8 Best Linux Gaming Distros You Need To Use In 2019

One of the most widely used operating systems, Linux is known for it is lightweight and secure in nature. There are various distributions of Linux where gaming is also a part of it. In this article, we list down 8 best Linux distros for gaming in 2019. (The list is in alphabetical order)

1| Fedora Games Spin

Fedora Games is a live operating system which can be installed directly to your hard drive straight from the Live Media desktop. The Fedora Games spin offers a perfect showcase of the best games available in Fedora. The included games span several genres, from first-person shooters to real-time and turn-based strategy games to puzzle games. Some of the featured applications mentioned below

• A high-speed arctic racing game based on Tux Racer
• The Battle for Wesnoth is a free, turn-based tactical strategy game with a high fantasy theme
• Hedgewars, a turn-based strategy, artillery, action and comedy game
• BZFlag, a free online multiplayer 3D tank battle game

Hardware For Installation

Fedora Games Spin requires the following minimum hardware:

• 2 GHz or more processor (64-bit recommended)
• 1GB RAM or more (preferably more)
• 10GB disk (the more the better)
• Intel HD graphics/AMD Radeon 8500 for Steam games

Download here

2| Game Drift Linux

Game Drift Linux is a new Linux distribution based on Ubuntu Linux. Game Drift has been optimized to deliver to you the best possible gaming experience on Linux. Due to the built-in CrossOver Games technology, you can play more than 1.200 popular Windows games directly within Game Drift Linux.

Hardware For Installation

• 1-2 GHz processor (32 or 64 bit)
• 1-2 GB memory
• 4 GB hard disk drive for Game Drift Linux (excl. games)
• ATI, NVidia or Intel graphics adapter suitable for games
• LAN/Internet

Download here

3| Lakka

Lakka is an open source lightweight Linux distribution that transforms a small computer into a full-blown retrogaming console. It is able to emulate a wide variety of systems and has some useful features such as automatic joypad recognition, rewinding, netplay, and shaders. The software is optimised to run fast even on computers along with the support of USB joypads.

Hardware For Installation

You can choose the best hardware for your intended use case from the table in terms of Lakka and emulator core support. Click here to view the table. Download here

4| LinuxConsole

LinuxConsole is primarily designed to turn old and semi-old computers into game console centre. LinuxConsole 2019 Live beta is available and it includes various live games, LibreOffice, music software, graphics software, emulators, system tools, web browsers and various libraries.

Hardware For Installation

According to the goal of old computers revival and stimulation, this distribution works well on old and mid-old computers with low resources (down to 256 MB RAM) : fast boot; runs on old and new video cards (Intel, NVIDIA, ATI); can be turned into live USB; can be installed as a dual-boot system with Windows. Download here

5| Manjaro mGAMe

Manjaro is a user-friendly Linux distribution based on the independently developed Arch operating system. This distro provides all the benefits of the Arch operating system combined with a focus on user-friendliness and accessibility.  

Hardware For Installation

• 1 gigabyte (GB) of memory
• 30 gigabytes (GB) of hard disk space
• 1 gigahertz (GHz) processor
• A high definition (HD) graphics card and monitor
• A broadband internet connection

Download here

6| Steam OS

SteamOS is an open source Linux-based operating system. The base system draws from Debian 8, code named Debian Jessie. SteamOS is designed primarily for playing video games by providing a console-like experience using generic PC hardware that can connect directly to a television.

Hardware For Installation

Processor: Intel or AMD 64-bit capable processor Memory: 4GB or more RAM Hard Drive: 200GB or larger disk Video Card: NVIDIA graphics card AMD graphics card (RADEON 8500 and later) Intel graphics Additional: USB port for installation UEFI Firmware (recommended) Download here

7| SparkyLinux

SparkyLinux is a GNU/Linux distribution created on the top of the Debian GNU/Linux operating system. It is fast, lightweight and fully customizable OS built around the Openbox window manager offering versions for different users and different tasks.

Hardware For Installation

• CPU i686 / amd64
• RAM memory:

1. 256 MB – LXDE, LXQt, Openbox
2. 512 MB – MATE, Xfce
3. 1.0 GB - KDE
4. 128 MB – CLI Edition

• 512 MB SWAP partition or bigger
• Hard or USB drive:

1. 10 GB (“Home” editions)
2. 20 GB (GameOver/Multimedia)
3. 2 GB (CLI edition)

• an optical drive (CD/DVD) or USB port

Download here

8| SuperGamer

SuperGamer is a Linux distro with an optimized XFCE interface based on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and Linux Lite. This distro is optimised for everyday use and contains a large set of native-running Linux games and some demos of proprietary games.

Hardware For Installation

• At least 1.5GB of ram for this distribution to run smoothly.
• The releases are 64 bit only
• Based on an updated Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and Linux Lite with the 4.13 HWE kernel.

Download here