For newer Linux users or people looking to switch, it can be a minefield to try and find accurate and up to date info on what Linux distro to game with. Here to help. What is the best Linux distribution for gaming? It's actually not a tough question.
With how far Linux has come in only the last 2 years, you can play a seriously large amount of games now. Sadly, there's some (quite a lot actually) places out there that seem to slap a new date on old crusty articles and give really bad Linux gaming advice. Most of the people writing these types of articles elsewhere clearly don't use Linux - I do, and I have done for around 15 years now.
Let's start off with what not to do shall we? First off, don't bother with SteamOS from Valve. Currently, it's out of date and has been for some time now. It hasn't been properly updated since 2019! Valve are not working on it but they might return one day. Anyone suggesting it likely has no idea what they're talking about and any website listing it is junk.
Next: Ubuntu GamePack or any "specialized" Linux gaming distribution. You can throw almost all of those types in the trash. They really don't do anything normal Linux distributions don't do already and they can often introduce their own special bugs. I consider them like the old discs you would find in the bargain bin in a local PC store. You really don't need them, don't waste your precious time.
So what to actually install at the end of 2020 and in 2021 to game on Linux?
The answer is actually really simple, it's not a long list and you have two really easy choices: Ubuntu or Pop!_OS. With their LTS versions (Long Term Support), you can use them as a safe bet for years.
Pictured - Ubuntu 20.04 running Steam on my laptop.
Why those? Well, Ubuntu is almost always the most widely used Linux distribution by normal desktop users. On Steam, it has always been on top as the most used distribution by gamers - there's an obvious reason for that too — it works. It's what I always recommend to newer users because it's like a warm cuddly Linux blanket. It's easy to find answers for, and it's not complicated to use. As for Pop!_OS, it's based on Ubuntu and since System76 sell desktop Linux hardware with it you can be sure it's also well tested.
If you do want a specialized distribution, perhaps for a console like experience that SteamOS was supposed to offer then take a look at ChimeraOS. It offers up a good big-screen experience for Steam.
Apart from that, everything you need can be easily installed directly on Ubuntu. Steam for the biggest library of Linux compatible games and for the Steam Play Proton compatibility layer for playing Windows games on Linux, Minigalaxy for GOG games, RetroArch for emulation, itch.io has their own client too for lots of indie gems and the Lutris game manager for everything else. It's really easy to get going too, on Ubuntu you just need to open up Ubuntu Software and search for Steam and it does it for you.
Don't make it complicated for yourself. I say all this as an Arch Linux user, which is a bit of a long-running joke about you always knowing who an Arch user is as they will tell you - and oops, I just fell into it. I'm saying it for good reason though! I have been through Arch Linux, Manjaro, Fedora and more and I still consider Ubuntu to be the number 1 Linux distribution for getting going quickly especially if you're not too comfortable yet.
Keep in mind that just as macOS and Windows do have plenty of issues, so does Linux. Don't expect perfection, be prepared to learn a bit and do things differently. If you need help, we have plenty of resources available for you. We have: a Forum, a Discord, IRC, Matrix, Telegram. You will find answers across there, with the Forum being the best way because search engines pick up answers from forums and do not from social chats like Discord.
Lastly - have fun and keep on gaming on Linux.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
I read nearly all comments up to this point and there were a lot of explanations given, so I don't need to repeat them. I hearted the ones I liked. Whatever distros you may convince your normies to try out, it's on you to help them out.
Quoting: ghiumaIt has nothing to do with the discussion, do you recommend a PC controller for Linux? I have a Nacon gc 200 wl and it often disconnects by itself, I also have a ps5 controller but it still doesn't work with all Steam games ... help !!!You're right that this is the wrong place for an unrelated question, but start a new thread in the forums and I'll be happy to give you my recommendation.
Mountain Man Dec 27, 2020
Quoting: Liam DaweQuoting: TheSHEEEPWhat is "naff" naming?https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1453_uptodate3/page15.shtml
Another source https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=naff and so on. Pretty common where I am from, I forget that English slang can be an acquired taste. Basically, naff = a bit rubbish.
One of the strangest turn of phrases I've encountered is "it's the dog's bollocks". I still don't know if that's a good thing, or a bad thing.
Mountain Man Dec 27, 2020
Quoting: soulsourceThere is an important piece of information missing regarding Ubuntu: People should imho only use LTS versions. The non-LTS versions are horribly unstable (bordering being completely unusable), and will only lead to frustration.This is not true based on my experience. I update my Kubuntu install every six months when a new version is released and have never had a problem.
Mountain Man Dec 27, 2020
Quoting: prosoorAbout Gentoo and some less common like Mandriva or even weirder package system I should rather not. I have no time even to read about them, less to try them.I used Gentoo many years ago when I had more free time to invest in maintaining my system. Since everything is compiled from source code, the initial install was an all day (and overnight) affair. Even something as simple as installing an office suite could take several hours to download and compile the source code. Of course this was on an older, slower single core CPU, so things may not be as painful these days, but I really didn't mind it at the time until I was in the middle of a college course, and a routine update completely broke my system (not an uncommon occurrence for Gentoo). Since I didn't have the time to recompile an entire Linux install from scratch, I used Kubuntu as a temporary solution to get back up and running quickly and was so pleased with how fast and easy it was that I've never looked back.
soulsource Dec 27, 2020
Quoting: Mountain ManQuoting: prosoorAbout Gentoo and some less common like Mandriva or even weirder package system I should rather not. I have no time even to read about them, less to try them.I used Gentoo many years ago when I had more free time to invest in maintaining my system. Since everything is compiled from source code, the initial install was an all day (and overnight) affair. Even something as simple as installing an office suite could take several hours to download and compile the source code. Of course this was on an older, slower single core CPU, so things may not be as painful these days, but I really didn't mind it at the time until I was in the middle of a college course, and a routine update completely broke my system (not an uncommon occurrence for Gentoo). Since I didn't have the time to recompile an entire Linux install from scratch, I used Kubuntu as a temporary solution to get back up and running quickly and was so pleased with how fast and easy it was that I've never looked back.
Strange, my experience was the exact opposite. Ubuntu was rather great, until they started shipping Unity. Then it became comparable to Windows 95 regarding stability - frequent crashes. The LTS versions remained somewhat usable, though still noticeably worse than any Ubuntu version before, but the non-LTS versions turned into a crash-fest, with the X11 session dying every second minute or so.
That drove me away towards Debian, and I never looked back.
Since 2016 I'm running Gentoo - mostly because I wanted to try it and got stuck because its Rolling Release scheme never required a re-install, so I had no incentive to switch ever since. Gentoo has been an extremely smooth ride for me - except some minor things that could be fixed by a simple package downgrade.
(To be honest, I had one more involved issue with Gentoo, but that was because I had some ~arch - untested - packages unmasked, so it was clearly a user error.)
Mountain Man Dec 27, 2020
Quoting: soulsourceStrange, my experience was the exact opposite. Ubuntu was rather great, until they started shipping Unity.I've always used Kubuntu. Maybe it's not Ubuntu itself that was unstable but Unity.
Admittedly, my experience with Gentoo is a decade behind me, and I understand the distro isn't as Wild West as it used to be. I just remember whenever there was a major upgrade of critical components, it always felt like rolling the dice whether or not your system would work afterwards.
slaapliedje Dec 29, 2020
Quoting: FauconNoirWhy everyone is talking about Pop!_OS ? What is so cool about it compared to others like Ubuntu or Manjaro for example ?Because it's ubuntu that doesn't suck (removes snaps and other ridiculous things that Ubuntu does).
Still no one gives love to the mother of them all, Debian...
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