1. I personally recommend Mint as the out-of-the-box experience is very familiar to a Windows user and the OS comes with everything one would expect a desktop OS to have pre-installed. That said, don’t stress too hard over the distro. This isn’t like Windows vs MacOS where everything is completely different. No, basically all your knowledge of one distro is transferable to another distro if you decide to change it up in the future.

2. At this point, I just assume a game works in Linux unless proven otherwise. Hit install in Steam and then hit play, no extra effort required. There are some that won’t, mostly games that use kernel-level anti-cheats and specifically disable the game if running in Linux. There are only a few dozen games total that fit this description. ProtonDb is a great resource for confirming if a game works or what tweaks might be desired. Anything rated Gold or higher you can assume will just work without you having to mess with it.

3. Linux is less of a resource hog than Windows, so if your computer is strong enough for Windows, it will work great on Linux too.

4. If you wish to dual boot, using two different drives is generally the way to go. Doing two different partitions works, but Windows really, really hates other OSes being installed along side it, even other Windows installs. Gaming is my primary pastime and I haven’t booted into my Windows drive in months. From my experience for the average person, a dual boot is only something you will want temporarily as you get used to the unfamiliar OS.

5. Good luck on your swap. I’m damn happy I did it and hope you will be too!

I made the jump about a year ago at this point and have been happy with the choice. That said, there is a learning curve and everything isn’t sunshine and roses. I’d still rate it as fully worth it.

I think I need to pick a “distro”, right? Based on the above, which distro may work best for me?

Yes, though this is less of a “gotcha” than it might seem. Different distros will have advantages and disadvantages for different things. However, most distros are going to do most things at a reasonable level. It sounds like you are prioritizing ease of use and gaming; so, you may want to go for one of the more gaming focused distros such as PopOS or SteamOS. But, I would echo what @redlemace said, “take a live-distro, put it on an USB stick and boot from that. Yes, it’s sometimes slow/sluggish but it works and you can get an impression of the distro”. I ran my chosen distro from a USB stick for a bit over a month before committing.

what am I most likely to NOT be able to do, if anything?

Very little. However, you will need to relearn how to do some things. And you’ll probably have to get comfortable with using the terminal for some stuff. This can be a bit jarring for someone who grew up with Windows, as there are some things which just don’t have a GUI to configure. And some applications will need to be replaced. For example, you’re probably not going to be able to use Microsoft Office, but Libre Office is a good replacement. Photoshop will get replaces with Gimp, and so on.

Lastly, there are some games which just don’t work on Linux. A lot of that is around Anti-cheat software. For example, I wasn’t able to join my work team in playing Call of Duty 6. The EA Anti-Cheat is a complete “fuck you” to Linux users. So, check out ProtonDB for games you care about. Most games run just fine; but, there is the odd hole. Anymore, I’m more surprised that a game doesn’t work on Linux than when it does.

I have heard modding in particular can be challenging with Linux.

I’ve not run into this; however, I don’t use any of the mod managers (e.g. Vortex) and so I’m used to moving files around manually. I’ve also not run Skyrim on my Linux setup, and that does seem to require a bit of work to get going. So, this may be an issue, depending on the game. This is yet another reason to give the whole “install on a USB stick” recommendation a go. Spin up Linux, give modding Skyrim a shot. If it’s too heavy a lift, then maybe don’t do it. As much as I think Linux has been a good idea, it may not be right for everyone.

Are there some smaller indy games that don’t have Linux support (thinking back to the early mac days)?

Funny enough, I find the smaller indie stuff usually has better Linux support, but YMMV. For example, my son introduced me to Dome Keeper. It’s a small game, but it just worked and is one of my favorite casual games. Though again, checking ProtonDB is a good thing to do.

I would rate my computer technical ability at like… A 4/10. I haven’t done anything too crazy but can Google most issues and willing to learn. Is this realistically enough to get me up and running with Linux?

I’d think so. There’s lots of good info out there now to help you get up and running. Though this links back to the question about distros. If you don’t want to have to get super technical, pick a distro which is more aimed towards “just working”. And again, the USB “try before you buy” idea is really, really useful.

if the final answer here involves running a windows partition, is it possible to safely still use a windows 10 partition, even after the end of support?

Depending on how you plan to use it, the risk may be reasonable enough. For example, let’s say you have one or two games which just don’t run on Linux and you keep a Windows 10 partition around to run those games. You boot to Windows, play those games and then jump back to Linux for your normal computer use (web browsing, email, etc.). Then ya, that’s probably fine. The real risks start to show up when you use Windows for stuff which exposes it to the internet. If you are downloading and running random applications on it, you’re gonna have a bad time. Over time, even basic web browsing may start to be a risk, as vulnerabilities could be found which allow a malicious web page to run code. You also want to be sure you don’t have the device completely exposed to the internet (this is bad, even with an up to date Windows). Though, most home routers already prevent this; so, this is unlikely to be an issue. Just don’t hook your Windows 10 partition up to public WiFi (e.g. coffee shop, library or conference).

Just having the partition isn’t a risk. So long as Windows isn’t running, it isn’t available for attackers to attack. It’s just data on a disk. It’s only when it’s running and exposed to attackers that it becomes a problem. And you can control that and manage the risk.

anything else I might run into that I’m not expecting? Words of encouragement?

Be patient with it and it can be a worthwhile change. Also, don’t be afraid to come back and ask questions. There’s lot of folks here who can help you along. Getting away from Windows feels good and it’s great to actually own your system, rather than renting it from Microsoft. Best of luck.

There are a few distros that make gaming on Linux a bit simpler to setup. Bazzite is one, but there are others. You should read up on WINE, Vulkan, Lutris and maybe STEAM/Steam-tricks. There is a list somewhere of game titles and peoples success with gaming on Linux. Some of the ones that expect Windows Anticheat hooks aren’t going to work. If you aren’t wanting to fiddle till your system is setup to game nicely, there is a W10 LTSC version that will still be supported for some time.

New to Linux? Try NixOS! It’s great for beginners! (Hee hee)

I think I need to pick a “distro”, right? Based on the above, which distro may work best for me?

Noone will tell you the major differences, so I’ll do it:

Debian: So called “Stable distribution” They have twisted concept of “Stability” which is “If it’s broken it stays broken” - their libraries tend to be extremely outdated causing issues for normal users.

Ubuntu: Debian based distro. Somewhat less outdated. Had bad experience with it. Very popular for some reason. Ubuntu LTS basically follows the debian philosophy - broken stuff stays broken, only security fixes are applied.

PopOS: Debian based, but optimised for gaming. Graphics drivers are updated more often + other tweaks

Arch Linux: Power user oriented rolling distro, meaning Everything is updated to the most recent version as quickly as reasonably possible. Rolling distros are recommended if you update your hardware often. Patches tend to be huge

Manjaro: Arch based rolling distro (using it since few years myself), tuned more towards mainstream user - less terminal more GUI.

Gentoo: Compile everything from source code. EVREYTHING

Fedora: Linux by large corpo - REDhat. Well supported and sane maintenance schedule.

Now, while in Windows you get always the same user interface, in linux you can install whatever you want - systems are modular, and usually distro intaller will ask what desktop environment you want.

Two most popular ones are KDE and GNOME. I Really, really recommend KDE because it follows user experience philosophy from windows 7. Gnome reinvented the wheel, and you’ll have a bad time readjusting to it coming from windows.

Two more tips at the end:

• Almost none of linux distros mount non system drives by default at the system startup. Which is stupid as fuck, you can change it via KDE settings without editing config files or terminal (look for drives and cameras in settings)
• Remove Plymouth package. it provides pretty loading screen during system startup but on some configurations it interferes with display detection - the issue surfaces gradually over the years and noone will ever help you fix it. It’s unfixed bug since many years. Save yourself time, life and frustration

Also, if you’re looking for file explorer to open your drive and look at the files, it’s called “Dolphin” or “Nautilus”. Obviously… /s

Just go buy a new PC with Windows 11 and give me your old PC.

Based on my own experience and critisism I’ve read of Linux(which is rare on here): Nothing is plug and play. You will have to troubleshoot the simplest things. You will have to like it.

Check out Garuda too, it is specifically designed with gaming in mind.

1. just pick any of the common recommendations. Mint. Ubuntu, Kubuntu… Just search for “which linux distro is right for me” and look at a few answers and pick one. Most of them work the same way.

2. you probably can’t use autocad or adobe products. kernel level anticheat is a problem, so games that need that are out.

3. Yes. …ish.

There are basically three levels, one where you only click everything and it’s basically an app / wizard as you know them.

The next level would be that it’s possible that you have manually edit a few text or config files to make things work the way you want to, or the best solution to your problem can be a command line thing. That’s very mostly “not programming”, the command line and manually editing config files can look scary, but most of the time it’s completely harmless. This happens, but it’s rare and it’s mostly simple stuff. The bigger and more used the distro is that you pick, the less you will run into this.

And then the third level would be “real programming” and basically nobody does that and nobody expects that.

4. yes, you can dual boot.

5. Just do it. If you’ve “built” a pc before, it’s the same deal. If you read the manual a tiny bit, it’s like lego. It looks way scarier than it is. And if you look up solutions it is extremely likely that you will find a well researched answer that does solve your problem.

OK so you want something simple that just works and will give you minimal headaches.

I see from ur comments ur running nvidia which is a pain to get drivers working for on some distros but some have a graphical installer to get then going.

I would defiantly recommend mint as its based on one of the most common disros giving u extremely transferable knowlege and very simmillar to windows.

As people have said check protondb u will only really have issues with anti cheat games. Indie games I find often have better Linux support but check protondb.

If u wanna duel boot so u can still use windows then I reccommend a separate drive. Windows on a separate partition but the same drive is unhappy and its known that windows will sometimes purposely blow up Linux cos Microsoft hates you.

If you are going to duelboot then for security u will want windows 11 but its shit so I recommend tiny11 or cristitis’s debloater to uninstall all the crap.

First step is to check protondb if your favorite games are somewhat reasonably easy to get working.

Most work fine. There are some that are outright broken.

If the games you’re looking to play are competitive multiplayer games, those usually actively fight Linux users. Games like Valorant, Apex Legends, and Fortnite are all broken on Linux due to their invasive anti-cheat software. There are exceptions to this, of course. The devs of Marvel Rivals, for example, have said that they don’t have a problem with players on Linux.

For.anything else, odds are it will work fine. You can always check protondb.com to see if, and how well, your games work under Linux.

I’ve been Linux-only for a few years now, and I haven’t had issues playing anything yet, besides maybe some minor tweaks.

Mods can be more complicated, but I don’t have much experience with that. I do believe Nexus Mods are working of a project to simplify game mods under Linux, so hopefully that works out well.

If you own a pc to game on it, I cannot recommend Linux compared to Windows LTSC IoT (Don’t use LTSC versions for gaming and everyday use)

It is possible to use Linux for gaming, but you’re gonna have to fidget a lot in order to get a good experience, where as Windows just has gaming out of the box.

• If you play multiplayer games that has anti-cheat systems in place, those will most likely not work on Linux due to the anti-cheat only having support for non-linux systems.
• Some games just straight up don’t run well on linux, so you should definitely check up on the games you play and intend to play before making the switch.

Proton is a wonderful resource (Thanks Gabe) and I’m personally keeping an eye out for Bottles Next

So it ultimately depends on how you want to spend your time during a gaming session, and the types of games you play.

Summary:

I’d recommend you to stay on Windows if your main concern is gaming.

However, if you’re set on trying Linux, then I recommend Linux Mint: https://linuxmint.com/ (If you’re unsure which version to pick and just want to get started, pick the Cinnamon version)

Edit: Formatting

Edit 2.0 Correct definitions and better advice

I’ve done a lot of this research recently. I’m out of town rn, but if you want to DM me sometime next week when I have access to my computer I’d be happy to put together a summary of my findings.

It’s really easy to try out most linux distributions by running them live from a USB drive. You’ll need to be able to tell your computer to boot from the drive by entering your BIOS setup.

Once you’ve done that you’ve probably done the most technical thing you’ll have to do to try linux. If you have a separate SSD to install linux on you’ll have a pretty easy time actually installing linux. If not you’ll have to learn to partition your drive which can feel a little scary.

I think if you are playing a lot of different games it’s likely you will find some that won’t run on linux so you’ll likely still need to run some form of windows for some games. I’d hope to see that change in the future but I’m not holding my breath. I personally still do most of my gaming on windows because some of my favorite games don’t run on linux but it really depends on your preferences.