If you’ve ever been curious about switching from Windows to Linux for gaming, you’re not alone — and you’re definitely not crazy. With Valve pushing Linux gaming through the Steam Deck and Proton, the question isn’t “Can you game on Linux?” anymore. It’s “Which Linux distro gives you the best experience?”
After diving deep into emulators on Bazzite in the last article, I decided to go one step further. This time, I tested three highly praised Linux distros — CachyOS, Nobara, and Bazzite — but focused purely on native PC gaming performance. From AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077 to competitive shooters like CS2, this blog explores how each distro performs in real-world gaming scenarios.
Let’s just say, the results were full of surprises — and not always the ones I expected.
Before We Begin: Why These 3 Distros?
Alright, let’s take a step back. Why did I pick these three? Simple.
- CachyOS is for those who want raw speed, bleeding-edge updates, and performance tuning right out of the box. It’s like Arch Linux, but actually usable without a tech degree.
- Nobara feels like Fedora’s cool cousin — built by a Proton developer and perfect for gamers and streamers. It’s got everything preinstalled: codecs, OBS, Wine, Proton-GE — you name it.
- Bazzite is like living inside a Steam Deck on your PC. It’s made for controller-first setups but works great with mouse and keyboard too. Think of it as “SteamOS, but better.”
Whether you’re a gamer looking for high FPS, a casual Linux user who doesn’t want to fiddle with terminal commands, or just Linux-curious — this comparison is for you.
My Test Setup (Yes, I Used Real Hardware — Not VMs)
Here’s what I tested everything on:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4070 (some games retested on AMD RX 6800 XT)
- RAM: 32GB DDR5 @ 6000MHz
- Storage: NVMe Gen4 SSD with separate partitions for each distro
- Monitor: 2560x1440p 144Hz FreeSync
No frills, no bottlenecks — just clean installs, updated kernels, and a stable benchmarking environment.
Let’s Talk Installation & First Impressions
Here’s where things started to feel different, even before gaming began.
🧑💻 CachyOS booted and installed super fast, but as expected from an Arch-based distro, it gave me that “what did I just install?” moment. It’s minimal and blazing fast, but you’ll need to install Steam, codecs, and maybe even tweak some GRUB flags if your GPU fans spin up like jet engines.
🎮 CachyOS Review: The Best Linux Distro for Gaming in 2025
🕹️ Nobara, on the other hand, was a dream to install. Everything just worked — Wi-Fi, Steam, OBS, controller support — even my second monitor. You could hand this to your little brother and he’d be playing Apex Legends in 15 minutes.
Nobara Linux 12: The Best Fedora-Based Linux Distro for Gamers and Creators
🎮 Bazzite impressed me with its sleek Steam Deck-like interface and out-of-the-box gamepad support. But its immutable structure takes a bit of adjusting to if you love fiddling with system files. Still, the Flatpak experience here is buttery smooth.
The Ultimate Guide to Installing Bazzite Linux: The Next-Gen Linux Gaming OS for Any PC or Laptop
Performance Benchmarks: Let’s Get to the Good Stuff
Now we’re getting serious. I ran real, demanding games — not just synthetic tests — across all three distros.
| Game | CachyOS (FPS) | Nobara (FPS) | Bazzite (FPS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 (DX12) | 80 | 84 | 78 |
| Elden Ring (Proton-GE) | 60 (capped) | 60 (capped) | 58 |
| CS2 (Vulkan) | 260 | 248 | 242 |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider (native) | 116 | 114 | 111 |
| Hitman 3 (DX12 via Proton) | 102 | 106 | 98 |
💬 What I noticed:
- Nobara consistently ran Proton titles smoother and had fewer shader hitches.
- CachyOS had noticeably snappier mouse input, likely due to its real-time kernel tweaks.
- Bazzite had the lowest CPU usage during background tasks, but slightly lagged behind in FPS.
Gaming Experience & Ease of Use (Let’s Be Honest)
Let’s have a real talk. Benchmarks are cool, but you don’t game in spreadsheets. So here’s how each OS felt in day-to-day use.
- CachyOS: Felt like a lightweight spaceship — fast, responsive, and super clean. But you’re the pilot, engineer, and mechanic. If something breaks, you’re on your own.
- Nobara: The most balanced choice for a gamer who wants power and convenience. Feels like Linux made for gamers by a gamer. I didn’t need to touch the terminal once after installing Steam.
- Bazzite: Perfect for big-screen gaming. If you’re the kind of person who plays from the couch with a controller and likes Steam Big Picture Mode or Game Mode — Bazzite is unbeatable.
Q&A – Because You’re Probably Wondering…
Q: Can I use Heroic Games Launcher and Epic Games Store?
Yes — Heroic runs great on all three, especially with Flatpak. Nobara includes it out of the box.
Q: What about Game Anti-Cheat?
CS2 and other games with updated EAC or BattleEye do work, but only if the devs have enabled Proton support. This applies across all distros.
Q: Do I need to dual boot Windows?
For 95% of people, no. But if you play games like Valorant or use Adobe apps, keep a Windows install handy.
Final Thoughts: Who’s the Real Winner?
Honestly? It depends on you.
- Choose CachyOS if you’re a performance nerd and love pushing your hardware to the edge.
- Choose Nobara if you want the best all-round experience for gaming, recording, and ease of use.
- Choose Bazzite if you want a Steam Deck experience on a desktop or HTPC setup.
Whichever you pick, you’ll be surprised at how far Linux gaming has come. No, it’s not perfect — but in many ways, it’s better than Windows. No forced updates. No background spyware. No DRM drama. Just your games, your system, your rules.
Tags:
linux gaming, nobara os, cachyos, bazzite os, steam on linux, proton ge, heroic launcher, native pc games linux, linux benchmark, gaming linux 2025
Hashtags:
#LinuxGaming #NobaraOS #CachyOS #Bazzite #SteamDeckPC #ProtonGE #PCGaming
Best article I have read so far. Super informative, and answered so many questions, and very easy to read. Lovely article through and through!!!
Thanks
Technically, installing Steam on CachyOS is actually VERY simple and easy. In the CachyOS hello program, there is an option to install gaming packages that installs all you need to get up and running to game.
The CachyOS wiki is actually very helpful in getting you started after installing CachyOS. But I get how Nobara is easy to set up as well.
But overall, good article giving people new to Linux a pretty good overview of what each choice can bring to the table for them. We need more of these types of articles.
Thanks for your appriciation !