Should I Switch to Linux If Gaming Is My Main Concern?

Linux can be a great replacement, but expect a learning curve. Basic system administration, drivers, launchers, and game modding can sometimes require more effort than on Windows. A gaming-focused distribution or a beginner-friendly option can make the transition easier, and a virtual machine is fine for light software testing, though it generally isn't ideal for serious gaming because of graphics performance.

For ordinary single-player and less competitive games, you probably won't have much trouble. Proton has improved a lot, although you may occasionally need to change Proton versions or do a little troubleshooting. Competitive games with strict anti-cheat are the biggest hard stop, so those two unknown games are worth investigating individually.

Dual-booting is probably the safest approach. Install Linux on another drive or a separate partition, try your games and hardware, and keep Windows available for anything that doesn't work. You can gradually move over and remove Windows later if you stop needing it.

Check each game on ProtonDB, and look up multiplayer titles on an anti-cheat compatibility database as well. Most Steam games work through Proton, but games using kernel-level or unsupported anti-cheat are the main exceptions. If a game isn't listed, that usually just means nobody has submitted a report yet—not automatically that it fails. Search for the specific game and Linux compatibility before deciding.