Indivisability9559What's the Best Distro for Gaming: Manjaro, EndeavourOS, CachyOS, other?
Pop_OS?
Edit: Apprently the anwer is “no”.
So far so good for me. I switched last week after dual booting Pop OS and Windows 10 for a few months. I used to use Mac OS X back in college and missed the interface, so Pop OS’s implementation of GNOME felt good.
As for OP’s question, someone else with more knowledge can answer if a specific distro has the best drivers/compatibility with games. Pop OS comes with NVIDIA drivers which works for me.
I also wanted a full desktop OS. Some of the distros will focus on being a controller-friendly frontend for gaming rather than a desktop OS.
It might be helpful to try something like Ventoy for any distros that support a live CD. You won’t be able to fully test gaming performance, but Ventoy lets you try multiple distros on one disk.
Other questions for OP: What type of GPU are you using? What is your current OS?
pathiefIsn’t Pop OS super outdated right now, tho?
Yes, unfortunately.
:V
I had no idea, what’s the deal there?
I think they’re working on their new Cosmic desktop. It looks promising but it’s delaying the update of the OS.
I guess I’ll hold on then…
LostWandererThe packages are stinky as they are so old, in addition to program versions on offer are frozen several versions behind program versions on modern distros. System76 even started to offer Ubuntu 24.04 on their prebuilds for this reason. It’s too old and while they managed to bring more recent drivers to Pop!_OS, it’s going to be phased out when COSMIC DE is ready for stable launch with an Ubuntu 24.04 base. Pop!_OS is not a good recommend going forward; System76 let it get too old before taking appropriate action, but to be fair to them, building a DE from scratch is hard work.
Günther Unlustig 🍄
L3ft_F13ld!Haven’t used it myself, but I wanted to recommend it too. I’ve heard it’s basically SteamOS for anything that isn’t a Steam Deck.
Not only that. It can either be an almost 1:1 replacement for SteamOS (if you choose the -deck variant), or just a normal desktop distro with a lot of gaming optimizations, like the fsync-kernel, gamescope, hardware enablement, and quite a lot of QoL improvements.
It’s basically a “Download the iso and begin gaming in 30 minutes”-distro.
It also ships some additional software that is optional, but quite neat. For example, I discovered LACT through it, which made over a year of GPU humming gone by allowing me to set fan curves.
JustEnoughDucksNot if you play rocket league lol. Bazzite has an inexplicable bug where rocket league specifically only uses 40% of your GPU and 25% CPU regardless of any settings or launch options. With occasional drops to 7fps.
I’d stay away from Manjaro, personally. They’ve had a number of organisational and security fuck-ups that in my opinion makes it hard to take them seriously. Plus there’s the whole “we hold Arch packages back two weeks but not AUR packages” - which means there could be dependency issues if you like installing stuff from AUR. In fairness though, they do request that users do not install AUR software on their site.
Endeavour is good. If I was to go back to an Arch distro, it’s what I’d use hands-down. Fundamentally just Arch with a better installer and a nice theme.
I’d also consider something Fedora based, like Fedora (duh), or Bazzite (if you want an atomic/immutable OS). Up-to-date, extensively tested. Bazzite even allows you to install it with out-of-the-box Gamescope support (in simple terms, you get some of the performance options and performance overlays that the steam deck has).
See also another source for the same.
I can vouch for Fedora, I used plenty of distros from Arch to Ubuntu (and many of it’s forks) and even weird outliers like Solus and Fedora is the most boring distro out of all of them, and I mean that in the best way. To quote a certain Todd: “It just works!” Do note you will probably want to enable RPM fusion (basically mandatory if you use nVidia) to get access to useful non open source and license encumbered packages Fedora can’t ship by default (like media codecs). Other than that, install Steam and whatever other launchers you want and enjoy a boring, reliable distro.
FischI switched from EndeavourOS to Fedora too and I love it
As someone considering the switch in the other direction, what made you want to leave EOS?
I just didn’t feel like setting everything up myself anymore (e.g. switching to BTRFS and enabling compression, switching to Pipewire and stuff like that) and I also wanted to be able to install packages through GNOME’s Software app, which isn’t possible on Arch but is on Fedora. Fedora has really good defaults IMO, they’re really fast to use new technology, like what I mentioned I had to manually switch to before.
Not the person you asked, but I also switched from endeavors to fedora. My reason was simple - after all my screwing around in arch, I realized I was just building fedora. And fedora updates take less attention than arch’s do (and I’m lazy).
I’m not the above user, but I also went from Endeavour to Fedora.
I had a couple of issues with Grub after updates - this was an Arch bug that was quickly resolved, but it was still an annoyance that highlights that the bleeding edge isn’t without risk.
Fedora pretty aggressively pushes modern tech into their distro. They’re kind of the main driver that paves the way for other distros to join the modern world, IMO. Wayland, Flatpaks, Portals, PipeWire, they push all of that.
Last time I tried Endeavour, despite the packages being new, it still defaulted to a lot of older technologies (that may have changed now, it’s been 2 years since I used it). Fedora doesn’t, and it plays a part in shaping those technologies. Some people may not like that, but personally I love it.
Like I said in an earlier comment, though, I do love EndeavourOS. If I went back to Arch-based distros I’d use it without a doubt.
I do have annoyances with Fedora. Stuff like having to enable proprietary media codecs via a command is utterly brain-dead and not intuitive for new users.
I’ve been using EndeavourOS for a little over a year now and maybe only twice have hit issues with updates or packages or whatever. Their built in update script helps a lot. I will also say I have an RTX 3080 and fedora wouldn’t run games on my setup, EndeavourOS would.
Manjaro was the first distro I used and it happened twice that it wouldn’t boot anymore just because I installed updates. To be fair, I did use the AUR but that’s like half the reason to use Arch in the first place IMO.
After that I installed EndeavourOS and that always worked fine but nowadays I use Fedora.
Issues with using AUR was enough for me to stay clear and not recommend to people.
Not that I’d necessarily recommend Arch as something for someone just getting into Linux or anything, but if you’re deadset on using something derivative, I would just recommend going with Arch.
This install scriot makes it no harder to install than anything. And the wiki is robust.
However, if you don’t want to learn how your OS works, and troubleshoot fringe issues, don’t use Arch.
My route into Linux I wouldn’t tell others to take.
If “more stable Arch” is why you’re considering Manjaro, consider openSUSE Tumbleweed. They’re rolling like Arch, but openQA and rebuilding everything after a compiler update seems to catch a number of issues.
If you want easier to install Arch, consider EmdeavorOS.
Manjaro is pretty much never the right answer.
actionjboneI can’t disagree. I love Manjaro on one of my devices, a shitty old HP laptop. It runs better than any other distro on it, and it’s smooth as butter (even for light gaming) even though the hardware is terrible.
But.
I’ve had to reinstall more than once because things broke while installing upgrades, lol
JackbyDevI just installed EndeavourOS on a virtual machine to see what it was like. I can confirm, it’s easy. It’s definitely similar to other distros. Didn’t feel like Arch at all.
babybusA distro that comes with the latest video drivers.
Imo. You shouldn’t worry about “which distro is best for gaming” since they are all the same under the hood (mostly). There are no real performance benefits with different distros, so just pick one that feels and looks the best for you. I’ve heard that PopOS seems to be quite friendly for newcomers so it should be a good place to start exploring.
Pop!_OS is a bit too out of date in my opinion, the packages are super stale as it’s based on Ubuntu 22.04! It certainly worked fine when I used it for a few months while trying to decide what distro was next. I used it briefly and enjoyed a lot of how System76 handles the Pop!_OS DE. However, so much of the software is trapped many versions behind of what is current in the Linux space…I can’t be certain System76 was backporting fixes to these old ass program versions because I did have odd issues from time to time. Nothing system breaking, just annoying to deal with.
However, even System76 has finally started to offer Ubuntu 24.04 on their prebuilds, as they knew their repository is very stinky at this stage. That opens up access to modern versions of programs, access to bug fixes that make using a lot of software a smoother experience. I would recommend System76’s COSMIC DE with an Ubuntu base when it is in stable; as the System76 team are bringing a lot of those handy Pop!_OS features with a brand new coat of paint and fresher (not bleeding edge) packages.
EndeavourOS is the closest to vanilla arch, so i’d recommend that.
There’s no good distro for gaming, as long as the packages are up to date (so no debian) it’s perfectly fine.
Debian has all the packages one needs for gaming just as well as the other distros. Please stop spreading misconceptions.
Debian has all the updated packages one needs for gaming just as well as the other distros.
Yes and no, but I agree with the overall sentiment. Debian is entirely fine for gaming.
Manjaro, hands down.
Communisti genuinely can’t get my head around this, why recommend that distro, it is probably actually the worst one of all of them for every usecase
Probably because you’re incapable of forming your own opinions and you suffer discomfort whenever you see someone who can.
I did form my own opinion on the distro, I recommended it to people for years and did their it work for free… that’s how I know it’s horrible for every possible usecase, why do you like it?
It’s basically a pre-configured Arch. I’ve used it exclusively for years without issues unique to Manjaro.
I’ve heard of endeavoros. I haven’t tried it and seeing their website used to describe it as a “command-line centric” distro made me avoid it.
I don’t see any reason to switch from Manjaro if I want endeavor to function the same. The problems the community has with it are irrelevant to me, and frankly, seem like a bunch of crybabies jumping at the opportunity to shit on a popular distro that focuses on making things easy for users.
Ease of use is EXACTLY my issue with manjaro, as someone who has serviced 5 separate people, they have all managed to break it with their limited experience, in ways that have been increasingly difficult to fix, i eventually had them all switch.
You’ve been lucky, if you use something like bazzite, you’ll literally never have any issues even if you try, let me give you an example of something that might happen if you use nvidia
each linux package is version numbered, instead of just having a “linux” like arch does, manjaro insists you have linux49 installed, and that you use their gui kernel replacer to change them out.
If you have the nvidia package installed, and don’t update for a very long time, eventually, this linux package will be one that’s out of date, and will conflict with the nvidia one, meaning now your machine can’t update, without some lengthy maintenance, this was something i had to do literally dozens of times. There is no chance an inexperienced user could figure this out for themselves. I essentially had to rdd the nvidia package, update, reinstall it, and it took hours.
There are many other examples of this, manjaro is a pre-configured arch, sure, but it’s an extremely poorly pre-configured arch, endeavoros is command-line centric, sure, but you can just use the gui in the same way you can with manjaro, arch is just a cli-centric OS. If you don’t like the CLI, I highly recommend bazzite, you’ll never have any of these issues, updates will be automatic and easy to rollback, the system will be entirely unbreakable unless you try very very hard.
“It just works” is precisely the problem with manjaro, it doesn’t just work, ease of use is not a valid usecase for manjaro for so many reasons.
github.com/arindas/manjarno read this document for all their insane security failings.
That’s not even going into the fact that they use the AUR and don’t push it back two weeks while also pushing back the arch packages two weeks, which accomplishes literally nothing, and also causes aur packages to break things regularly.
These kinds of issues are not something I would ever recommend for someone who wants something easy to use.
why are they not shitting on linux mint?
Great question. There are more reasons, such as the bandwagon mentality among these forums. I’m not going to list them all, and I’m going to block you but I’ll leave you with this.
Linux Mint was literally hacked and served malware on their website. Manjaro has had nothing near an issue like that, yet we constantly hear people shit on it. You don’t see people mention Linux Mint being hacked every chance they get.
You can’t think for yourself. It bothers you when people make decisions for themselves. I don’t believe most of what you say and you’re just here to shill your own, niche distro.
Goodbye. Easy block. I hope everyone reading this can realize how asinine this community has become and make pragmatic decisions for themselves!
You don’t see people mention Linux Mint being hacked every chance they get.
Because it happened once and they dealt with the issue, manjaro… has never dealt with any of their problems with any seriousness.
It bothers you when people make decisions for themselves.
No, I just think that people shouldn’t be recommending obviously bad things for new users.
I don’t believe most of what you say and you’re just here to shill your own, niche distro.
Literally everything I said is a verifiable fact except that i service 5 people.
I hope everyone reading this can realize how asinine this community has become and make pragmatic decisions for themselves!
Dude this only makes you look asinine.
Why is that an easy block? The user you responded to was cordial, laid out his reasons and even provided some sources to corroborate. What exactly did he do wrong in your mind?
You can join him. I’ve been on these forums long enough to recognize a shill/tool when I see them.
When you have more life experience, hopefully you’ll understand.
I’m close to 40 but help me out then.
What did you see that made you think he was a shill/tool? All I see is someone explaining why they don’t think a specific distro is good for beginners.
Here_for_the_dudesLike others have said, Bazzite is a good option.The auto driver install is amazing. Had no problems with Bazzite, not like PopOs(some Driver issues with oder NVDIA GPU). Only thing is the ISO’s are really large (>6Gb).
thatsnothowyoudoitI’ve had good luck with Garuda after nearly two decades on Ubuntu and its derivatives.
So much so that I moved my work os to it, despite the gaming bent.
Same. The default desktop style is a bit tacky but changing the style is not exactly difficult.
BjörnWhatever works best for you. No distro is fundamentally better suited for gaming than others.
Windows, lol
That famous Linux distro…
I’m not going to pretend that people won’t have a good time gaming on Windows, but this is like someone asking for Italian food recommendations and you recommending sushi.
Presumably this person knows Windows exists. They don’t need to be told about Windows.
Archlinux
Hannah Montana Linux
Ah, a connoisseur.
Personally gaming on Fedora without trouble. I’ve heard good things about Nobara - nobaraproject.org/author/gloriouseggroll/
Lettuce eat lettuceI’d give Nobara a try. I’ve been using it for about 2 years and it’s been pretty seamless. Already comes with a bunch of Linux gaming related software, like Steam, Lutris, Proton-up, etc.
It also has a bunch of gaming performance patches automatically installed.
If you’re not technically inclined at all and want a console style experience, Bazzite is probably your best bet.
All that said, most mainstream distros will give you a fine gaming experience, you just might have to do some manual fiddling and installing yourself depending on the distro and the games you’re playing.
PerogiBoiBazzite. I’ll now accept my ban from the moderators.
I’ve quite enjoyed Tuxedo OS on my gaming rig. Worked right out of the box with every game I’ve thrown at it with my Nvidia GPU.
EndeavourOS is what got me to daily drive Linux finally.
The installation is easy, it’s got sane defaults and pre-installs most common dependencies.
Eeyore_Syndrome
There isn’t “a best” exactly.
There are some things to consider though.
Its a nuanced question. There isn’t a 1 size fits all approach to this.
For me, going Arch was the move. It fit my usage habits.
Intel Core i5-7300HQ, GeForce 1050 Ti. I know the proprietary Nvidia drivers work on Ubuntu-based and Fedora-based distros, and I think arch-based.