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

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.

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.

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 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.