They say that Linux is not for gaming, and if you are a hardcore gamer, that’s true. Gaming on Linux is not that smooth, and although the situation is improving day by day, some games are unlikely to be playable at the start. And don’t forget about drivers, which may not be available on Linux.
The breakthrough in Linux-gaming happened thanks to the Steam Proton project. It is based on Wine, but it is much more convenient to work with it. Especially if you use Steam as your main gaming platform, because almost all games work there without any tambourine dances.
For example, instead of classic Ubuntu with GNOME desktop environment you can install Kubuntu (it’s Ubuntu with KDE Plasma desktop environment). Or any other distribution from the official Ubuntu family, if KDE is not to your liking.
In brief, you should pay attention to the following things:
- the distribution should be easy enough to learn;
- the distribution should have extensive repositories (the easier it is to install the program you need, the better);
- the distribution should not be too demanding on your PC resource.
SteamOS is for Valve’s console only and cannot be installed on third-party computers. However, it has a great alternative – Bazzite Linux. This is a distribution based on Fedora. It’s specifically designed for both gaming on desktops and portable consoles like the Asus ROG Ally and compact HTPCs that plug into your TV. What’s more, it can be installed on Steam Deck itself.
The Bazzite interface is almost a copy of SteamOS. There are also two modes: Desktop Mode, when the system looks like desktop Linux, and Big Picture, designed for running games from a gamepad on a TV or touchscreen console. There’s no need to pick through small menus – just select the cover art for the game you want.
Another distribution primarily aimed at portable gaming consoles like the Asus ROG Ally or Lenovo Legion GO, as well as gamepad-controlled PCs or HTPCs.
ChimeraOS is an all-in-one solution: the distribution allows you to run games from Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, and also contains emulators for dozens of old-school console platforms like Sega Genesis, NES, GameBoy or Playstation. The system is Arch-based, which means you’ll always have the latest drivers and updates.
Valve chose to base their operating system on Arch for a reason. With its Rolling Release update model, it constantly gets the latest OS kernel versions and new drivers, which is essential for gamers.
However, Arch is complicated to set up and install and is only suitable for real geeks. And if you want to play Linux not on a portable console or TV, but on a desktop PC with a mouse and keyboard, install Manjaro.
It’s an Arch-based, but still as user-friendly and user-friendly as possible. It’s well suited for gamers thanks to its handy driver manager and Linux kernel installation tool. Unlike Ubuntu, which uses more stable but older packages, Manjaro boasts the latest versions of drivers for NVidia graphics cards and other hardware. These can be installed right in the settings with a single mouse click.
Garuda Linux is also based on Arch, just like Manjaro. But if the latter is a general-purpose distribution, Garuda is aimed specifically at desktop gamers.
This operating system has a built-in Garuda Gamer utility that allows you to quickly install all popular Linux game clients: Steam, Gog, EGS. There are also many tools for emulating Windows video games like PlayOnLinux, Winetricks, Bottles, and various lunchers like Lutris and GameHub. In addition there is software for customizing gamepads, keyboard and mouse, racing wheels and RGB lighting.