Which Linux distro and desktop would work best for NVIDIA gaming and customization?

The important part is having NVIDIA drivers that still support the GTX 1060. Recent NVIDIA driver changes have moved older 10-series cards onto the legacy 580 driver branch, so check that your chosen distribution makes installing and updating that driver straightforward. Pop!_OS is normally known for convenient NVIDIA support, so changing distributions may not automatically eliminate driver problems.

Helldivers should be playable through Proton, although a GTX 1060 is an older card and modern games may require reduced settings or resolution. A different distribution can improve driver or desktop integration, but it cannot guarantee that every Windows game will work perfectly. Proton compatibility and the game’s anti-cheat support are still major factors.

The issue may be Pop!_OS’s desktop rather than the underlying operating system. If you want a more mature and highly configurable interface, KDE Plasma is worth trying. Switching to a distribution with a KDE edition may be more practical while Pop!_OS continues developing its newer desktop environment.

For customization, look at the desktop environment as much as the distribution. KDE Plasma offers a lot of control over the interface, and Fedora KDE or openSUSE KDE would be solid starting points. Bazzite is another option if you want a gaming-focused, Fedora-based system, though its immutable design works differently from a traditional installation. CachyOS can also be fast and gaming-friendly, but its Arch base may require more maintenance knowledge.