Bazzite or Cachyos. One is designed for Gaming and be harder to break, One is Designed for Performance.
this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2025
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Don't game much but I'll pitch in with a different suggestion: Debian minimal install or Arch, same as for every use case.
I prefer apt based distros so I always go Debian, but with flatpak it's basically irrelevant afaik.
I've had no trouble mimicking my deck's setup and game compatibility on basically any distro, use gamescope, proton etc.
Debian isn't bleeding edge but it also just werks and with flatpak I haven't encountered any issues getting new stuff essentially totally segregated from the main OS then nuking it if anything is borked without reinstalls or any downtime.
I’ve had good luck with Garuda after nearly two decades on Ubuntu and its derivatives.
So much so that I moved my work os to it, despite the gaming bent.
Same. The default desktop style is a bit tacky but changing the style is not exactly difficult. Other than that it's just a more convenient Arch.
There isn't "a best" exactly.
There are some things to consider though.
- What hardware are you using?
- Are the latest Video Drivers available for the distro you are considering?
- How much configuration do you want to do?
Its a nuanced question. There isn't a 1 size fits all approach to this.
For me, going Arch was the move. It fit my usage habits.
Intel Core i5-7300HQ, GeForce 1050 Ti. I know the proprietary Nvidia drivers work on Ubuntu-based and Fedora-based distros, and I think arch-based.
I've been pretty happy with Garuda Linux, Arch based. You'd be fine with near any of them though. Fedora base is amazing and stable and as well as the Arch based systems I use.
In the end it comes down to your hardware and what kind of gaming you want to do.
AMD gpus seem to work the best next with Intel GPUs. Nvidia can certainly work and be stable but has some drawbacks with Wayland from what I remember. (Maybe have been fixed?)
Anticheat is a crap shoot sometimes
I used EndeavourOS for about a year and a half with no issues at all. Currently testing Nobara as I wanted to try something different. Again, no issues at all.
I use Zorin OS, which is based on Ubuntu. Never had to set anything extra up, just installed Steam and everything worked.
Just my opinions as I am still a Linux noob (been using it on and off for the last 15 years, but only on old hardware, and I made A LOT of mistakes):
Handheld? --> Bazzite
Desktop? --> openSUSE Tumbleweed