I currently use Windows 11 Pro, but its behavior and frequent annoyances are pushing me to consider switching. I'm fairly technical—I built my current PC and several previous ones—and my first real Linux experience was using a Steam Deck. Most of my PC games are on Steam, although some use Easy Anti-Cheat, and I also play PSVR 2 games through Steam. I regularly do post-production work on indie short and feature films with DaVinci Resolve Studio, so that software is essential. I'm comfortable with some troubleshooting and tinkering, but I don't want to spend weeks making basic gaming or editing workflows usable. Would switching to Linux be practical for my hardware and needs, and what would be the safest way to test it first?
4 Answers
Be prepared to learn a few replacement tools and habits for production work. Resolve is available, but plugins, codecs, GPU acceleration, and project workflows may not behave exactly as they do on Windows. Test your real editing projects—not just the application opening—before moving your main workstation.
Linux is a good fit if you’re willing to experiment and accept that an occasional update or game may require troubleshooting. It isn’t automatically trouble-free just because Steam and Proton make many games easy to run. If you mainly want to escape Windows rather than learn a new operating system, dual-booting or keeping a Windows drive available is probably the least frustrating option.
Linux could work, but game compatibility is decided on a title-by-title basis. Easy Anti-Cheat can support Linux, but each publisher has to enable it, and some games still won’t work. Check your actual library on ProtonDB, especially multiplayer and VR titles, before committing. DaVinci Resolve has a Linux version, although you may need to adjust your workflow or troubleshoot a few things. Fedora, Linux Mint, or another well-supported beginner-friendly distribution would be a sensible starting point.
The safest approach is to keep your Windows installation intact and try Linux on a second SSD. You can also boot a live USB first to check hardware compatibility, or use a virtual machine to get familiar with the desktop. A separate drive makes it much easier to switch back whenever you need Windows for a particular game or production task.
Anti-cheat isn’t a simple yes-or-no issue. Some games with sophisticated anti-cheat work on Linux, while others fail because the publisher doesn’t allow it. Checking each game individually is more reliable than judging by the anti-cheat brand alone.