Like perhaps many others I am debating what to do with my PC at the end of support for windows 10 later this year. I have read a lot of discussions here about switching to Linux, and a lot of commentary that though it has gotten a lot more plug and play it maybe still has some weaknesses. I just want to know what those are, and if it can support what I currently do with my computer.
Basically my computer is just for gaming. I play a plethora of games both major titles and small indy games. I also use mods on my games sometimes. Beyond gaming it's just basic web browsing.
More specific questions:
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I think I need to pick a "distro", right? Based on the above, which distro may work best for me?
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what am I most likely to NOT be able to do, if anything? I have heard modding in particular can be challenging with Linux. Like Skyrim mods that use a script extender or rely on various Windows programs. Is that true? Are there some smaller indy games that don't have Linux support (thinking back to the early mac days)?
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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 don't have any programming experience or anything of the sort.
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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? Or does it need to be a windows 11 partition? Best case is no partition, but curious if it comes to that.
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anything else I might run into that I'm not expecting? Words of encouragement?
You want to game and you want it to be easy. Just install Bazzite, ignore people suggesting Mint. Mint is the best traditional distro ever made, but it has major flaws and it gets difficult if you try to game in it. Containerized immutable OS are way better for novices and the average user. People want to use their computer, not manage a computer they never use. A lot of us Linux fanatics we tend to forget that fact.
You have plenty of technical knowledge to get it installed. And that's about it for what is required.
Don't dual boot Windows, it gets too hands on and too technical fast. Instead, have Windows on a entirely separate second drive. Boot to the desired drive accordingly. Linux plays nice and can work with windows perfectly, but windows actively hates linux and will fuck up any drive it shares with it. So it is best windows is absolutely oblivious as to the existence of Linux in the machine. For that you'll need to disable secureboot and probably disk encryption as well. As I said, it's a technical challenge. Not worth it in my personal opinion.
Be mindful about the games you play, often if it doesn't run on Linux is not because of any technical limitation on Linux side. It's because of the political will to hurt Linux. This is why virtually all indie games run fine on Linux, it's AAA slop that is designed to stop working if it detects it's running on Linux.
I don't do any of the games listed here as problematic with the anticheat stuff so I don't think it will be an issue for me. Some of the tweaks listed as needed on the protondb seem slightly intimidating at the moment but I am hoping that once I have better context for what those are it won't be an issue anymore.
Most tweaks on protondb are either copy pasting a few settings to a Steam dialog box, or picking a particular option in the compatibility list on the GUI. Mostly old games take a bit more effort, yet it won't be any harder than what you used to do to make mods run on Windows. Really, the only reason anything Linux could be intimidating is because it is unfamiliar. As soon as you start seeing the parallels with tinkering and tweaking on windows, you'll realize that it is actually easier, more intuitive, and more stable than on Windows.