this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2025
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Linux Gaming

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Linux gaming for a non-technical person? (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 1 day ago by grueling_spool@sh.itjust.works to c/linux_gaming@lemmy.world
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I'm putting together a gaming system for the kind of person who needs help if their TV is set to the wrong input. Obviously I'm committing myself to providing a certain amount of tech support no matter what, but I'm wondering if any of these modern Linux distros can provide a user experience at least on par with Windows in terms of ease of use and reliability for someone who doesn't know how to do much more than check their email and log in to Steam.

So far, I've looked at Bazzite, Cachy, Nobara, and PopOS based on what I commonly see recommended here. I'm leaning toward Bazzite based on its stated goal of being friendly to Linux newcomers, and the quality and amount of available documentation. Are there any other distros I've missed, or other considerations that might sway my preference?

I'd also like to hear about your subjective experiences with Linux gaming:

  1. What distro are you using for gaming?
  2. How long have you used it?
  3. How often have you had issues that require Linux knowledge and/or searching the web to solve?
  4. Have you had any other minor/annoying complaints?
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[–] grueling_spool@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Very good point about rolling release vs point release - I'll definitely factor that into the final decision.

The primary reason I'm considering gaming distros is to have everything be as out-of-the-box as possible. I was thinking that issues with Steam/Proton will be less likely on a distro purpose-built to support them. But based on several of the comments here, it sounds like that might not be the case.

It's going to be pure Steam and maybe a Minecraft install, so no concerns there. Keeping it simple is my goal.

Thanks for your insights!

[–] BananaTrifleViolin@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Yeah I wouldn't worry about Steam, it'll work.

The most important thing is your graphics drivers and they're largely the same between distros. Even with non rolling distros usually there are ways to stay with the latest drivers if that's needed.

For Minecraft, best route is Java edition. There is an official Microsoft installer for Java, and If they're into modded Minecraft then MultiMC is a better Linux launcher than the Microsoft one as it makes modding much easier; they just need to login to their Microsoft account within it to get going.

You can get Bedrock to work if that's essential but it is unofficial and definitely needs a special launcher and a little bit faffy to set up. But it works.

All the stuff that gaming distros offer like optimised kernels really is marginal stuff. Definitely keep it simple; it'll make your life much easier supporting it all and it will give your friend/family member a good stable experience so they can just focus on having fun.