. I brought it to a fighting game major on a mini PC, and if you didn’t authenticate it online on the same boot, the game would refuse to launch. I’m guessing it’s just the bog standard Steam DRM, and this extension seemingly only lists third party DRM.
It wasn’t on proton but there’s a very old entry on wine. Looks like my boy Jeff’s last entry was quite recent in 2023, he rated it a silver. There’s a known bug from some graphical glitch during certain events like the protagonist meeting himself back in time and others which may prevent completion. I wonder how it works now, tempted to test it out.
There is like a good chunk of an entire decade’s worth of games that can’t be played on PC legitimately due to either expired licenses for music (e.g. EA Trax) or lack of support for older, disc-based DRM (SecuROM etc.).
That’s before factoring older titles that no longer work due to arbitrary changes to DirectX and the Windows kernel, which break backwards compatibility.
Tech-idiot, here, but Linux-curious and running Windows 10 with an ardent refusal to change it to 11.
I know there are a ton of different versions of Linux, ‘Ubuntu’ and such, but I don’t know jack about any of them… which would you recommend that’s best suited to someone who’s only ever used Windows? Looking for the most idiot-proof option. Gaming and office style work are primary use.
Emphasis on the idiot proof. I am really anxious about switching from fear of jacking up my computer, but am so sick of Window’s bullshit… probably as good a time to dive in now than any point going forward.
It’s really easy and quick to install a distro so you can just test them out. Get three you think you’d like, try em out, you’ll probably like all of them, but you get to pick your fav.
There is no “best”, just “best for you”.
If gaming is your focus and you just want to go into Linux without research, I’d start with Ubuntu or Mint for a couple weeks. If you’re liking it, check out some others, but don’t be surprised if you go back to Ubuntu or Mint simply because you found them easy and working just fine. There’s no wrong choice, just lots of good ones. It is all up to how you like it with no anxiety of making a bad choice 😁
Most good Linux releases (distros) have a Live CD/usb boot option. Do try that out! It doesn’t mess with your existing setup and you can see how it feels.
FWIW, my daily driver is Fedora. It has a good balance of cutting edge and stability. Great gaming support and solid office productivity.
If you want a windows-like experience, Linux Mint is hard to beat. It will feel very familiar.
If you enjoy gaming (which I’m assuming you do, considering the article) then maybe Bazzite would be a good option. It comes with GPU drivers (which have historically been a giant pain in the ass for Linux) ready to go. It’s an immutable distro, which is… Contentious in the Linux community. It means you won’t be able to accidentally break your OS, but it also means it isn’t as customizable. The newer users appreciate the safety net, but the experienced power users see it as overly restrictive coddling.
It also pisses off new users frequently when they start to try to use any community tools for most games… Bazzite is a fucking nightmare for gaming because of it. It’s God damn funny counter productive issue.
The steam deck has the same problem to be fair.
Also historically is right, installing drivers has been trivial on every distro I can possibly think of for the last fuck, almost 20 years.
There have been one click gui installers for fucking ever at this point. Lol
Tbh it actually doesn’t matter that much. There’s like a million different distros, but really there’s like 3 base distros (yes Linux nuts, this is an oversimplification) of Debian, Fedora, and Arch. Ubuntu has gotten a lot of hate lately for their choice of forced package manager, but it’s probably fine. It’ll matter way more to you what desktop environment you select. I’d recommend looking into Bazzite for gaming. It’s based on fedora and it has a bunch of gaming stuff built in, but also does great for anything else. It’s made to be the steamOS for anything not a steam deck. Go with KDE for a windows-like desktop experience.
For gamers who are newcomes to Linux, Ubuntu (or Debian) should be a hard pass. Linux gaming is advancing too fast for the 2-3 year gap between LTS versions to not matter, and trying to work around the stable (outdated) packages is typically what ends up breaking installs.
I actually just switched to Ubuntu 25.10 from Bazzite. Can you recommend me other (non atomic) distros that play nice with both secure boot and nvidia drivers? I don’t think fedora does. I’m not interested in managing keys and certs for my drivers, and do occasionally play those anti-cheat games on a dedicated windows partition. I’d rather not toggle secure boot each time I reboot.
Can you recommend me other (non atomic) distros that play nice with both secure boot and nvidia drivers?
I wouldn’t exactly recommend it because of the learning curve, but I have the exact setup you’re looking for working on NixOS.
Lanzaboote made it pretty easy. The downside is that you need to put secure boot into user-managed mode, and some asshole anticheats might not like that even though only Microsoft-signed executables were used in the boot chain of Windows.
Did you set up secure boot during setup of Bazzite, out of curiosity? It has the ability to function with it and should prompt you if I remember correctly.
I don’t think I did originally, but I don’t recall secure boot being an issue with it when I did do the switch. I may have had to install a key or something, but I honestly don’t remember.
I’ve had driver issues with Fedora 42 under secure boot (RTX 3060ti), and Ubuntu seems to be the winner so far that’s playing nice with everything. I haven’t run into any gaming issues yet besides the latest Sonic Racing game not starting.
I love the philosophy of Atomic distros like Kinoite and even run Bazzite on my AMD living room “console”. I’d recommend them all day long to folks new in the space since they’re hard to break by design - especially Bazzite for a gaming machine if invasive anticheat isn’t needed - but it’s not for me.
How fedora still struggles to keep up sometimes which has always confused me why people suggest a bazzite. Not to mention how many community tools and communities that are starting to support Linux. Only support Arch and don’t support anything else.
Which means you now have new users trying to figure out how to f*** to compile or install software outside of their package managers without a flat pack or anything. Just to use the same community tools that they used on Windows.
While it’s just in the aur because it’s supported. Seriously cachyOS is such a easier solution for new comers.
People suggest Bazzite because it just works and is difficult to break or otherwise have things to wrong. I’m not sure what you mean by “struggles to keep up”, can you explain?
Also, you know about rpm-ostree and distrobox, right?
The three base distros mentioned are ones that most other distros use as their base
E.g.
Debian -> Ubuntu, Mint, Pop_OS!
Fedora -> Bazzite, Nobara
Arch -> EndeavourOS, Manjaro, CachyOS
While you can customize the base distros however you want, think of these derivate distros as various prebuilts.
Most distros come with a package manager that allows you to download (software) packages from a centralized repository. Similar to say Microsoft store. Ubuntu was dissed for Canonical (the creators of Ubuntu) forcing their own package manager into it, which had various issues, while there were already well established package managers available.
Desktop Environment (DE) is what you see on your screen. Various elements control how the task bar or app bar behaves or what it looks like, what windows are stylized like, and how they behave etc. For someone coming from Windows, Linux Mint’s Cinnamon DE or any distro with KDE will likely be most familiar experience, while those switching from MacOS, Gnome DE as the Fedora default is very similar.
Bazzite is a gaming focused distro based on Fedora.
Arch. Use cachyOS which is arch it’s just what steamOS is but with a focus on also being a normal desktop on top.
Seriously do not understand why people push bazzite when it’s just a more complicated less supported option compared to cachyOS. For the exact same work load.
You keep saying this, but then do not elaborate very much. A lot of your comments in this thread have been something about Bazzite being bad/complicated/slow. Bazzite is not necessarily more complicated, it’s actually a lot less complicated in most ways and is difficult to break by design, as are other immutable distros. This is precisely why it is pushed to new Linux users. It’s a good starting point to have something that just works and not have to worry about much. I think a lot of long time Linux users are used to having full control over every piece of the OS, and have (like yourself) come to expect all distros to work that way. That’s fine and I totally understand that, but you should also consider that those who have not built the same habits from non-immutable might prefer a more hands off approach. I’ve used Linux for almost two decades, and I daily drive immutable because it’s so stable. I’m able to scratch the itch of wanting to mess with stuff by using distrobox, and if I’m really messing around, just using rpm-ostree. Sure, it’s different than normal distros, and it’s not for everyone, but it got my partner to use Linux on their own without any issues.
It’s okay to suggest other options for sure, but don’t get snarky when people are suggesting what works for them. The main benefit of Linux is that you have a choice in the first place, and you aren’t going to be stuck with whatever distro you’re using if they decide to do something catastrophic.
The problem with bazzite is it’s just an objectively worse option then cachyOS if your using your PC exclusively to game.
Immutable distros and the lack of aur can be such a massive pain in the fucking ass if you play games with a lot of community tools.
Almost exclusively every community tool I’ve ever seen for any game only ever supports Arch and never anything else. So while you can use other things, it sucks to have to compile it all yourself every f****** update.
I’ve never had an issue with any community tools on an immutable distro. Especially distros that have distrobox, but for the most part, the community tools I’ve needed use lutris or flatpak and do not require compilation. Do you have an example of some of the tools you’re talking about? I’m not necessarily doubting you, I just haven’t encountered it before. You can also still install things (at the cost of image space) with rpm-ostree.
Listen, there’s dozens of Linux users on Void, Slackware and Gentoo. Dozens! Especially the ones wanting to run the latest games. Can’t just leave all of them out.
lol, i know you’re joking, but this is the kinda thing i think actually really confuses and scares people who are unfamiliar with linux. There absolutely are really great distros out there that aren’t the big players, but for a newcomer they can probably stick to a big distro that seems nice and if they start getting the bug they can come back for a deeper dive. deciding to just do it is way more important than getting it “right” imo.
Indeed - I’ve seen more people recommend Hannah Montana Linux (apt-based) than any of those for newcomers recently.
You are entirely right that a Linux distribution is really just its package manager, the default packages installed, and some remote repositories which may (or may not) have had some customisation applied, which will have been pulled and built from a source repository somewhere. All that’s really needed to swap between eg. Arch, Manjaro or Cachy is to update the repo files and issue a package manager update command, although I’d probably like to verify my backups and get a stiff drink first.
The House of Linux is built out of bricks, and the bricks aren’t that scary - you can take them to bits and look at them if you like, they’re usually zipped-up folders of text files and the binaries you’d get from compiling them yourself. But if that’s not what you’re used to, then yeah - 🤯 .
In all seriousness, I wish that most distros had art half as good as what Void Linux has - got some really gifted people, there.
lol, lots of folks responding to me doing the exact thing i was warning about. Honestly, just pick one that seems like it offers what you’re looking for.
If you want it to feel kind of familiar to windows, pick KDE as your desktop environment. you can have this in pretty much any distro, some make it easier to set as part of the install process.
If you want it to be harder to fuck up, but with less flexibility for customization or being on the bleeding edge of support, pick an immutable distro like bazzite
If you wan full flexibility and the added danger and complexity that brings, go for an arch-based distro. lot of great comments below too with actually good details and not just “people are dumb for using X, they should use Y because i’m smarter” - specifically dubyakay and Holytimes are offering some great details.
For gaming, you can’t go wrong with Bazzite. It’s meant for gaming to mostly just work out of the box, so you likely won’t need to tinker with anything.
It’s that tinkering that introduces stability risks. Adding third-party package repositories and trying to install newer software on top of older LTS distros is what tends to end up breaking them.
As someone who went through something similar, Linux Mint is a really great option. Based off Ubuntu so lots of software, cinnamon desktop environment for a windows familiar feel and layout, and stable releases.
If you need a computer that’s reliable for office work, use Debian, if you want a more console-like experience and less likely it’ll break your computer, use bazzite, if you want to be able to use new hardware, the moment it’s released to the market have the best compatibility with all games and software and the widest range of supported hardware and software use cachyOS.
Debian is stable because it updates so slowly. It makes sure everything works under pain of death. So having compatibility issues, new hardware being supported, having to do weird little things for a less than popular application is pretty normal. But if it works, it’s literally the most stable thing you can possibly put on a computer.
Bazzite it’s kind of your middle ground. It’s up to date in 95% of all cases while support. Basically everything but it is immutable which makes it hard to tinker with or change things should you need to. Which is both a benefit and a downside. Does mean you’re less likely to break your computer while you’re learning on the flip side.
CachyOS is based on Arch the most up-to-date core that you can have for any computer. It’s what steamos is based on in many other bleeding edge options. It has a focus on hardware support, gaming support, software support doing so as up-to-date as physically possible. If you need something to be supported, it’s more likely to be supported here than anywhere else. While the old joke Arch likes to randomly break itself isn’t untrue. It’s also about 15 years out of date in how true it is. Modern Arch rarely ever breaks and when it does so will every other option barring debian almost exclusively.
Realistically speaking, when it comes to actually installing and using any of these options day-to-day, they’re completely identical. Typically, if you have the ability to rub two brain cells together, read and have even a 5th grade level of critical thinking skills. If you’re planning on gaming as your main use of your computer not work, not art, just gaming, just use cachyOS.
There is one last thing to be aware of when choosing any option. If it’s based on Arch, it’s going to have the best documentation in the most user-friendly possible way. Arch has the single. Best, wiki there is. Which for a new user can be a godsend if you actually know how to read.
Depends on how much you care about security. Some distros are still very focused on “I operate my desktop in my locked house and don’t expect police to knock” use cases. If you’re chill with typing in a disk encryption password on boot you can turn that on, but getting a seamless secure boot+tpm decrypt is pretty challenging.
And then if that is what you want, people will of course happily tell you what a stupid insecure idea that is because Intel or Microsoft or something.
To answer your question broadly: I found arch/endeavor to be easier to secure and have a single set of solid instructions. OpenSuse and fedora both had multiple mediocre and deeply iffy sets of instructions, but for basic setup and use they are easier to use. OpenSuse bricked several times, fedora was far far far more stable for me but you’ll hear countless people with the opposite story. I don’t care for Ubuntu.
The bigger impact past setup is the desktop environment. You pick gnome (Ubuntu, fedora, endeavor) if you hate yourself and think some random dev 5000 miles away can make decisions for you better than you can. You pick KDE (fedora, suse, endeavor) if you want a nice windowsesque experience. You pick cosmic (popos, derived from Ubuntu) if you want to try something new that might suck. There are others but they are mostly if you want a super cut down experience.
People have recommended mint for new users for at least a decade or so. Please just don’t. It’s super out of date.
One of the most frequently suggested beginner distros is Linux mint. It’s great, it’s stable, it’s what I use and while it’s not exactly cutting edge, or necessary the prettiest distro, it’s great for beginners and will feel pretty familiar coming from windows.
Pop_os! And bazzite are more “gaming focused” if that’s more your style, but I’ve never had an issue gaming with Linux mint.
Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter terribly much. Pick one, install it to a new drive and try it out. If you don’t like it, pick another one.
Linux mint isnt just not bleeding edge, its significantly more stable than Debian. Its so much incredibly more stable that they still use X11 and probrally will for the foreseeable future.
I went full AMD and Fedora. Couldn’t be happier. All games I’ve tested work.
It’s been a while since I’ve had a gaming pc so I don’t have a reference point, but everything is as smooth as I’d want to.
Some games may need a library or so as stated in protonDB but, I’m so impressed. Now I have desktop running KDE, steam deck has KDE too and my laptop also with fedora.
I made the switch almost a year ago when they started announcing all the spyware coming to win11. The distro you choose matters a LOT. After several that were buggy and frustrating I landed on Garuda dragonized. Setup was easy with their assistant finding the drivers I needed and I have yet to have any system breaking updates. Better track record than windows TBH. Performance is great, and steam integrates so well with proton that my experience is honestly just as good as windows native. I should probably go make a donation to the Garuda project, now that I’m thinking about it.
Most accessories are plug and play these days, so Nvidia may have actually been the only one. Not all distros can detect the best Nvidia drivers automatically, and finding and installing the right one can be a pain. Which makes it borderline impossible for a low tech person looking to make the jump to Linux.
Notably, it’s also entirely possible that the issues I dealt with were more to do with poor Wayland implementations than drivers. Either way, Garuda has worked beautifully and easily.
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Some shitty games will hold out, but as long as the majority works better under Linux, I’m fine with it.
I’m trying to get into Linux atm. Working at the kinks and work flow. I will dual boot for the exception that I really want to play that doesn’t run on Linux.
Be careful, windows can fuck up some dual boot setups and make the Linux side worse
Strangely enough, “Windows always fucking up my dual boot setup” is what caused me to drop Windows for good about a decade ago. And Linux gaming has come on absolutely leaps and bounds since then.
I don’t have much of a choice. I don’t have another system to work on and I’m not ready for Linux to be daily driver yet. I’ve installed on a separate SSD.
Edit: Sorry, I just saw and remembered what I wrote originally lol nevermind… I will keep that in mind going forward. Thanks.
Thankfully that should prevent most issues of Windows fucking up dual-booting
If you are able to i think ensuring they’re installed on different drivers alleviates most issues
I love to hear it, but only about 70% of mine work on Linux, so I’m stuck with a dual boot. 99% Linux is better than no Linux, at least.
Have you tried wine bottles? I had real problems getting anything to work right till I found that app.
Yeah, I’ve tried all of the compatibility programs.
Some will run using those, but in a very, very sluggish way.
Good, gaming was the last thing keeping me on windows, once I find a distro that’s compatible with my laptop hardware I’ll move to Linux completely
Bazzite seems a famous option for gaming
Unless you have something truly obscure, I can confidently say any of them will do at this point. I recommend Pop!OS myself, others will disagree. Pop! has a download for AMD hardware and a separate for NVidia GPU-equipped machines. Try it out on a USB today! YOU CAN DO EEET!
I second this as well. It’s my first distro and it’s been a good experience.
And how many run on linux via a well documented way?
I’ve been playing around with bazzite a bit, and for sure, i can run a lot of games on it, but you often end up googling which launcher to use, which settings to use, … And then even if you find something, it doesn’t always work.
Linux is making good progress in this regard, but this title feels a bit over optimistic (or at least, users who take it at face value will quickly be disappointed when they can’t get 90% of their games to work).
A lot of people have mentioned ProtonDB already, but I’ll throw in Lutris as well. It’s a multi-platform game launcher that supports Steam, GOG, Humble Games, Epic Games, EA, etc. but its website also lets you search for a game title, and most should have a user-created method to launch.
I know, i’ve got steam, and lutris, and heroic. And some games work in some of these things. For some free games i only find ancient versions in these launchers, …
All i’m saying is that it’s still far away from “just working”. It’s made incredible leaps, but if someone reading this will think “this’ll be easy”, and they try to play an older or less known game, they’ll quickly be disillusioned…
I keep seeing this and I keep forgetting to look into this!
I am genuinely interested in helping here, can you list a few titles here?
Also the whole compatibility statistic is a misnomer, not accounting for windows games and applications that are now only supported with Wine and Proton. Windows 11 doesn’t have 100% windows compatibility either.
It’s just my experience when playing around with bazzite on my legion go.
But look at the other replies, there are people mentioning issues they encounter (like one guy replying a game not working because he’s using multiple monitors. If that’s breaking games on linux… that’s a far better description of the current state than the title of this thread).
And some of the other replies here are “launch steam, press play”…
And i’ll give you a quick example of what i encountered: i thought of giving visual pinball a go on my legion go. It’s a free project, not on steam. Checked lutris, it was on there, but an ancient version, not kept up to date. But since the latest version, they have an actual linux build, gave that one a go, and had to manually tinker with it expecting a symlink for a certain dll to exist, but bazzite is fedora based, and uses a different convention for that dll than other distros, so had to manually make a symlink so the game could find it.
I’m a programmer, the above is an hour of frustration until i have solved it, i can manage. But that’s an example of what i encounter. I’ve got some older games in my steam library that have warnings that there are controller issues with them, …
And that is just the linux experience. Wrong distro? it might not work. Multiple screens? It might not work. The latest hardware? You’ll never guess it, but it might not work. It’s tuesday? It might not work… I’m amazed with proton etc… how much progress linux gaming has made, but we have to keep our feet on the ground, and be honest with ourselves. If we act as if we’re already there, while we’re not. How will we actually get where we need to get if everyone acts as if it’s good enough already?
Please let me know if you find good documentation. I want to make the jump off of windows, but honestly I’m scared it will just cause a ton of frustration
Honestly, check https://www.protondb.com/ and look for the games you want to play, it will let you know how well they work out of the box by just installing them on steam and hitting play. The reality is that it very much depends on what games you want to play, if you like CoD and other competitive multiplayer you’re unfortunately in the missing 10%, but for most cases you should be fairly well covered.
thing is, not even protondb is reliable. There’s been many times I’ve tried running a game, and encountered an error not posted anywhere, nor protondb, reddit or steam forums. All the comments on protondb will say, “works great out of the box!”, and I’m just left digging through random forums at that point.
The ONLY issue I’ve had like this was related to me having a dual monitor setup.
well, I have a dual monitor setup, and can concur, have had many issues related to it, but I blame that more on linux/wayland than proton/wine.
As if that’s an acceptable explanation.
Why the fuck is that breaking games… Reminds me of when i was playing around with linux 15 years ago, and i saw how poor multimonitor support was compared to windows back then. And they’re still managing to have stupid issues like this in 2025…
This is why the linux desktop keeps failing “i want to play a game but it doesn’t work because i have 2 monitors”… Who wants to use that as an OS??
Multi monitor also breaks some games on Windows. Why would anyone want to use that OS?
I previously played with just Steam and there’s basically one setting to enable - allowing the install of non-native games - and then (for supported games) it’s pretty much the same as Windows. In some cases you need to select the Proton version but generally using “latest” does the trick. There are games that require Proton-GE to work. These were essentially ones where Valve’s Proton version doesn’t have workarounds for various DRM etc (likely because doing so would get them in trouble). On Steam Deck this is done by pretty much going into the local Appstore in “desktop mode” to install. Other distros may vary.
For non-Steam games it’s a bit more of a pain, and can vary widely by game. I’ve installed a ton either just by running the Windows installer from Wine or scripts provided by Lutris.
Honestly if you’ve got the cash and want to try things, grab a Deck and give that a shot. If it works for you, take the leap to Linux on PC. Alternatively on PC, add/resize a disk and go dual-boot. The guided installers on Ubuntu variants generally make this pretty easy.
protondb
It’s very strange.
Most games will just launch, no problems. But then you’ll get one title like the above poster has, that just refuses to launch no matter what you do.
Most of the times there’s a work around on ProtonDB that will get you running in a few minutes. But sometimes it feels like, or is the case, where the developers actively prevent the game from launching on Linux.
Yeah but the same happens on windows, often times with no way at all to play the title without a VM
In my experience that has been extremely rare in recent years (or more like decades now).
I think you’ve gotten some good replies here.
My comment isn’t meant to scare away people, but to keep our feet on the ground. Linux gaming has made amazing progress. If you play recent, mainstream games, it’ll be very well documented, and most things will work, unless they’re explicitly made to not work (such as certain anti cheat systems).
If you play lesser known indie games, really old games, or more specific things (not sure how good VR support is?), you’ll quickly encounter issues that may or may not be well documented. Also, in another reply thread to my post, someone commented a game not working because he has multiple monitors on linux. Stuff like that is also still happening.
So it can be really decent, but know that you might encounter issues. Give it a try and see if it works for the games that are the most important for you :).
Games still crash on windows for multiple monitors, or launching in full screen for the first time, and more. Often without an error message without digging into event viewer or game logs.
And TBH, once you learn how to troubleshoot on Linux, it’s actually quite informative. For instance, I resolved a cryptic error message being returned by steam on game launch by launching steam from the CLI and then used the steam gui to launch the game and was given live event stream logging.
Once there’s better GUI tooling and and more passionate techs with a design/UX passion join the community, I can only imagine how seamless things will get.
Gaming on Linux is like gaming on Windows 20 years ago when you spent more time just trying to get the fucking game to run than actually playing the game.
I got an error trying to launch a BF2 expansion that told me to contact the nearest rendering developer.
I think you’ve gotten some good replies here.
My comment isn’t meant to scare away people, but to keep our feet on the ground. Linux gaming has made amazing progress. If you play recent, mainstream games, it’ll be very well documented, and most things will work, unless they’re explicitly made to not work (such as certain anti cheat systems).
If you play lesser known indie games, really old games, or more specific things (not sure how good VR support is?), you’ll quickly encounter issues that may or may not be well documented. Also, in another reply thread to my post, someone commented a game not working because he has multiple monitors on linux. Stuff like that is also still happening.
So it can be really decent, but know that you might encounter issues. Give it a try and see if it works for the games that are the most important for you :).
Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Zero issues.
To add to this-
One of the biggest traps for new linux users since forever has been to jump straight into the deep end- tweaking any and every tunable- then when that inevitably all breaks, blaming Linux and moving back.
For anyone reading- You don’t need Arch as your first distro, you don’t want to on the bleeding edge unless you’re prepared to bleed. You don’t need things like Golden Eggroll Proton or any external launchers.
Just keep it simple to start- Something like Mint, SuSE or plain Fedora with Steam using the built-in Proton.
Bazzite gets… let say ‘advertised’ a lot and it’s got a lot of good ideas - but if you’re coming from Windows I think it’s just too much - it’s an immutable system* with containers for everything. That’s an ocean away from Windows unless you were comfortable with Sandboxie beforehand (if you were, dive right in)
*\the system is read only, you cannot change anything in the default image, ie. imagine if you were never allowed to add files to c:\windows
Edit: For the newbs, an ancient meme- https://www.shlomifish.org/humour/by-others/funroll-loops/Gentoo-is-Rice.html
I know its not important, but it is actually Glorious Eggroll.
#4 is the main reason I’m hesitant to install games from Steam instead of alternative versions of the game that don’t have this limitation. But then installing games on Linux often becomes a time-consuming feat of trial and error.
If you only play new popular games, and buy them on steam (and not GOG which is a platform that’s far more aligned with the linux way of thinking), sure. But i’ve got plenty of old steam games that have issues, or require me to muck around with custom control stuff, have warnings that they might not be fully supported, …
I love that we’re all moving to linux to be free, and then be using steam iso GOG XD.
Step by step guide for GOG (or Epic):
(Heroic will use Proton or Wine for the compatibility layer and you will (most of the time) have zero issues with playing games)
There are Issues.
You think you’re describing a problem with Linux, but you’re just describing a problem with the game. If it’s not on steam it would be the same way on Windows. It will most likely be in a different, less popular and barely supported launcher. By then it is the publisher who is screwing you up, not Linux.
I was simply offering a case where steam isn’t the simple solution to gaming on Linux, as described by the post above.
I never said I was describing a ‘problem with Linux’ or a ‘problem with the game’.
Not all games are available on Steam or will work with steams proton/wine/whatever.
Game publishers have the right to choose how and where they publish their games. If I can’t install and play them on my machine I simply won’t. AS there is already an endless list of great games I haven’t played.
I use a quest 2 headset through my desktop via desktop streamer into steam VR into VRchat. Would this all work on linux? it’s already a pain on windows.
I think it used to work officially, but last I heard they dropped official support.
This page says it works, but it also might be a pain to setup.
I think virtualdesktop works, but don’t quote me on that.
Does anyone know if it’s possible to run VR games on Linux? I’d love t ditch Windows for the gaming pc…
Lots of off topic comment threads so I don’t mind adding my own: going to make the Linux dive here soon and just had a general question on VR. I recently got a mostlySteam setup (sensors / controllers) with a Vive Pro 2 headset. Overall is VR supported? Is it limited to certain headsets? I was thinking of getting a Bigscreen Beyond 2, if that makes a difference. Any info appreciated.
Usually is limited by headset/controllers support. Take a look at Linux VR Adventures Wiki for compatibility.
Thanks!
But what percentage of games that use anticheat?
Probably a somewhat popular opinion in the Linux crowd already, but I think we should be pressing companies to find better ways to manage anti-cheats than kernel-level anti-cheat anyway. I’m glad I don’t play games like that because I don’t like how it works at all.
Absolutely. It’s completely possible too by using server side verification and not giving the client info they shouldn’t have, but that costs them slightly more in server costs (which aren’t significant).
It would also require designing the games code to account for this from the start, so not insignificant but definitely all reasonably possible, as in if there were magically legislation tommorow forcing all new multiplayer games to stop doing invasive anti cheat in a year, it’d be done in 6 months.
Not always, latency is a huge problem especially in action games.
The implicit implication of your comment is that sever side verification etc inherently means unacceptable latency and I see no reason to believe it; only gut feelings
No, but it is a far more complex problem than what the other comment made it sound like. That it is only because they cheap out on server hardware and it could be perfect if they just wasn’t cheap.
There isn’t a single comment in this chain that says it’s purely about server costs.
The rust entry is kinda wrong. Linux friendly community servers do run they just need more active players to be fun
I think the lack of EAC support is a red flag for some users that there may be more cheaters compared to windows (and more bugs). At least that was my perspective when I was reading the Reddit posts and forum posts at the time.
That’s the thing, though, EAC can run on Linux if the devs allow it. There are games that use EAC that run just fine on Linux.
That loops back to the “Facepunch doesn’t believe they have the technical expertise/manhours available to support Linux users so therefore simply provides refunds to prior Linux customers and a ‘no support but not antagonistic approach’ to Proton/Wine users” problem that they’ve found themselves in. I would imagine internally, if they flipped that hypothetical switch, it would be seen as them committing to provide Linux support again (which they’ve admitted they aren’t prepared to do).
From their perspective, it’s better to just allow Proton users to play but not allow them to join “official servers” or community servers with the existing EAC so they aren’t accused by the community (I know, we suck sometimes) of “allowing Linux cheaters to fly under the radar”. They also won’t have to handle their support tickets, I reckon, and can just provide a refund if needed.
Had a quick look into this, this is the best related info I could find on the situation with Rust.
As a former RUST addict, I can tell you that Facepunch didn’t really know what they were doing initially with the game on Linux (although they gave an honest try).
Later, they basically said, “Look, we don’t really have the knowledge to support this, so you can ask for a refund if you exclusively bought the game to play on Linux, and if you are using Proton/Wine/etc, you can play on non-EAC community servers” (since official servers use Linux incompatible EAC). They aren’t hostile to the Linux community, but Gary and the team feel like they aren’t up to the task, so they don’t officially support things anymore.
I mean, you get what you pay for with games that have anti cheat software mandatory.
Less cheaters?
I don’t know what you mean.
Seems about 40% working, I personally only have one game that doesn’t jive with Linux. If the game you’re playing doesn’t work that’s the fault of the specific anti-cheat developers because it’s obviously possible to do it right.
Sure, but from the end user perspective, it doesn’t matter whose fault it is - the result is you can’t play a game you otherwise just can in Windows. We know it’s their fault.
If you never play any games with anticheat that’s fine, but all it takes is one game, and then later another, and then later another, to make Linux a dealbreaker for many gamers. These are not unpopular games.
It can be the whole difference between someone sticking with Windows but itching to make the switch, and someone actually making the switch.
What good is 90% of games working if you have 3 games that you really want to play that don’t work?
Those are likely shit games.
I used to be huge into Battlefield. Even on Linux, I played the shit out of BF4. But I will never be sad about avoiding kernel level anticheat. I don’t even feel like I’m missing out, quite the opposite really, especially after Saudi Arabia bought out EA. Why would I ever want kernel level anything from them? They’d have to pay me.
I guess that’s all to say that I just don’t play those games, and I’m better off for it. I think we should be educating other gamers on what they’re sacrificing to play these games for little reduction in cheaters (BF6 has them, I’ve seen videos of it). Is it really worth it to have a Saudi rootkit on your computer to play that game? Are they willing to sacrifice their security, privacy, and digital freedoms so they can play a game for a couple of hours a day or week? If so, that’s fine, but games that use kernel level anticheat tend to try to mask the risks of running them, which is fucked.
What good are those 3 games you want to play if they don’t work on the OS you want to use?
It’s just a matter of priority, about 8 years ago, I just made the decision to not play a game if it doesn’t work on Linux.
The game doesn’t become inherently less enjoyable just because your system doesn’t meet the requirements to run it.
There is a big problem in having to change your worldview so that no longer being able to enjoy a game you wanted to experience becomes a non-issue.
I’m not sure I understand what you mean, but if I understand you correctly, I think the same logic can be applied to using n OS of choice.
I still think it’s an issue of priority.
The fomo is real
I 100% get what you are saying. But I’m also 100% fine with voting with my wallet by not supporting game developers that demand kernel-level access to my machine.
Think about the EA stuff. You install one of their games, and now Saudi Arabia and Jared Kushner* have kernel-level access to your machine. Why, why the hell is that worth it for just a game?
*I wish I was joking
While this is awesome we still need to have the same performance on Windows. Yes, some games run better through proton for some reason, but that’s the minority. Hopefully, proton will not be needed for new games in the future and we get native builds like CS2.
Had no major issues with Steam games so far on Linux mint, but I like owning my games, so I buy as much as I can from GOG, and Lutris and Heroic both have not given me exactly easy experiences :L
Heroic has gone pretty well for me. I’ve found a few exceptions that are solved by the same trick though. If you’re running a game like The Thaumaturge, and it doesn’t boot on the GOG version, take a look at SteamDB. SteamDB’s entry for the game has a “depot” for VC 2019, VC 2022, and DirectX 2010. If you run winetricks on The Thaumaturge via Heroic and install those three dependencies, it works.
You own your games on steam just as much as you do on gog for like 99% of them. The majority of steam games have no form of drm.
Out of my 2000 ish steam games less then 50 actually use drm that ties them to steam and those are basically only triple A games that arnt on gog anyways.
Just remove the overlay and the VAST majority of games just work with out steam entirely.
Is there a tool you can use to check that against your own library? I never got the sense it was anywhere close to a majority of my library, but years ago, I was just cross checking my then-small library against a hand-maintained list.
I don’t know of a bulk tool, but the Augmented Steam browser extension shows a DRM warning above the purchase button when you go on a game’s Steam store page.
Better than nothing. Thanks! Steam’s DRM has reared its head more often thanks to, ironically, the Steam Deck and playing on the go in places without internet access.
EDIT: Although, the results thus far are a little disappointing. I went to the store pages for a few known offenders and didn’t see what I’d hope to see. Dragon Ball FighterZ, for instance, has no DRM mentioned by the extension, but that one was one of the most finicky for launching in offline mode. I brought it to a fighting game major on a mini PC, and if you didn’t authenticate it online on the same boot, the game would refuse to launch. I’m guessing it’s just the bog standard Steam DRM, and this extension seemingly only lists third party DRM.
That could be the case! Unfortunately I can’t see any documentation about it on their website or github repo.
FYI: That’s more Windows games than run in Windows!
WTF? Why? Because a lot of older games don’t run in newer versions of Windows than when they were made! They still run great in Linux though 👍
Huh wonder whether shadows of destiny pc port works on proton.
Might be worth checking ProtonDB, or WineDB if it’s not on steam.
It wasn’t on proton but there’s a very old entry on wine. Looks like my boy Jeff’s last entry was quite recent in 2023, he rated it a silver. There’s a known bug from some graphical glitch during certain events like the protagonist meeting himself back in time and others which may prevent completion. I wonder how it works now, tempted to test it out.
There is like a good chunk of an entire decade’s worth of games that can’t be played on PC legitimately due to either expired licenses for music (e.g. EA Trax) or lack of support for older, disc-based DRM (SecuROM etc.).
That’s before factoring older titles that no longer work due to arbitrary changes to DirectX and the Windows kernel, which break backwards compatibility.
Tech-idiot, here, but Linux-curious and running Windows 10 with an ardent refusal to change it to 11.
I know there are a ton of different versions of Linux, ‘Ubuntu’ and such, but I don’t know jack about any of them… which would you recommend that’s best suited to someone who’s only ever used Windows? Looking for the most idiot-proof option. Gaming and office style work are primary use.
Emphasis on the idiot proof. I am really anxious about switching from fear of jacking up my computer, but am so sick of Window’s bullshit… probably as good a time to dive in now than any point going forward.
It’s really easy and quick to install a distro so you can just test them out. Get three you think you’d like, try em out, you’ll probably like all of them, but you get to pick your fav.
There is no “best”, just “best for you”.
If gaming is your focus and you just want to go into Linux without research, I’d start with Ubuntu or Mint for a couple weeks. If you’re liking it, check out some others, but don’t be surprised if you go back to Ubuntu or Mint simply because you found them easy and working just fine. There’s no wrong choice, just lots of good ones. It is all up to how you like it with no anxiety of making a bad choice 😁
Most good Linux releases (distros) have a Live CD/usb boot option. Do try that out! It doesn’t mess with your existing setup and you can see how it feels.
FWIW, my daily driver is Fedora. It has a good balance of cutting edge and stability. Great gaming support and solid office productivity.
If you want a windows-like experience, Linux Mint is hard to beat. It will feel very familiar.
If you enjoy gaming (which I’m assuming you do, considering the article) then maybe Bazzite would be a good option. It comes with GPU drivers (which have historically been a giant pain in the ass for Linux) ready to go. It’s an immutable distro, which is… Contentious in the Linux community. It means you won’t be able to accidentally break your OS, but it also means it isn’t as customizable. The newer users appreciate the safety net, but the experienced power users see it as overly restrictive coddling.
It also pisses off new users frequently when they start to try to use any community tools for most games… Bazzite is a fucking nightmare for gaming because of it. It’s God damn funny counter productive issue.
The steam deck has the same problem to be fair.
Also historically is right, installing drivers has been trivial on every distro I can possibly think of for the last fuck, almost 20 years.
There have been one click gui installers for fucking ever at this point. Lol
Tbh it actually doesn’t matter that much. There’s like a million different distros, but really there’s like 3 base distros (yes Linux nuts, this is an oversimplification) of Debian, Fedora, and Arch. Ubuntu has gotten a lot of hate lately for their choice of forced package manager, but it’s probably fine. It’ll matter way more to you what desktop environment you select. I’d recommend looking into Bazzite for gaming. It’s based on fedora and it has a bunch of gaming stuff built in, but also does great for anything else. It’s made to be the steamOS for anything not a steam deck. Go with KDE for a windows-like desktop experience.
For gamers who are newcomes to Linux, Ubuntu (or Debian) should be a hard pass. Linux gaming is advancing too fast for the 2-3 year gap between LTS versions to not matter, and trying to work around the stable (outdated) packages is typically what ends up breaking installs.
I actually just switched to Ubuntu 25.10 from Bazzite. Can you recommend me other (non atomic) distros that play nice with both secure boot and nvidia drivers? I don’t think fedora does. I’m not interested in managing keys and certs for my drivers, and do occasionally play those anti-cheat games on a dedicated windows partition. I’d rather not toggle secure boot each time I reboot.
I wouldn’t exactly recommend it because of the learning curve, but I have the exact setup you’re looking for working on NixOS.
Lanzaboote made it pretty easy. The downside is that you need to put secure boot into user-managed mode, and some asshole anticheats might not like that even though only Microsoft-signed executables were used in the boot chain of Windows.
CACHYOS literally ANYTHING arch based.
There’s a REAL good reason steam uses arch. A REALLY REALLY GOOD ONE.
Cachy won’t necessarily be a magic bullet for Nvidia drivers, especially for older GPUs.
It’s a good option though, I just wanted to set expectations.
Did you set up secure boot during setup of Bazzite, out of curiosity? It has the ability to function with it and should prompt you if I remember correctly.
I don’t think I did originally, but I don’t recall secure boot being an issue with it when I did do the switch. I may have had to install a key or something, but I honestly don’t remember.
I’ve had driver issues with Fedora 42 under secure boot (RTX 3060ti), and Ubuntu seems to be the winner so far that’s playing nice with everything. I haven’t run into any gaming issues yet besides the latest Sonic Racing game not starting.
I love the philosophy of Atomic distros like Kinoite and even run Bazzite on my AMD living room “console”. I’d recommend them all day long to folks new in the space since they’re hard to break by design - especially Bazzite for a gaming machine if invasive anticheat isn’t needed - but it’s not for me.
Totally fair - you gotta find and use what works for you!
How fedora still struggles to keep up sometimes which has always confused me why people suggest a bazzite. Not to mention how many community tools and communities that are starting to support Linux. Only support Arch and don’t support anything else.
Which means you now have new users trying to figure out how to f*** to compile or install software outside of their package managers without a flat pack or anything. Just to use the same community tools that they used on Windows.
While it’s just in the aur because it’s supported. Seriously cachyOS is such a easier solution for new comers.
People suggest Bazzite because it just works and is difficult to break or otherwise have things to wrong. I’m not sure what you mean by “struggles to keep up”, can you explain?
Also, you know about rpm-ostree and distrobox, right?
Dude, we don’t know what you just said. Lol
The three base distros mentioned are ones that most other distros use as their base
E.g.
Debian -> Ubuntu, Mint, Pop_OS!
Fedora -> Bazzite, Nobara
Arch -> EndeavourOS, Manjaro, CachyOS
While you can customize the base distros however you want, think of these derivate distros as various prebuilts.
Most distros come with a package manager that allows you to download (software) packages from a centralized repository. Similar to say Microsoft store. Ubuntu was dissed for Canonical (the creators of Ubuntu) forcing their own package manager into it, which had various issues, while there were already well established package managers available.
Desktop Environment (DE) is what you see on your screen. Various elements control how the task bar or app bar behaves or what it looks like, what windows are stylized like, and how they behave etc. For someone coming from Windows, Linux Mint’s Cinnamon DE or any distro with KDE will likely be most familiar experience, while those switching from MacOS, Gnome DE as the Fedora default is very similar.
Bazzite is a gaming focused distro based on Fedora.
Any questions remaining?
Can you install your own package manager? Are there established quality ones?
Thanks for this btw
Which distro is the steam deck based on?
Arch
Arch. Use cachyOS which is arch it’s just what steamOS is but with a focus on also being a normal desktop on top.
Seriously do not understand why people push bazzite when it’s just a more complicated less supported option compared to cachyOS. For the exact same work load.
Thanks. It seems like there’s three OS’s on the Deck, the way it’s set up.
I think maybe you just don’t know how to use Bazzite…
You keep saying this, but then do not elaborate very much. A lot of your comments in this thread have been something about Bazzite being bad/complicated/slow. Bazzite is not necessarily more complicated, it’s actually a lot less complicated in most ways and is difficult to break by design, as are other immutable distros. This is precisely why it is pushed to new Linux users. It’s a good starting point to have something that just works and not have to worry about much. I think a lot of long time Linux users are used to having full control over every piece of the OS, and have (like yourself) come to expect all distros to work that way. That’s fine and I totally understand that, but you should also consider that those who have not built the same habits from non-immutable might prefer a more hands off approach. I’ve used Linux for almost two decades, and I daily drive immutable because it’s so stable. I’m able to scratch the itch of wanting to mess with stuff by using distrobox, and if I’m really messing around, just using rpm-ostree. Sure, it’s different than normal distros, and it’s not for everyone, but it got my partner to use Linux on their own without any issues.
It’s okay to suggest other options for sure, but don’t get snarky when people are suggesting what works for them. The main benefit of Linux is that you have a choice in the first place, and you aren’t going to be stuck with whatever distro you’re using if they decide to do something catastrophic.
There is no such thing as a one-fits-all distro.
The problem with bazzite is it’s just an objectively worse option then cachyOS if your using your PC exclusively to game.
Immutable distros and the lack of aur can be such a massive pain in the fucking ass if you play games with a lot of community tools.
Almost exclusively every community tool I’ve ever seen for any game only ever supports Arch and never anything else. So while you can use other things, it sucks to have to compile it all yourself every f****** update.
I’ve never had an issue with any community tools on an immutable distro. Especially distros that have distrobox, but for the most part, the community tools I’ve needed use lutris or flatpak and do not require compilation. Do you have an example of some of the tools you’re talking about? I’m not necessarily doubting you, I just haven’t encountered it before. You can also still install things (at the cost of image space) with rpm-ostree.
I can access the aur on Bazzite easily using my Arch distrobox.
I mean, I don’t. But I can.
Listen, there’s dozens of Linux users on Void, Slackware and Gentoo. Dozens! Especially the ones wanting to run the latest games. Can’t just leave all of them out.
lol, i know you’re joking, but this is the kinda thing i think actually really confuses and scares people who are unfamiliar with linux. There absolutely are really great distros out there that aren’t the big players, but for a newcomer they can probably stick to a big distro that seems nice and if they start getting the bug they can come back for a deeper dive. deciding to just do it is way more important than getting it “right” imo.
Indeed - I’ve seen more people recommend Hannah Montana Linux (
apt-based) than any of those for newcomers recently.You are entirely right that a Linux distribution is really just its package manager, the default packages installed, and some remote repositories which may (or may not) have had some customisation applied, which will have been pulled and built from a source repository somewhere. All that’s really needed to swap between eg. Arch, Manjaro or Cachy is to update the repo files and issue a package manager update command, although I’d probably like to verify my backups and get a stiff drink first.
The House of Linux is built out of bricks, and the bricks aren’t that scary - you can take them to bits and look at them if you like, they’re usually zipped-up folders of text files and the binaries you’d get from compiling them yourself. But if that’s not what you’re used to, then yeah - 🤯 .
In all seriousness, I wish that most distros had art half as good as what Void Linux has - got some really gifted people, there.
lol, lots of folks responding to me doing the exact thing i was warning about. Honestly, just pick one that seems like it offers what you’re looking for.
If you want it to feel kind of familiar to windows, pick KDE as your desktop environment. you can have this in pretty much any distro, some make it easier to set as part of the install process.
If you want it to be harder to fuck up, but with less flexibility for customization or being on the bleeding edge of support, pick an immutable distro like bazzite
If you wan full flexibility and the added danger and complexity that brings, go for an arch-based distro. lot of great comments below too with actually good details and not just “people are dumb for using X, they should use Y because i’m smarter” - specifically dubyakay and Holytimes are offering some great details.
For gaming, you can’t go wrong with Bazzite. It’s meant for gaming to mostly just work out of the box, so you likely won’t need to tinker with anything.
It’s that tinkering that introduces stability risks. Adding third-party package repositories and trying to install newer software on top of older LTS distros is what tends to end up breaking them.
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As someone who went through something similar, Linux Mint is a really great option. Based off Ubuntu so lots of software, cinnamon desktop environment for a windows familiar feel and layout, and stable releases.
If you need a computer that’s reliable for office work, use Debian, if you want a more console-like experience and less likely it’ll break your computer, use bazzite, if you want to be able to use new hardware, the moment it’s released to the market have the best compatibility with all games and software and the widest range of supported hardware and software use cachyOS.
Debian is stable because it updates so slowly. It makes sure everything works under pain of death. So having compatibility issues, new hardware being supported, having to do weird little things for a less than popular application is pretty normal. But if it works, it’s literally the most stable thing you can possibly put on a computer.
Bazzite it’s kind of your middle ground. It’s up to date in 95% of all cases while support. Basically everything but it is immutable which makes it hard to tinker with or change things should you need to. Which is both a benefit and a downside. Does mean you’re less likely to break your computer while you’re learning on the flip side.
CachyOS is based on Arch the most up-to-date core that you can have for any computer. It’s what steamos is based on in many other bleeding edge options. It has a focus on hardware support, gaming support, software support doing so as up-to-date as physically possible. If you need something to be supported, it’s more likely to be supported here than anywhere else. While the old joke Arch likes to randomly break itself isn’t untrue. It’s also about 15 years out of date in how true it is. Modern Arch rarely ever breaks and when it does so will every other option barring debian almost exclusively.
Realistically speaking, when it comes to actually installing and using any of these options day-to-day, they’re completely identical. Typically, if you have the ability to rub two brain cells together, read and have even a 5th grade level of critical thinking skills. If you’re planning on gaming as your main use of your computer not work, not art, just gaming, just use cachyOS.
There is one last thing to be aware of when choosing any option. If it’s based on Arch, it’s going to have the best documentation in the most user-friendly possible way. Arch has the single. Best, wiki there is. Which for a new user can be a godsend if you actually know how to read.
despite your weirdly hard-line anti-bazzite stance elsewhere, this is an excellent expansion on some of the other comments in this thread.
Depends on how much you care about security. Some distros are still very focused on “I operate my desktop in my locked house and don’t expect police to knock” use cases. If you’re chill with typing in a disk encryption password on boot you can turn that on, but getting a seamless secure boot+tpm decrypt is pretty challenging.
And then if that is what you want, people will of course happily tell you what a stupid insecure idea that is because Intel or Microsoft or something.
To answer your question broadly: I found arch/endeavor to be easier to secure and have a single set of solid instructions. OpenSuse and fedora both had multiple mediocre and deeply iffy sets of instructions, but for basic setup and use they are easier to use. OpenSuse bricked several times, fedora was far far far more stable for me but you’ll hear countless people with the opposite story. I don’t care for Ubuntu.
The bigger impact past setup is the desktop environment. You pick gnome (Ubuntu, fedora, endeavor) if you hate yourself and think some random dev 5000 miles away can make decisions for you better than you can. You pick KDE (fedora, suse, endeavor) if you want a nice windowsesque experience. You pick cosmic (popos, derived from Ubuntu) if you want to try something new that might suck. There are others but they are mostly if you want a super cut down experience.
People have recommended mint for new users for at least a decade or so. Please just don’t. It’s super out of date.
Rule 1 you do not get better instructions, manuals and documentation then arch and it’s family. Full stop. It’s great
One of the most frequently suggested beginner distros is Linux mint. It’s great, it’s stable, it’s what I use and while it’s not exactly cutting edge, or necessary the prettiest distro, it’s great for beginners and will feel pretty familiar coming from windows.
Pop_os! And bazzite are more “gaming focused” if that’s more your style, but I’ve never had an issue gaming with Linux mint.
Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter terribly much. Pick one, install it to a new drive and try it out. If you don’t like it, pick another one.
Linux mint isnt just not bleeding edge, its significantly more stable than Debian. Its so much incredibly more stable that they still use X11 and probrally will for the foreseeable future.
Just made the switch, surprised how smooth the transition went so far.
Ooooh, what distro did you go with?
Can’t be Arch, else he would’ve already said that he uses Arch btw. /s
Listen…
I went full AMD and Fedora. Couldn’t be happier. All games I’ve tested work. It’s been a while since I’ve had a gaming pc so I don’t have a reference point, but everything is as smooth as I’d want to. Some games may need a library or so as stated in protonDB but, I’m so impressed. Now I have desktop running KDE, steam deck has KDE too and my laptop also with fedora.
Hey! This is also my setup!
For real, full AMD on Fedora is incredibly stable and smooth.
Mint, I need my emotional support windows xp.
Omg saaammeeeee
😂
For a while I never made the switch because of gaming. I did 3 years ago and never looked back. Proton is a game changer
I made the switch almost a year ago when they started announcing all the spyware coming to win11. The distro you choose matters a LOT. After several that were buggy and frustrating I landed on Garuda dragonized. Setup was easy with their assistant finding the drivers I needed and I have yet to have any system breaking updates. Better track record than windows TBH. Performance is great, and steam integrates so well with proton that my experience is honestly just as good as windows native. I should probably go make a donation to the Garuda project, now that I’m thinking about it.
Aside from Nvidia, what drivers?
Most accessories are plug and play these days, so Nvidia may have actually been the only one. Not all distros can detect the best Nvidia drivers automatically, and finding and installing the right one can be a pain. Which makes it borderline impossible for a low tech person looking to make the jump to Linux.
Notably, it’s also entirely possible that the issues I dealt with were more to do with poor Wayland implementations than drivers. Either way, Garuda has worked beautifully and easily.