2025, year of Linux Gaming
Linux for gaming has been a big discussion since Valve released SteamOS and the Steam Deck.
I have been using Steam on Linux for a while and mostly agree this is great, as it is now quite mature compared to two or three years ago.
In this post, we will look at what new users can expect and what options they should use for a mostly hassle free experience.
TLDR
I recommend installing OpenSUSE 15 or Tumbleweed, as they are easy enough to install, have file system snapshots, come with official NVIDIA support and have Steam packaged.
1. Being a first user, if your hardware is not top of the line, you should go for whatever the most recent version of 15/Leap is (15.6 right now) and update it whenever there is a new release.
2. If on cutting edge hardware, go for Tumbleweed for the latest kernels if 15 does not work for you. It will have more recent software and the updates will be many and more frequent.
You can install the kernel-longterm version if you're on Tumbleweed to have a more stable kernel, if that is compatible with your hardware. This is not available on 15/Leap.
3. Use KDE for better input latency. XFCE with compositing disabled is another option, which is available in "Window Manager Tweaks" (see further below).
Relevant links:
Download an offline image and use Rufus to burn to a 8GB or bigger USB drive. You should be able to boot this image on UEFI or regular BIOS, Secure Boot or not.
I have not had issues doing on any machine, except for PCs where you might need a more recent kernel that is only available on Tumbleweed.
If you have any comments or experiences, please share in the comments and I'll update the article.
Installation
Get your USB drive and boot to it. There will be a prompt to install Linux:
This will boot you into a graphic installer, if everything is ok with the kernel and hardware support.
Be very careful not to overwrite the Windows partition and data! If you do not have your system partitioned for Linux, use an external SSD. I really don't recommend installing in the same drive, especially for new users.
You should follow the official guide, available here.
You should also keep in mind Linux may make your Windows install not bootable.
Usually on the boot loader (like the above screen) there will be an option for booting Windows. If this is not the case, don't panic.
You can still go to the BIOS boot option and select Windows UEFI boot file. It will just not be the default one anymore. Your data should be there if you did not delete it during partitioning.
Desktop Environments
One of the most important factors for a good Linux gaming experience will be the choice of Desktop Environment. While Windows only has an option, Linux has many:
- Gnome Shell
- KDE (better option!)
- XFCE
- Budgie
- MATE
- Trinity Desktop Environment
I am mostly only recently familiar with KDE, Gnome and XFCE.
XFCE and Gnome can work ok but you may have issues with input latency due to forced Triple Buffering. To fix this, there are some options.
On XFCE you should go to Settings => "Window Manager Tweaks" and toggle "Enable Display Compositing" to off:
This will mean your DE experience will be a bit dated but it is not a problem if you only use Steam's Big Picture Mode.
KDE is what Valve uses on Steam OS and one where I have not noticed input lag problems. KDE is mostly decent enough these days but you are not obliged to use it. You can use whatever you like.
If you have reached this part of the guide, you are probably ready to do some gaming. If you have Nvidia cards, read below. Otherwise, the rest of the discussion is mainly rationale and thoughts on why other options may not be adequate for most users.
NVIDIA Drivers
OpenSUSE distributions are officially supported by Nvidia and documentation is available from SUSE on how to set it up. The documentation pages are available here:
The relevant repositories are:
- https://download.nvidia.com/opensuse/leap/$releasever'
- https://download.nvidia.com/opensuse/tumbleweed
These should be added through the Software Repositories interface (or terminal):
After this, you can install the Nvidia driver through the Software Management interface. Please refer to the documentation below. Then these will be automatically updated from now on.
Then, you can reboot and use Chromium Browser "chrome://gpu" page to check everything is in order. Most of the Feature Status will be green:
If there is an issue, all will be red. Vulkan is usually disabled but it is possible to list driver information further down the page.
Otherwise, there are the command line "vulkan-tools" packages and the "vulkaninfo" command.
You can also look through this kind of information through the Steam interface.
The OpenSUSE Choice
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| OpenSUSE KDE Desktop flavor |
This is enabled by complete integration for the BTRFS file system, from install to management
I recommend this for work, mainly, but it has Steam packaged and Steam itself has several runtimes, so it does not rely on any particular library version.
It is very stable and has an official RPM from Nvidia that installs repositories for updated, pre-compiled drivers.
OpenSUSE Tumbleweed is a constantly updating distro that sometimes breaks, but again, it has BTRFS snapshots. Mostly, I have experienced the kernel breaking but that is revertible at boot, even without going to older OS snapshots.
This works mostly the same as the stable version but software is more up to date, also has an official NVIDIA repository.
What is great about OpenSUSE 15 is that you don't even need to use passwords to update the system. It is setup to allow the update process to go on. So it is much better for non-technical users and family, because you can set it up for them and they won't bother you anytime soon.
Valve's Proton is also great because it will isolate the windows emulation and you will never require administrator rights to setup game dependencies, like on Windows. Native binaries also just work.
AFAIK, this is the only distribution that you can setup for someone and they won't need admin rights for basic operations.
Other Distributions
This is the biggest question for most users. With so many options, what should you use?- Debian Variants, Ubuntu and Mint
- Arch Linux
- Fedora
- Gentoo
Debian Variants
Historically, Valve has used Ubuntu for Steam, so people might think it is appropriate. The issue right now is that these variants lack some modern features that will make your life easier.
The main issue, for me is that Mint and Debian based distributions in general have failed to adopt BTRFS as an install file systemt, so there is no embedded snapshoting feature that allows you to recover quickly.
If there is some problem with package updates (I've seen this mostly when upgrading Mint and Ubuntu major versions), you are in for a bit of work.
APT (the package manager) can break from lack of disk space during a system update. It is one of the weak points it has had for many years
It is a good option when you are more familiar with Linux but it is hard to recommend to new users. It is otherwise very stable.
Linux Mint is an Ubuntu (Debian) derivative with a focus on stability and user accessibility. While the Desktop Environment I don't think is the best, the basic apps it comes with are great:
Linux Mint
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| Mint XFCE Edition (21) |
Linux Mint is an Ubuntu (Debian) derivative with a focus on stability and user accessibility. While the Desktop Environment I don't think is the best, the basic apps it comes with are great:
- XViewer
- XEd
- XReader
Most of the caveats above apply. You can tweak it into something reliable through the Timeshift app but that is extra work you need to be mindful of. Recovering a bad system also takes more work than booting into a BTRFS snapshot.
Arch Linux
Contrary to what the internet might want you believe, Arch Linux is not the most stable distro around. It is mostly targeted at power users and people already familiar with Linux.For these people, it brings a massive repository of packages and a really excellent Wiki that will help you tweak your system to your liking.
It is a rolling distro that updates quite often and is not afraid to break systems. Keep that in mind and use "Timeshift" to keep FS or even user data backups.
Fedora Linux
I have not used Fedora for years. I do not know where it stands but the name was evocative of a hat, since it was the playground for Red Hat Enterprise Linux developers. It is also free.
It is mostly only suited for programmers and highly technical users, which is why it seems to be on the bottom of the list for desktop flavors of Linux with big corporate backing.
It is mostly only suited for programmers and highly technical users, which is why it seems to be on the bottom of the list for desktop flavors of Linux with big corporate backing.
As far as RPM based distros go, OpenSUSE has worked better for me. Also, the graphic tools for system management are old and slow but more adequate for new Linux users.
I will update the post if enough people report having success with it.
I will update the post if enough people report having success with it.
Gentoo Linux
Gentoo is Arch Linux taken to the extreme. Mostly everything is compiled, save for some packages for which there are binary options available.
I was a user for many years, when it still had a Wiki that compared to what Arch has today. However, there is not really a culture of stability or even trying to have CVE fixes into stable packages as soon as possible.
It is mostly a distribution for developers or people that want to have development libraries and manuals available as soon as you install a package.
So it is not really targeted for gamers unless someone pre-packages most of the system and keeps it updated with a SteamOS type setup with overlays and the like.
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