Hey everyone, I’m fairly new to Linux and recently started using Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. I’m trying to switch my game development workflow from Windows to Linux, and I noticed that while 22.04 LTS had support for engines like Unreal and Unity, it’s a bit dated. So, I opted for 24.04 even though it isn’t officially supported yet. While it works fine for general use, my gaming experience on it has been rough. I have an RTX 3080 Ti (typo earlier) and have been using the proprietary NVIDIA 550 drivers, but games ran poorly with low FPS and choppy frame pacing. I tried other driver versions from the Ubuntu tool but got graphical blackouts and UI issues. Moving up to the 24.10 non-LTS release made a huge positive difference, with games running much smoother, some even outperforming Windows. This got me wondering: when choosing a Linux distro for gaming (especially with newer and older titles and some emulation), what are the key distro components that really matter? I assume kernel version and NVIDIA drivers are critical, but what about desktop environments and compositors? I’m not looking for distros specifically designed for gaming, just the essential elements to focus on. My recent experience makes me hesitant to try other LTS distros for now. Would appreciate insights from anyone who’s navigated this!
4 Answers
Honestly, my advice is to pick a distro that you find easy to use and that keeps its drivers and kernel versions pretty up to date, ideally a rolling release distro. That way you’re less likely to run into performance hiccups or hardware support gaps. It’s not necessary to go for gaming-specialist distros unless you want to; just focus on newer kernels, NVIDIA drivers, and maybe configure your compositor well for gaming needs. Arch-based distros like EndeavourOS or caching Arch variants are great for this if you’re okay with a bit of learning curve.
I’m running Linux Mint with the MATE desktop on an AMD system, but from what I’ve seen, choosing a desktop environment you personally find stable and smooth can influence gaming feel too. Cinnamon gave me some issues with certain games, while MATE ran them really well, sometimes even better than on Windows. It’s definitely worth testing which DE works best for you and your GPU combo, though the main bottleneck is usually drivers and kernel versions.
From my experience, the most important stuff for gaming on Linux is having updated drivers and the right compositor for your desktop environment. The NVIDIA proprietary drivers, kernel version, and mesa updates can really impact performance and compatibility. Also, if your desktop runs Wayland, the compositor plays a big role in things like variable refresh rate (VRR), screen tearing, and VR support. Some distros, like Fedora-based ones, tend to push newer kernels and drivers quickly, which can make a noticeable difference in smoothness and hardware support.
Totally feel you on that upgrade from 24.04 LTS to 24.10 making a night and day difference. LTS kernels tend to update super slowly, and that really hits gaming performance on newer GPUs especially. I’d say avoid strict LTS versions if you want the best game experience, or at least switch to a rolling release or something that keeps kernels and drivers fresher. Desktop environment matters less than the backend updates honestly, but compositors do matter if you’re on Wayland—for example, some DEs handle VRR and tearing better than others.
Yeah, after testing 24.10 the difference was obvious, so sticking to more up-to-date kernels seems key.