I moved from Windows to Linux for gaming and kept it practical. This setup runs Windows games through Proton, gives decent gaming performance, and stays stable. I used Ubuntu because it is familiar, well supported, and quick to get working for most games.
Start with a live USB. Boot a live image and run a few games from a thumb drive, or use Steam’s compatibility tools. Pick a distro that suits your needs, but Ubuntu or an Ubuntu-based offshoot is the simple route. For Ubuntu installation, enable the multiverse repo, update packages, then install Steam and drivers. For Nvidia GPUs, use ubuntu-drivers autoinstall to pull in the official driver. For AMD cards, the kernel and Mesa drivers cover most of what you need; install mesa-vulkan-drivers and vulkan-tools to get Vulkan working. If you want a single setup script, add the repos and install Steam, ProtonUp-Qt, gamemode, mangohud and vulkan-tools. I tested an RX 6700 XT and a Ryzen 7 in a recent switch and it handled modern titles well; that sort of hardware is a safe bet for Proton compatibility.
Proton compatibility matters more than the distro marketing. Check ProtonDB before buying a game. Install ProtonUp-Qt to add community Proton builds such as Proton GE. Enable Steam Play for all titles in Steam settings and pick the Proton version per title in Properties. For gaming performance, install gamemode, mangohud and the Vulkan drivers. On Ubuntu I use:
sudo add-apt-repository multiverse
sudo apt update
sudo apt install steam-installer vulkan-tools mesa-vulkan-drivers gamemode mangohud
sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstallRun vulkaninfo to confirm Vulkan works. Launch a game with mangohud to see FPS, frametime, GPU and CPU use. Use the Steam Overlay or Proton logs when a game fails to start. If a game uses DirectX 12, try a VKD3D-based Proton build first.
When performance is lower than expected, check a few things. Make sure the GPU driver matches the kernel. Use nvidia-smi for Nvidia or radeontop for AMD to watch load. Look at frametime spikes, not just average FPS. Turn off compositor effects or switch to a lighter desktop session for demanding titles. Set the CPU governor to performance for benchmarks, then switch back for daily use. If a title stutters, try a different Proton build or a Proton GE release. Use protontricks for old DirectX runtimes or missing DLLs. If Vulkan reports missing extensions, update Mesa or use a newer kernel. Keep game-specific tweaks in the Steam launch options so they do not affect other titles.
For day-to-day use, I prefer a lean session while gaming and a full GNOME or KDE session for everything else. Pin Steam to autostart only if you want a dedicated gaming machine. Keep backups before trying rolling driver PPAs or mainline kernels. A spare SSD is a cheap way to trial a new kernel or Mesa update without risking the main setup. The basics stay the same: test with a live USB, check ProtonDB, install ProtonUp-Qt and the right drivers, use gamemode and mangohud to measure changes, and prefer well supported GPUs. Change one thing at a time so you can see what actually affects gaming performance.
