Gaming performance: 3.5/5 Windows-like? GNOME: 2.5/5 Plug & play: 5/5

Backstory

I switched from Windows 11 to Bazzite in late October and have enjoyed it so far. My system saw an immediate FPS boost in games like Borderlands 4—going from 40-45 FPS on Windows to 65-70 on Bazzite. The only drawback is not being able to play League of Legends. Like other Linux distros, Bazzite doesn’t always meet the expectations of Windows or Mac users, who may switch back if certain software or features aren’t supported. I avoided that by not dual-booting or using a live session.

Things Bazzite does really well

As a Linux gaming OS, Bazzite is designed to run games and is very plug-and-play in my experience. When I bought Borderlands 4, I spent more time tweaking settings on Windows to get higher FPS—only reaching around 40 FPS—than actually playing the game. On Bazzite, I simply installed the game, booted it up, and immediately enjoyed around 65 FPS. Despite what some claim online, like a YouTuber saying Elden Ring can’t run on Linux, it runs without any issues for me. It also has a massive app store to download software.

Why I swapped

I like tech and work in the industry—I’m not the average user, but I’m not a tech genius either. I’ve seen plenty of blunders from Microsoft: broken file Explorer, privacy concerns, bloatware, and the push for AI integration. All of this motivated me to join the penguin gang.

I continue to use two systems running Windows due to school requirements. The necessary testing software is not available on Linux, and I do not wish to use workarounds that might be misinterpreted as dishonest behavior, i.e., cheating.

To end my rant, I have really enjoyed Bazzite and have come to love the non-desktop icons that support the superkey feature of GNOME. From what I have seen, my 7700x/6800xt runs cooler because it’s not