Partly due to the annoyance called Windows 11 and improvements in hardware support over the years, there’s excitement in the Linux gaming community. So it’s understandable that lots of users are increasingly opting to build their gaming rigs using Linux distributions (distros). But if you’re new to Linux and would like to build a Linux-powered gaming machine, how will you determine which one would work perfectly with your hardware, given that there are hundreds of distros to choose from?
In this post, I’ll lay out the best options available for building a Linux gaming machine and close with a list of gaming-optimized distros you can choose from to power that great gaming machine you just built or are about to build.
Option 1: Build a Linux gaming rig using an AMD GPU
While every component of a gaming machine is just as important as the next, a dedicated graphics processing unit, or GPU, is right up there. After all, that is one piece of hardware whose existence is linked with gaming and other heavy-duty computational tasks. A GPU made by Advanced Micro devices (AMD) is one of two options available for use in building a Linux gaming rig.
Because AMD (GPU) drivers are built into the Linux kernel, building a Linux gaming rig or gaming machine using an AMD GPU is often the easier and less stressful option. That saves you the task of dealing with installing drivers afterwards. So any distro will play nice with whatever AMD GPU you use. The question of which AMD GPU to buy comes down to your budget and the capability of the GPU you want for your Linux gaming machine.
So shop around and buy whatever GPU you can afford.
Option 2: Build a Linux gaming machine using an NVIDIA GPU
A GPU made by NVIDIA is the other option available for use in building a Linux gaming machine. However, because NVIDIA graphics drivers are not built into the Linux kernel, the task of installing the driver for the NVIDIA GPU you used will fall squarely on you. The most issues people face when using an NVIDIA GPU almost always has to do with drivers, so keep that in mind as you shop for a GPU for your gaming machine.
Certain distros come bundled with NVIDIA GPU drivers, so that goes a long way towards easing the trouble of installing the necessary drivers. Keep in mind that NVIDIA GPUs are still some of the most capable and feature-rich in the market, but it pays to know what issues might lie ahead.
What Linux distro to install?
So now that you have an pretty good idea of what lies ahead with respect to GPUs, GPU drivers, and the Linux kernel, and you have all your gaming hardware in place, the next step is to figure out which Linux distro to download and install. While you can install any distro and go about the task of installing the necessary drivers afterwards (in the case of NVIDIA GPUs), a better option would be to download and install a distro that’s already optimized for gaming.
Such distros have all the necessary GPU drivers and emulators pre-installed. You’ll find a listing of such distros below. While all will work with AMD GPUs, a few have the added benefit of being specially optimized for NVIDIA GPUs because they come preinstalled with the latest NVIDIA GPU drivers.
Even at that, you’ll may still have to test-drive a few of the following distros before you’ll find the one that works perfectly for your hardware.
So without wasting too much more of your time, an alphabetical listing of distros you can use to power your Linux gaming machine follows . . .
1. Bazzite
Based on Fedora Atomic, Bazzite is one of the most popular and versatile gaming-optimized distros, as it can be used not just on your gaming rig, but also on handheld gaming devices, like the Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go, and ASUS ROG Ally. It comes pre-installed with applications, like Lutris, ProtonUp-Qt, Steam, and WineZGUI that you can use to play popular Windows games and games from any number of game stores.
But most importantly, you can use it like any other desktop Linux to perform any mundane computing task. Installation images for KDE Plasma and GNOME desktop environments are available.
Installation images of Bazzite are available at https://bazzite.gg.
2. Drauger OS
This distro is based on Ubuntu, but the desktop environment is KDE Plasma. Though the developers recommend a computer with at least an AMD Radeon RX 6800 GPU and 8 GB of RAM for best performance, a gaming machine with at least a GTX 1050 NVIDIA GPU with 8 GB of RAM will suffice. So if your gaming machine has a much older NVIDIA GPU, this might not necessarily be the best distro for your Linux gaming machine.
Also, Drauger OS is not recommended for new users, so you might want to try the others in this list if you’re new to Linux. Otherwise, visit https://draugeros.org to download the latest release.
3. Fedora Games Lab
Fedora Games Lab is a spin of Fedora with popular open source games installed. The fact that it’s just a Fedora spin means it can be used for any other computing task you want to do, besides gaming. More info about it is available at https://fedoraproject.org/labs/games.
4. Garuda Linux
Garuda Linux is based on Arch Linux. Though it has support for several desktop environments and window managers, including KDE Plasma, GNOME, Cinnamon, Xfce4, Sway, and i3WM, for your gaming pleasure, there is a KDE Dragonized Gaming Edition that’s loaded with what you need to play your favorite games, including Steam, Lutris, Minigalaxy WINE, Boxtron, Proton GE custom, vkd3d GOverlay, SteamTinkerLaunch, etc.
You may download an installation image of Garuda Linux KDE Gaming Edition from the project’s download page.
5. Nobara
Nobara is based on Fedora, but optimized for content creation and gaming, with KDE and GNOME editions available for download. There are also NVIDIA-friendly installation images, which come with proprietary NVIDIA drivers preinstalled, though older Nvidia GPUs won’t work. You may download a suitable Nobara installation image for your gaming machine from the project’s download page.
6. Pop!_OS
Pop!_OS is based on Ubuntu, with several installation images available. However, the gaming edition is optimized for gaming on NVIDIA GPUs, that is, NVIDIA proprietary drivers are installed out of the box. You may download it by clicking the download button at https://pop.system76.com.
7. Regata OS
Regata OS is a Brazilian distro based on openSUSE. It has solid support for AMD and NVIDIA GPUs and on computers with hybrid graphics. Vulkan graphics API and AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) technology come built in. And Regata OS Game Access makes it easy to play games from several game publishers, like Steam Store, Origin, Battle.net, Ubisoft Connect and Epic Games Store.
Two installation images are available, one optimized for gaming on NVIDIA GPUs. You may download an installation image that matches your GPU from https://get.regataos.com.br
While you’re here . . .
If you also like gaming on handheld devices, there is a longer list of distros optimized for gaming, both on handheld devices and on regular computers. That list makes up the 13 Linux distros optimized for gaming in 2025 article.
