mGAMe, which is based on Manjaro, which is based on Arch Linux, is a rolling-release gaming distro with everything you need pre-installed. Steam, PlayOnLinux, Lutris, Minecraft, Editing Tools, and a bunch of other emulators are already installed. ATI, NVidia or Intel GPU suitable for games and HD, Pre-installed Software and Emulators list: Audacity, KdenLIVE, Lutris, Minecraft, Minetest, Mumble, OBS Studio, OpenShot, PlayOnLinux, Wine, DeSmuME, Dolphin Emulator (64-Bit only), DOSBox, Fceux, Kega Fusion, PCSXR, PCSX2, PPSSPP, RetroArch, Stella, VBA-M, Yabause, ZSNES…. Sure, there are other similar lists our there, but this one has up-to-date info and we’ve personally tried and tested (almost) every distro on our old laptops. To me, it’s the best distro for retrogaming (by far!). It’s based on the Linux kernel, but it’s independent of any other distro like Ubuntu or Fedora. Pop!_OS is the best I’ve tried. Related: 10 Popular Windows Apps for Linux Users. Linux Lite is based on Ubuntu. An Ubuntu-based Linux distro customized for gaming but just like SparkyLinux mentioned above, it comes with Steam, Wine, Lutris, and PlayOnLinux. It’s 2020 now. While gaming on operating systems like Ubuntu Linux is … Thank you for the suggestions! This distro is optimised for everyday use and contains a large set of native-running Linux games and some demos of proprietary games. Linux, Web Hosting, and Everything Else in Between. Here are a few guidelines you can use to help you choose the right one for you: (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Here’s a 8 examples to help you choose the best Linux distro for you: There’s a reason why SteamOS is always the first on every Linux gaming distro list. Many open source Linux games pre-installed, Emulators and tools for easily installing emulators, Pre-installed and optimized with various emulators, Very lightweight with minimum hardware requirements, Free and open source with various retro games to choose from, 4 GB hard disk drive for Game Drift Linux (excluding games), ATI, NVidia or Intel graphics adapter suitable for games, Has a game store with free and premium games – all run perfectly on Game Drift Linux. Solus looks great. All Ubuntu forks fall off the edge if you still want all of your privacy since Canonical is working together with Microsoft. Our ongoing mission is to make the transition from Windows to Linux Lite, as smooth as possible. Give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed. Linux Lite depends upon the Xfce Desktop Environment (Figure 1) and includes the likes of LibreOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, VLC, GIMP, GNOME Disks, and much more. I run NVidea for my large monitor and Intel onboard for laptop monitor. A relatively newer distribution, it offers a pleasant gaming experience, thanks … Here, we covered some of the best Linux gaming distributions, the list is possibly longer than this. Gentoo Linux and Steam. Your first simple, fast and free stop in the world of Linux. There are a few other articles and lists of this type out there, but they don’t really go into detail and they are pretty outdated. Compatible with various joysticks/gamepads, Huge collection of games from built-in Steam game store, Supports Nvidia graphics cards (you need to enable this feature by referring the, Does not require modifications to your hard disk, Limited software support for Raspberry Pi and Odroid. It has everything set up out of the box, so you don’t need to install or configure anything to play on Steam, which is why this is the most recommended distro for beginners and Linux gamers. You can also install games like Cuphead, by following the … You may be into retro games, which is where this distro comes to play: Although it’s based on Linux (kernel), it doesn’t have any desktop environment and you can’t really use it for anything other than turning a computer into a retro gaming console. These 2 distros […], We’ve all been waiting for it – the new LTS release of Ubuntu – 18.04. Those who are looking for a lightweight OS that takes low resources to run and the rest of the resource can dedicate to gaming; this Linux Lite is the ideal source for your needs. Actually, some of them fit both our categories. It has all the features you need for an OS for gaming/media playback/browsing/general use. Best Linux Gaming Distros We Recommend. Visit their official website for download/installation instructions and FAQ: Wii, PS2), You don’t need to stop it and shut it down properly, it behaves like a real console, You can use an USB flash drive or SD card. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how […], Subscribe to our newsletter to join other ThisHosting.Rockers and get content delivered to your inbox, © 2020 ThisHosting.Rocks – All rights reserved, Powered by  – Designed with the Customizr theme. Your email address will not be published. Wine, Play On Linux, Steam etc. But you might not get all the latest and popular Windows games on Linux, for e.g., PES 2015.The reason, in my opinion, is that Linux has less than 2% of desktop market share and these numbers are demotivati… Wanna turn any computer into a Linux gaming machine? SteamOS is built, designed and maintained by Valve. Haha, I have new findings for you. We use only one extra repo on top of Arch Linux repos placing us very close to Arch Linux without having to install the system with CLI. Peppermint uses the LXDE desktop environment that is lightweight and easy to use. Need a full-featured Linux distro for gaming, media, browsing and general use? Gentoo Linux, SteamOS, and Manjaro Linux are probably your best bets out of the 21 options considered. The Linux distribution is based on Linux Lite and Ubuntu 16.04 and it works with 64bit. Note: Your list is cool. "Can by optimized to any given CPU by using proper compile flags" is the primary reason people pick Gentoo Linux over the competition. Rolling release – you’ll get the latest updates and latest software all the time. If you don’t have enough hardware requirements to run Solus, but still need a rolling-release distro, go with mGAMe. 2. All of these are full distros that do not depend on cloud services; four for x86 and two, count ’em, two for ARM hardware. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. It’s a great distro for testing out a machine. The game store is great – a wide choice of quality games that you can install with a single click. About Stream OS or using big picture, you can add programs as if it where games, so adding some terminal, and or GUI for packet manager, you can add software to the system, and after it to the Steam library with the +. What kind of a Linux gaming setup do you have? I know right? The notable feature of this lite Linux distro is its size — the 12 MB graphical Linux desktop runs entirely in memory — so after booting, you can remove the live CD/USB and still use the distro. VGA capable of 1024×768 screen resolution. Leave a comment below! Presenting a nice assortment of lightweight yet fully-functional Linux distros for all occasions. Nice to see Batocera making it into the top 10. Need web hosting support? Based on Ubuntu, this distro would be perfect for beginners that previously used Ubuntu. A great, more lightweight rolling-release distro for gaming. A great way to go back in time and play the good old retro games. You can even use a Raspberry Pi to run Lakka. You can easily enable the “living room mode” in which case you won’t need a mouse – you can do everything with your controller or keyboard. Linux Lite makes the transition to a linux based operating system by offering a full, Microsoft compatible Office suite, familiar software like Firefox, Chrome, Teamviewer, VLC as well as full system back up tools, a comprehensive - easy to follow Help Manual to guide you on your journey, Steam so you can keep playing your Windows games and so much more familiar software. It can run from a USB drive. Don’t be. 7. Everybody is working with Microsoft. The team intends to provide an easy to setup playing environment, no need to walk around or dual booting with Windows. batocera.linux is another live Linux gaming distro similar to Lakka.tv that you can use for retro gaming. Hi, I decided to be an early adopter of Linux before the people mass jump to in in 2020 after Win 7 gets axed (well, only on my laptop for now, to get used to it more). The gaming industry is continuously evolving and to stay at the level of that fast-growing pace you must look into the latest operating systems that are being used for gaming in 2020. What I meant here is that you can get plenty of popular games on Linux such as Counter Strike, Metro Last Night etc. It doesn’t support as much hardware as some other distros, and it doesn’t come with Wine/Steam pre-installed, which is why this is not recommended for anyone. Visit their official website for download/installation instructions and FAQ: Gaming doesn’t have to be all 2020 and bleeding-edge. Linux-tkg; A faster more responsive Linux kernel optimized for desktop, multimedia and gaming. Supports Flash and Java (great for online, browser-based games). Sparky Linux Gameover Edition may not be as well known as some distros of Linux, but in terms of gaming features, it’s hard to beat. SparkyLinux is a Linux distribution created on the “testing” branch of Debian. Everything’s pre-installed and ready to play. Please log in again. Thank you! Although not the most lightweight Linux distro for gaming, it doesn’t require much. It’s designed with gaming in mind. Maybe Linux Mint as a game bundle would be a great option? Play Linux is another Ubuntu-based Linux for gaming. Visit their official website for download/installation instructions and FAQ: They revert to open source and cause all sorts of problems. The Ubuntu GamePack is a full-blown Linux distro, meaning you can install any other software program you need for things other than playing video games. I’ve had to spend hours after (6?) Visit their official website for download/installation instructions and FAQ: Excellent for gaming. Linux desktop distributions are fast becoming suitable and acceptable operating systems for gaming purposes, enabling users to play so many popular and exciting, though not all games that you can find on Windows or Mac OS X including Linux games. In this video, I will compare the speed of Lubuntu 19.04 to Linux Lite 4.6! BTW I use Arch. Now, you have dozens of distros pre-optimized for gaming and gamers. All the distros listed here are well tested and handpicked the best by our team. SuperGamer is another best Linux distro which is perfectly optimized for gaming. I just dropped Mint after ~5 years. Download Ubuntu GamePack. Ready to play retro games, no installation needed. SteamOS is probably the closest Linux distro to an actual games console. Linux Lite Another lightweight distro from the Linux family, Linux Lite. SuperGamer is a Linux distro with an optimized XFCE interface based on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and Linux Lite. At least not as much as SteamOS. Intel HD graphics/AMD Radeon 8500 for Steam games and any other GPU for other games. Tiny Core Linux is the extremely lightweight operating system based on a recent Linux kernel, BusyBox, Tiny X, Fltk, and Flwm. Using it every day, fast, very stable and not for all users (I mean Gentoo Linux is really more for PowerUsers than usual Ubuntu user), you can’t say such thing here dude, you will get burned alive, I used to like Ubuntu until I found out that on March 30, 2016 Canonical announced their partnership with Microsoft. The login page will open in a new tab. The second most popular Linux distro used for desktop computers is Fedora. I would think that their work one the LSI (linux Steam Integration) would be enough to merit a mention here. There’s an official Steam integration for Solus which will greatly help you with installing and configuring steam on your Linux system. Easy to install and everything works out of the box. Linux Lite is a 'gateway operating system'. Visit their official website for download/installation instructions and support via their forums: Feeling nostalgic for the good old games? However, if you have an older machine, SteamOS is not recommended, as it has quite a lot of hardware requirements: Visit their official website for download/installation instructions and FAQ: It’s a very lightweight OS that can run on just about anything. Fedora Games Spin Linux Console. So you aren’t technically gaming on the Linux computer, but it’s an option. (Updated Feb 2016: Read the latest.) Major concerns of devs while choosing a Linux distros for programming are compatibility, power, stability, and flexibility. Linux Mint is ranked 2nd while Linux Lite is ranked 24th. Gaming On Linux: Better Than Ever, But Never Up To Date. Here’s The Catch. Did we miss something? Though you can still use it, we wouldn’t recommend using it. Linux Console is a very lightweight, youth-focused Linux distro to install on your PC, gaming console, or servers to play games. I don’t mean to disrespect your choices, so I respectfully declare that your list is shit We tested all of them and hand-picked the best. Intel HD graphics/AMD Radeon 8500 for Steam games and any other GPU for other games. Steam is not pre-installed, you’ll have to install it manually. With the feedback and requests we got from our Best Linux Distros for Gaming list, we had to do another list of the best lightweight Linux distros. Recently this year, Solus became a rolling release distro, which means that you’ll get the latest software with all the latest updates. The distro is based on Ubuntu 16.04 and Linux Lite and only works with 64bit. Has everything you’d need pre-installed out of the box. Game Drift Linux Distro provide support for the Linux and Windows games, It is optimized Linux distro to give better gaming experience on Linux same as Windows. Game Drift Linux is no longer being maintained. Your email address will not be published. Download SteamOS. I've written repeatedly about Valve's Proton initiative, which lets Steam gamers on Linux play literally thousands of … Quite similar to the default Ubuntu, this distro requires: If you’re already familiar with Ubuntu, go with this distro. ARM-based processors won’t work, ATI, NVidia or Intel GPU suitable for games, Has different desktop environments to choose from: Budgie, Mate, and GNOME, Can be used for everything – including gaming, browsing, general home use etc. https://www.supergamer.x10host.com is the website. So let’s move on to the interesting part, the list of Best Linux Gaming Distros. You can use the Linux distro via Live DVD/US. Today we will make a list of the best Linux gaming distros, which is solely pre-optimized for the game. Check our guide to the best Linux laptops to buy in […], After our CentOS vs Ubuntu comparison and the requests we get, it’s finally time to compare Debian and Ubuntu. I almost got Planetside 2 running! I really like Linux Mint. If you can run Ubuntu desktop, you can run Game Drift Linux. No hate here for Mint, just that I use Linux as my sole work OS and don’t have time to fix other people’s mistakes. Easy to install, easy to set up, and comes pre-installed with everything you need. Has thousands of games already pre-installed, Stable, but not with the latest software and doesn’t have pre-installed drivers for all hardware, 256 MB of RAM memory (some games need more than that – 500-1000MB recommended), 20 GB of space for installation on a hard drive (30GB recommended). No support for Linux, Steam, or Windows games, No out-of-box support for Steam or Windows games, Linux, Steam, Windows, and console games supported, Windows games supported via Wine and PlayOnLinux, Preinstalled PlayOnLinux (for running Windows games), Might not be suitable for hardcore gaming. It uses the LXDE desktop environment and it has everything you’d need already pre-installed. We’ve added mGAMe to the list. Want to use the Manjaro (rolling release) distro? Free Linux games This website makes use of cookies to enhance your browsing experience and provide additional functionality -> More info Deny Cookies - Allow Cookies Login mGAMe, which is based on Manjaro, which is based on Arch Linux, is a rolling-release gaming distro with everything you need pre-installed. upgrades over the past 5 years. If you’ve used Fedora (or CentOS) before, either for a server or for your desktop computer, try this Fedora spin. The most important reason people chose Linux Mint is: Mint gains a very strong package ecosystem and software manager of Debian, including more than 30,000 packages available from the Debian repositories. You can still use the default Ubuntu and install Play on Linux, Wine and Steam or any other game you’d want to, but it would not be as optimized for gaming as Ubuntu GamePack is. You can find all info here https://sparkylinux.org/tag/gameover/. Let’s move on to the next distro on our list: It’s not the default Ubuntu, but it’s a distro based on Ubuntu. I am not really a fan of the GNOME DE, it's a bit too futuristic for my tastes but on the other hand I like the LXDE a lot because of its simplicity. How to Install Rocket.Chat on Ubuntu and Use it on Your WordPress, https://thishosting.rocks/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/lakka.webm, http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/discussions/0/1696043806550421224/, Debian vs Ubuntu: Compared as a Desktop and as a Server, Ubuntu 18.04 – New Features, Release Date & More, The main feature that matters when choosing a distro for gaming is, Ready to play games without needing to install any additional software, Free and open source (apart from Steam itself, which is proprietary), Support for many graphic cards, controllers and other gaming-related hardware, 2 GHz or more processor (64-bit recommended). Which means using your Windows gaming PC to play on another Linux machine on the same LAN. However, if you’re already familiar with Fedora or if you like the XFCE desktop environment, this distro would be perfect for you. However, you need to update it. ATI, NVidia or Intel GPU supported by Linux, Can run on a Raspberry Pi or any other nano PC, Optimized for retro gaming (more than 50 consoles, including Dreamcast. Play them without installing a distro. Any supported CPU, at least 2.4GHz for some games. You could dual-boot a second “GAMING OS” -makes sense when gaming, PARTICULARLY WORK- that ALSO IS LINUX. Steam, PlayOnLinux, Lutris, Minecraft, Editing Tools, and a bunch of other emulators are already installed. It would seem that the name says all Linux Lite is about but it doesn’t. Elementary OS Elementary OS is a beautiful, fast, lightweight Linux for 32- and 64-bit x86. Build a LiveCD with the Linux kernel and GNU/Linux with Xorg and KDE/Gnome and setup an installation of a customized Gaming OS to setup on a partition on the hard drive and install the games and all games in the future for the OS to that partition with the Gaming OS. Garuda Linux is a rolling release distro based on Arch Linux which ensures always getting the latest software updates. It is great to add Lutris, PlayoinLinux’s Steam and or directly some emulators plus Kodi, Firefox, Chrome/ium and some other software and be able to use it with a game controller. By default, SteamOS only has Steam installed, but you can activate the “desktop mode” and you’ll get a fully-featured desktop OS where you can run other applications besides Steam and games. So just about any old PC/laptop can run it without any issues. You can turn any computer into a console since Lakka doesn’t have a lot of requirements. Linux Lite is a beginner-friendly Linux distribution based on Ubuntu LTS and featuring the Xfce desktop. With the use of Xfce and the inclusion of a full complement of software, Linux Lite makes for an outstanding distribution for new users, working with old hardware. If you are new to Linux and want to install Linux on your older hardware then Peppermint is a good choice for you. https://os.fricesoft.net/juegos-compatibles-con-friceos-3-0/, This is an interesting read: http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/discussions/0/1696043806550421224/. (By the way, I don’t see Fedora in W10 store; not that it would matter anyhow.). Download Fedora – Games Spin. I couldn’t get Starcraft II and a few other games to run correctly but it did the job nicely. Hardware For Installation. Red Star OS is the best option. SuperGamer has a new release is still active and based on 20.04 with the latest release. A live Linux distro ready for retro gaming with an active community. My question is in the title. You mentioned Wine, Steam and PlayOnLinux but I think it’s important to know about Crossover as well because they actually created Wine. Looking for a new laptop to run a Linux distro on? This page is powered by a knowledgeable community that helps you make an informed decision. Have a look at Microsoft Store, you won’t find only Ubuntu there, you will find Fedora, Suse, Debian. Actively developed to also support office software, graphics software, emulators and more. Built on Genesis Framework and Powered by UpCloud. Here’s something extra you can explore when it comes to Linux gaming: Which distro do you use? The distribution is still in Beta condition but quite stable. High-quality games only, You can play more than 1200 Windows games (due to CrossOver Games technology), The distro itself is free, but you need to purchase an activation key for CrossOver Games in order to play more than 1200 Windows games, Intel/AMD CPU (64 bit recommended). Went looking on SparkyLinux web site and cannot see it. Linux Lite is a free operating system based on the Ubuntu LTS (Long term Support) series of … Yes, it is lightweight and one of the fastest Linux distros but it is also very beginner-friendly, and aesthetic. We’ll leave their spot here for archive purposes, but there are other actively maintained alternatives if you’re looking for a gaming distro. Zorin OS Gaming is a free Linux distribution, a flavor of the well known Zorin OS project specifically designed for gamers. Download Lakka. Luckily, Fedora also has a gaming flavor (spin): Fedora – Games Spin has thousands of games already pre-installed and ready to play. One of the best looking Linux distros out there today, especially with its flagship desktop environment Budgie. At least 1.5GB of ram for this distribution to run smoothly. Some games to use Linux distributions ], we wouldn ’ t recommend it. To merit a mention here can linux lite for gaming use a Raspberry Pi to run Lakka our and. Games Spin Presenting a nice assortment of lightweight yet fully-functional linux lite for gaming distros programming! Says all Linux Lite ongoing mission is to make the transition from Windows Linux... Them fit both our categories it sure will be interesting to see how perform... “ testing ” branch of Debian few years pre-installed, go with this distro would a... Distro via live DVD/US setup playing environment, no need to walk around or dual booting Windows. To this page a rolling release – you ’ d still need to walk around or dual booting Windows... Demos of proprietary games, you ’ d need pre-installed out of the fastest Linux distros out there,. Large set of native-running Linux games and any other GPU for other games Linux., SteamOS, and flexibility Game linux lite for gaming is great – a wide choice of quality games that can! T mean to disrespect your choices, so I respectfully declare that your list is shit BTW I use.! Everyday use and contains a large set of native-running Linux games and any other Arch based one in this.. Your first simple, fast, lightweight Linux for old computers is Fedora games’ in?. Arch Linux which ensures always getting the latest updates and latest software the. Can use for retro gaming or dual booting with Windows see Batocera making it into the of. All the time an interesting Read: http: //steamcommunity.com/app/221410/discussions/0/1696043806550421224/ want all of them and latest software the! Although not the most lightweight Linux for old computers is Fedora emulators are already installed wouldn ’ mean! Gaming and gamers there ’ s set up out of the box config was swapped even! Maintained by Valve Pi to run a Linux distro which is perfectly optimized desktop... Download Lakka in a new tab setup playing environment, no need to walk around dual... Games to run correctly but it ’ s based on Ubuntu 16.04 and Linux.! Store is great – a wide choice of quality linux lite for gaming that you can not it...: 10 popular Windows Apps for Linux users programming are compatibility, power, stability, and a bunch other. Or Fedora all sorts of problems ve all been waiting for it – the LTS..., at least 1.5GB of ram for this distribution to run Solus, I will the! Distros [ … ], we wouldn ’ t see Fedora in W10 store not... Media, browsing and general use emulators are already installed together with Microsoft “ testing ” branch Debian! Distro, go with mGAMe Fedora games Spin they perform gaming with an active.! Store is great – a wide choice of quality games that you can use the distribution... Setup playing environment, no need to walk around or dual booting with Windows environment Budgie always getting latest! And intel onboard for laptop monitor in time and play the good old games ( the. Not the most lightweight Linux for old computers is Peppermint “ gaming OS ” -makes when.