I play a lot of games over steam, and I am coming from windows.
I'd love to help you, but unfortunately I can't think of a single distro that would run on a cat.
this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2026
184 points (97.4% liked)
No Stupid Questions
46278 readers
799 users here now
No such thing. Ask away!
!nostupidquestions is a community dedicated to being helpful and answering each others' questions on various topics.
The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:
Rules (interactive)
Rule 1- All posts must be legitimate questions. All post titles must include a question.
All posts must be legitimate questions, and all post titles must include a question. Questions that are joke or trolling questions, memes, song lyrics as title, etc. are not allowed here. See Rule 6 for all exceptions.
Rule 2- Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material.
Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material. You will be warned first, banned second.
Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.
Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.
Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.
That's it.
Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.
Questions which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.
Rule 6- Regarding META posts and joke questions.
Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-question posts using the [META] tag on your post title.
On fridays, you are allowed to post meme and troll questions, on the condition that it's in text format only, and conforms with our other rules. These posts MUST include the [NSQ Friday] tag in their title.
If you post a serious question on friday and are looking only for legitimate answers, then please include the [Serious] tag on your post. Irrelevant replies will then be removed by moderators.
Rule 7- You can't intentionally annoy, mock, or harass other members.
If you intentionally annoy, mock, harass, or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.
Likewise, if you are a member, sympathiser or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.
Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.
Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.
Let everyone have their own content.
Rule 10- Majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here. This includes using AI responses and summaries.
Credits
Our breathtaking icon was bestowed upon us by @Cevilia!
The greatest banner of all time: by @TheOneWithTheHair!
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
I started on Bazzite when I switched, and it was ok but never felt quite right. After that I switched to Garuda, which is also designed to be a ready right out of the box experience that is gaming and performance focused.
It is based on Arch, so it is currently being kept up to date and has been extremely reliable. Pretty much every issue has been solved with an update and reboot.
As an aside, everyone always pushes KDE, but I personally love xfce, it's worth a look.
Honestly, if you're mostly using Steam for gaming, pretty much any major distro will work. Linux Mint is my personal choice for newbies but if something else strikes your fancy, go for it. I second the recommendation for checking on ProtonDB to see if your games are supported. I would also recommend ProtonUp-Qt as a program once you've installed Linux; it's really good for managing different Proton installs on Steam quickly and easily. Also also, I have personally had better luck with the Flatpak version of Steam, rather than the native distro versions, because it has less weird dependency issues, but YMMV. Good luck!
mint
Fedora KDE Plasma is what I use. It's solid.
I was in the same situation a few months ago. I wanted to try Linux but had no real experience with it. To experiment safely, I built a computer from old parts and installed Linux Mint. I then swapped it with my Windows machine and committed to using Mint exclusively for a month. That hands-on approach helped far more than reading guides. I now use Mint on my primary system.
Here is what I learned along the way. Mint has excellent documentation because it is one of the most popular Linux distributions. When I ran into problems, I could generally find reliable answers through the official forums, community wikis, or by asking ChatGPT for step-by-step instructions. So far, there has not been a single issue I could not eventually fix with some experimentation.
If you are coming from Windows and want to game, there are several points worth knowing upfront:
1. Steam on Linux is straightforward
Steam has a native Linux client. Most Windows games work through Proton, which Steam handles automatically. For many titles, you simply install the game and press play. Performance can be very close to Windows.
2. Expect some trial and error
Although many games work out of the box, some require you to switch Proton versions or install small compatibility tools. It is usually not difficult, but it is different enough from Windows that patience helps.
3. Modding takes more effort
My most recent challenge involved getting game mods working. Tools like Proton, Wine, and mod installers sometimes interact in unexpected ways. It took me a few hours of reading and experimenting, but I eventually got everything running. Once you understand where games store their files and how Proton prefixes work, modding becomes much more manageable.
4. Linux teaches you how your system works
If you are willing to tinker, Linux rewards you. You learn how your files are organized, how applications install dependencies, and how to fix problems yourself. That knowledge makes troubleshooting less intimidating over time.
5. You can always dual-boot
If you are nervous about switching completely, you can dual-boot Windows and Mint. That way you can learn Linux without losing access to anything critical.
If you are starting from zero, the biggest advantage is the size and friendliness of the Linux Mint community. You do not have to figure everything out alone. With a bit of persistence, you can build a fully functional gaming setup that performs well and is easier to maintain than you might expect.
Great guide!
I would add that searching for a "SteamDeck" guide for a mod set tends to find a more complete guide for running that mod on Linux.
Fedora KDE is what I use and recommend.
Its easy, to setup, no frills, reliable and very easy to use with a just gui if you're not into the terminal.
If, and only if, this is not your primary computer. Eg, it's only for gaming, I'd recommend Bazzite.
Bazzite is great and I use it on our couch pc for a true console experience. I call it "our better Xbox".
Zorin OS
Fedora’s solid for me. I left Ubuntu distros because they’re always out of date with the latest desktop environment updates.
The beauty of asking a linux advice from linux nerds is that you will get as many different advices as there are comments and then will have to do your own research anyway.
Fedora KDE.
Looks similar-esque to Windows, Steam and most/all your games will run great on it.
Packages and kernel are kept current and it’s stable.
It has an App Store called Discover for finding most anything you will need out of the gate.
I recently made the switch to Kubuntu. I wanted KDE and Wayland all setup for me after arch issues a couple years ago.
Another big reason is that I can install the discord .deb files easily without thinking much, cause discord has an update like every other day.
I might switch one day but it should be easy cause my OS drive doesn't have any games on it
I recommend Mint if it's your first time. It's really easy to set up and use and there are thousands of guides online for fixing any issues you encounter with it. I do not recommend Bazzite like others are recommending because you literally can't change anything with it. That is fine if everything works out of the box and you're basically just using it for gaming, but if literally anything is wrong with your install or you have a device where the drivers that come with Bazzite don't work, you literally can't fix it. Not as in "it's really difficult" I mean it literally won't let you do it. Updating drivers on Linux is notoriously frustrating, but it's very often required especially if you have older USB peripherals you want to use.
I don't recommend anything Ubuntu related for newcommers, it's full of weird stuff that is hard to debug when it breaks. But other than that anything will do really. And even Ubuntu is passable to be honest
I watched a video recently of a german Youtuber that created a Linux chooser with questions about usage, experience etc.
The language is only in german, but you could try the translation feature in your browser.
I run mainline Ubuntu and there has only ever been one game I wanted to play that I couldn't play, and that's because Epic Games deliberately made it incompatible.
Can'tbelieve no one's said this yet, but first you should check protondb.com for all the games you play a lot. It will show you how well they work in Linux. The biggest issue are competitive/esports titles because of their anticheat systems. Most other games run fine out of the box, but some run better with some tweaking.
For sure choose some Debian-based distro. As a beginner maybe stay away from Arch or Fedora derivatives - most tutorials are for Debian-based distros and it will be easier that way. Pick something like Ubuntu, Mint, Zorin or sth like that. Don't be owerwhelmed. The distro doesn't really matter as long it's not Arch. Learn that the look of the desktop is independent of the distro you choose. The look is called "desktop environment". Look it up. You can install any desktop environment on any distro so you don't have to pick distro based on looks. Good luck and have fun.
Look at zorinOS or Mint. Those are good starting points
Thank you
You'll probably want to switch off it one day, but when I first got into Linux I used Ubuntu and everything just worked. Even when I had a laptop with a touchscreen, the touchscreen worked no problem. Its a great place to start imo, but not a great place to stay as when you become more proficient with Linux you'll start to see the distro's limitations.
Worth mentioning that if you’re on AMD, you’re pretty much open for choice. If you have nVidia, make sure the OS you go with calls out nVidia support as a feature. Even then, your specific config may require that you try out a couple before finding the right fit.
I personally tried Bazzite and had a rough experience with performance and haven’t had issues on EndeavorOS, but have read reports from other nVidia users that had the opposite experience. All to say, your mileage may vary, and don’t give up right away if the first one doesn’t feel right.
If you have nVidia, make sure the OS you go with calls out nVidia support as a feature.
That makes the setup easier, but the capacity of making it work or not doesn't actually change.
I'd say not only pick an OS that explicitly supports it, but make sure to test first as a live-image without installing and overwriting the OS that is already there working.
I wish there was an easy way to test this, but I got two weeks into my setup before I noticed performance issues because it was only affecting some of my games. This is still a good idea, just not a guarantee.
My experience is that Linux Mint is the closest we have to a "it just works"-distro that is also decently up to date. Try that first.
Since you posted a kitty, I will help. I adopted Mint with Cinnamon, and it works. It's not perfect, but it's good enough for me not to spend ages playing with distros.
I switched to Bazzite on my gaming rig a month ago and felt great. I managed to install and mod Skyrim effortlessly and yesterday I installed Tarkov and SPT with no problem whatsoever. Highly recommend.
But check if your favorite games are compatible, mainly the multiplayer ones: Tarkov can only be single player PvE, GTA is story mode only and forget about Destiny 2. Not a problem for me, plenty of alternatives, but you should check for yourself.
I’ll throw my vote in for Bazzite. It’s best if you want to use your PC instead of tinkering with Linux. Plus it’s quite gaming focused so Steam etc will work out of the box, although each game’s compatibility will vary. Check protondb.com for compatibility reports on Steam games.
Seconding bazzite here. If you want to "get to know Linux" you might want to consider something else, but if you just want a well-running system with minimal use of the command line, Bazzite is an amazing option. I've been using it since August last year, and have only had to use the command line once in that time. Which isn't a problem for me, but it may be a bit daunting for others (and that is totally fine!).
I play a lot of games over steam
If my main concern is playing game with Steam, most mainstream Linux OSes should be fine. If I have to pick one... Linux Mint is very beginner-friendly, and I've heard great things about Bazzite too. SteamOS works flawlessly with Steam out of the box (owns Steam Deck, can verify), but I don't know how easy it is to set up by yourself
If you happen to also like non-Steam games: a lot of them can be added as a custom application/game via your Steam Library, which does most of the heavy-lifting: you only have to specify which compatibility layer to use & sometimes do keymapping. Setting up wine on its own is not for the faint-hearted
I personally use Arch because AUR (a user-uploaded repository, a lot of popular Linux OSes have their own versions) makes it easy to play a lot of FOSS games... but I can't recommend Arch Linux for beginners
Should be fine for the most part on any distribution. Just install lutris, heroic, steam. Wine and wine tricks and proton as your emulator.(glorious egg roll or latest is pretty stable)
The only games I’ve had issues with so far have been an old game from bungee and maybe a few old ones from Ubisoft
CachyOS for performance, Bazzite for stability. None of key features I've mentioned about these two OSes are overwhelmingly better on each side. Barely makes any difference imo.
My perspective: I fly Bazzite on my main rig (HX99g) and it's been epic. Gaming mode unfortunately doesn't detect 165Hz but desktop mode does. Upsides: seems to run games slightly better than windows, and does most daily computer tasks with ease. Downsides: doesn't run windows native apps. Can be ran though winboat, but say Whatsapp wont have mic unless you add device in settings, but then you'd lose sound of Bazzite.
Other than that, it has been an epic ride. In fact, so good that I have nuked internal SSD windows and clonezilla'd my external Bazzite ssd to internal SSD. Windows hasn't been installed yet. It is in the plans.
I'd probably say mint, reasonably newbie friendly. I've not tried Bazzite but I hear good things about it.
I currently run Arch btw, it's not what I'd recommend as a first distro.
Anyway don't over think it. Get something easy up and running and after a while get curious or annoyed and try something else.
Hope you have an AMD gpu. Been a while since I had a Nvidia but they were twice as annoying to deal with some 7 years ago.
I recommend Mint for a beginner friendly stepping stone. Works right out of the box and is really easy to jump to from windows.
After distro hopping for decades, I've ended up just running Mint for almost all desktop use cases. This includes gaming via steam.
It looks like you found a cat instead. Please pet the cat.
Use Fedora. Or not, I'm not your parent.
I have been using Nobara OS for a few years, it is based on Fedora, comes with Nvidia and other proprietary drivers if you want. Plus, it also has an HTPC (home theatre PC) mode, where you boot directly into steam's big picture mode, like steam deck.
It is fedora. Just a fedora install with some preticked boxes. That said there’s some differences to note such as nobara doesnt come with selinux like fedora workstation does. It uses apparmor. Which you won’t bump into an issue with until you install certain softwares. I think if you’re just gaming it won’t matter
Okay, but that's not what you found. What you have there is a cat, which is also very good! In fact, the excellent news is that you can keep the cat and continue searching for a Linux distro.
I'm running CachyOS and love it. Great performance and easy to use IMO
Want easy starting point..... Linux Mint.
Later down the line move to more complicated ones.
CachyOS with kde. Nvidia + wayland + wifi + proton and lutris with umu all work out of the box
view more: next ›