Linux gaming has come a long way. With Steam, Proton, and better driver support, most Windows games now run on Linux. These distros make it easy to get started.
Easy access to NVIDIA and AMD GPU drivers. Ideally pre-installed or one-click install.
Steam with Proton should work out of the box. Lutris and Wine for non-Steam games.
Recent kernel and Mesa versions for best hardware support and game compatibility.
GameMode, performance governors, and low-latency tweaks can make a noticeable difference.
Our top picks for gaming, ranked by overall experience.
Best overall gaming experience
System76's distro comes with excellent NVIDIA support out of the box (separate ISO), a clean GNOME-based desktop, and gaming-friendly defaults. Hybrid graphics switching works well on laptops.
Gaming-focused Fedora spin
Created by a Proton contributor, Nobara is Fedora with gaming patches pre-applied. Includes fixes that haven't made it upstream yet, plus OBS, Steam, and gaming tools pre-installed.
Stable and beginner-friendly
Not gaming-specific, but Mint's stability and ease of use make it great for gamers who don't want to tinker. Driver Manager handles NVIDIA well, and Steam installs without fuss.
Maximum compatibility
The most widely supported distro. If a game or tool supports Linux, it almost certainly supports Ubuntu. Good choice if you want to follow tutorials without translation.
Arch-based with gaming focus
An Arch-based distro with a gaming edition that includes performance tweaks, gaming tools, and a polished (if flashy) desktop. Rolling release means latest packages.
SteamOS-like for desktop
An immutable Fedora-based distro designed to replicate the Steam Deck experience on desktop PCs and handhelds. Great for dedicated gaming machines.
Not sure which to pick? These comparisons might help.
Yes, most Windows games work via Proton (Steam's compatibility layer) or Wine/Lutris for non-Steam games. Check ProtonDB to see how well specific games run.
Both work well now. AMD has better open-source driver support (built into the kernel). NVIDIA requires proprietary drivers but performs excellently once installed. Intel Arc GPUs are improving but still less mature.
Some anti-cheat systems (Easy Anti-Cheat, BattlEye) now support Linux when developers enable it. Games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring work. Others like Valorant and Fortnite don't. Check ProtonDB for specifics.
For native Linux games, performance is often equal or better. For Windows games via Proton, most run within 5-10% of Windows performance, and some actually run faster due to less overhead.
Rolling releases (Arch, Nobara, Garuda) give you the latest drivers and kernel, which can help with new hardware. But they require more maintenance. Stable releases (Ubuntu LTS, Mint) are more predictable but may lag on cutting-edge hardware support.
On most distros, Steam is available in the software center or via terminal (sudo apt install steam on Ubuntu/Mint). Enable Steam Play in settings to use Proton for Windows games.
Compare any two distros side-by-side.
