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Deciding on Linux distro in 2025
(hexbear.net)
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this post was submitted on 03 Jun 2025
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libre
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I liked Pop OS when it was a modern release, but since they're putting all of their resources into creating their own desktop environment Cosmic, they haven't actually updated their OS significantly since April of 2022.
I use Manjaro for gaming which is pretty user friendly and Arch based like Steam OS. Gaming on Linux means that you're going to be using the windows gaming emulator Proton, developed by Steam. While Proton works well on pretty much any distribution you'd think to use, I think it works a bit better on Arch distributions because they're of the same family as the OS that Proton was designed for (Steam OS).
It's also pretty easy to install proprietary Nvidia drivers on Manjaro.
Either way, you should also install:
https://davidotek.github.io/protonup-qt/
As it is a very easy user interface that allows you to install alternate versions of Proton that may work better.
You're also going to want to bookmark:
https://www.protondb.com/
As that is the backbone of troubleshooting gaming on Linux.
Welcome to the Linux community!
Personally still keep protonup-qt around because the way it shows which prefixes are in use by which games and which are unused and can be safely removed, but found that using ProtonPlus for everything else is a smoother experience with addition information in a more eye-pleasing ui.
Manjaro is also working on a version for handhelds and is working with at least one hardware manufacturer to ship it by default, so that’s a decent rec as well.