What Linux distribution would work well for gaming, NVIDIA, and desktop customization?

The distribution itself usually isn’t what determines customization—the desktop environment does. KDE Plasma is a strong choice if you want lots of control over the appearance and behavior of the system. Fedora KDE or openSUSE with KDE would be good places to start. Bazzite is another option if you want a gaming-focused, immutable Fedora-based system, although its design is a little different from a traditional installation. CachyOS can also work well, but its Arch base may require more hands-on maintenance.

Changing distributions won’t eliminate every problem with Windows games. Compatibility layers can still need occasional fixes, regardless of which Linux system you use. Also, Pop!_OS’s desktop experience is changing as its Cosmic environment develops, so the issue may be the desktop environment rather than the underlying distribution. Trying KDE Plasma could give you the customization you want without changing your expectations about gaming compatibility.

For gaming, focus on a distribution that makes current NVIDIA drivers easy to install and maintain. Bazzite or CachyOS are worth considering, but Fedora KDE is a more conventional option. Helldivers 2 should run through Proton, though performance may be limited by the GTX 1060 rather than the distribution. Check the required driver version before switching, since older NVIDIA cards may be limited to a legacy driver branch.