Best Linux distros for gaming in 2022
All-time Linux distros for gaming in 2021
The all-time Linux distros for gaming give the freedom that Linux offers while providing the tools you need to play most of the games yous love already. Linux has been effectually for a long fourth dimension, but information technology has become much more viable as a gaming platform in recent years cheers to the community and Valve.
Now that Valve's portable Steam Deck gaming PC is confirmed to be running Linux, using Proton to make your Steam games shine, getting into Linux gaming is more exciting than always.
And yeah, I know that Linux is the kernel and not the OS itself. We can play semantics games all day, merely the long and brusk of it is that many people casually refer to these as Linux distros and don't know or care near the "correct" terminology.
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The following Linux distros autumn into the various families, about of which are based on Ubuntu. These are often more friendly to newcomers and accept their place. Still, if you have a bit more than experience with Linux and desire to get the most out of your hardware, one of the Arch-based options can exist great, too.
What are the best Linux distros for gaming?
While this is a hotly-contested subject, our selection for the best distro for Linux gaming is Pop!_OS. This Ubuntu-based distro has a lot of refinements and tweaks for everyday use, including for gaming. At that place are even separate ISOs for Nvidia- and AMD-based systems. Just choose the ane relevant to you and yous're golden. I will say that the Nvidia-based 1 works pretty well given the potential headaches that tin can come with dealing with Nvidia'due south drivers on Linux.
The runner-upward is Manjaro, which is an Arch-based organization that is my go-to distro of pick. I prefer the KDE desktop environment, but there are multiple versions of Manjaro that yous tin can install, depending on your tastes. Stability has drastically improved in recent years and Manjaro'south hardware tool is also excellent for dealing with drivers.
Other options include Garuda, an Arch-based distro that has all the tools you need to make gaming on Linux easily attainable. Drauger OS is some other gaming-focused distro, based on Ubuntu, and and so in that location's Ubuntu itself. At that place's no wrong distro per se, but some are easier to manage than others.
The elephant in the room is the upcoming Steam OS, which is at present based on Arch instead of Ubuntu. Valve says information technology will premiere on the Steam Deck, but since it's Linux, you'll be able to install it yourself on your own motorcar. And conversely, you'll be able to install whatever distro you want on your Steam Deck, in example yous don't similar Steam OS.
The best Linux distros you can use for gaming
Popular!_OS is System76's homegrown Linux distro for its laptops and desktops. This distro has the added benefit of having a for-profit company backside it, which can beget to invest resource into Pop!_OS to make it the best information technology tin can be. And it shows. Pop!_OS is ane of the best distros for laptops, particularly those with hybrid graphics setups like older Nvidia Optimus machines.
Ane of the best things most Pop!_OS is that there are 2 carve up ISOs, one for Nvidia graphics cards and i for AMD ones. Choose which one is correct for you and you'll exist practiced to proceed drivers. There's also the Pop!_Shop, an app store with many staple applications — including Steam and Lutris, two key elements for gaming on Linux.
Other than its weird naming scheme, Pop!_OS is a solid fashion to go into Linux gaming. Information technology works great on laptops and desktops, and that's why it's our option for the best gaming distro for nigh people.
Manjaro is a fantastic distro that blends the rolling release nature of Arch with added stability and cadre strength. This is a corking distro for people looking for something a little more out of their Linux life. Being simply shy of the haemorrhage border, things in Manjaro move a lot quicker than the Ubuntu-based distros do.
New mainline kernels are generally easier to deal with and Manjaro'south hardware detection tool (mhwd) is stellar for managing drivers. Nvidia systems are notoriously hard to work with in Linux sometimes and Manjaro does a great job at mitigating that. New drivers are pretty quick to come downwardly the pipeline.
In the past, Manjaro has a bit of trouble with stability, just that'due south by and large gone away in contempo years. Still, things tin withal go wrong, so brand sure you continue backups in case y'all or an update borks something.
Drauger OS bills itself equally the gaming Linux distro, and it certainly delivers on that hope. It's built with performance and security in listen, getting you straight to gaming and even installing Steam during the Bone installation process. Based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS at time of writing, Drauger OS is stable, too.
Information technology'south a barebones distro that comes with the lightweight XFCE desktop environment. The whole thing doesn't await equally pretty as some other distros, but its principal goal is to provide the best gaming feel. Information technology does this with kernel level modifications for low latency, a one,000Hz scheduling frequency (up from 250Hz), and the BFQ IO scheduler. All that to say, it'southward made for hardcore Linux gaming.
The biggest complaint we could social club against Drauger OS is the cumbersome and oftentimes buggy installer. It uses Gparted for partition management, which is fine, simply the installer can still fail sometimes. Only your mileage may vary, so give Drauger Os a try before passing judgement.
Garuda Linux is a newcomer on the block, basing itself on Arch. Some might remember of it as an upwards and coming competitor to Manjaro and I think information technology'due south well on its way to that terminate. It's a powerful distro with tons of customizations, DE options, and loads of goodness. It'due south as well pretty beginner-friendly, offer the power of Arch without most of the hassle.
For gamers, Garuda offers a GUI with a suite of packages like Steam, WINE, Winetricks, PlayOnLinux, Gamehub (the Linux alternative to GOG Galaxy 2.0), Lutris, DXVK, and Proton. Information technology's a 1-stop shop to easily install everything you lot demand to get gaming. It's likewise a great distro to use on its own for other PC tasks.
The aesthetic that Garuda uses is quite retrowave/cyberpunk and I'm all for it. KDE is the flagship desktop environment and it features the well-nigh customizations. Garuda is a cute, spectacular distro that should put Manjaro on sentry.
Similar information technology or not, Ubuntu is the premiere Linux distribution. It'south where a lot of people showtime out and it serves as the foundation for most of the distros out at that place. It comes in two versions, a Long-Term Support (LTS) version and the semi-annual Twenty.04 and XX.10 releases.
Ubuntu has a lot of weight in the Linux globe and it'due south quite versatile. It comes with a modified GNOME desktop out of the box, only there are other versions with KDE, XFCE, LXQt, and a host of other customs options (like Deepin). At that place are other Ubuntu versions for pedagogy, multimedia creation, and others.
While it's not the best gaming distro out of the box, information technology is the well-nigh widely-used distro and therefore has some of the best support. The community is as well pretty strong, though not quite on the level of Arch and Manjaro. Yet, if y'all have a trouble with Ubuntu or setting something upwards, you can hands detect support. Getting going with gaming tin be a hassle, what with Steam, Lutris, Proton, DXVK, Vino, Winetricks, GameMode, etc., only information technology's definitely a great place to beginning if you lot're new to Linux.
How to choose the all-time distro for you
At that place'due south no one best Linux distro for anybody. Ubuntu is where a lot of people become started (or i of the many, many distros based on it) and it has its place, but out of the box it can exist a hassle. That doesn't mean it's bad, of course; two of the other distros on this list are based on Ubuntu.
The Curvation-based ones are generally thought to be for more experienced Linux users, though you tin easily go your feet wet with Manjaro. That distro features a lot of what's great well-nigh Curvation, simply with some added stability and its own repository of applications.
In general, we think the all-time Linux distro for gaming is also i you can use exterior of video games. Popular!_OS and Manjaro are both powerful distros that practise but about everything well, including gaming. Simply if you don't really use your gaming PC for much else outside of games, then something like Drauger OS is a good bet. And be on the sentinel for the new Steam Bone, too.
If you lot're new to the Linux earth, and so you'll somewhen hear the term "distro hopping" (if you haven't already). That means installing new distros to see if you lot can discover one yous similar. It'due south something nigh Linux users do until they find a distro to settle on — it'due south how I decided Manjaro was the best option for me.
Don't be agape to try out new distros in a virtual car or to install it on your hardware. That's the only style you'll detect the right one for y'all.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-linux-distros-for-gaming
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