Linux

I'm currently running on Debian Stable, but I was running on Debian Testing until Debian 12 released. RX 6700 XT + i5 11400f. I use debs for most things and Flatpak for everything that I can't find on repo.

I had no more or less issues on it than any other distro, I've never really had anything break but of course YMMV.

As a side note, I'd recommend trying Stable as well to see if it works well enough for you, then moving to testing if it doesn't. As long as the performance is fine enough for you, it's really nice having the system not really change since I only have to get a game working once, and it just keeps working exactly the same until the next Debian version with no surprises.

I used to run debian testing, but as the branch name implies you will experience the occasional break. If you're doing straight gaming, Arch seems like the distro to be on. I game and work (dev stuff) on my machines so I run pop_os (with xanmod kernel).

I'm just a casual gamer but I use Debian stable and I've had very few problems. I think a lot of people believe that Debian stable is too old to be usable but steam works flawlessly. At least in my experience.

I know it won’t be the same response, but using the AUR with Pamac on EndeavourOS has been a good experience for me. It doesn’t let me break the system since it’s all graphical and I haven’t had any issues with suspect packages or anything like that. And enabling Flatpak/Snap I can install those programs I might not trust, like the Miru streaming app.

If you want deb packages on arch, you can try use debian container through distrobox.

I run Sid and use flatpak for steam and minigalaxy. No issues here.

just install an *buntu derivative

Aur is not as scary as it seens. But I don't really have any good advice for gaming.

The AUR is a great option. I'd argue that it can often be a better experience than upstream deb packages, because there is more oversight to how it is packaged.

For example, lots of vendors will give you a binary "installer," which kinda does whatever it wants to your system. Packages in the AUR often abstract this to simply a package with raw files.

Additionally, there may be problems with a deb, even on Debian. Instead of restoring to hacks, the AUR build scripts often include patches and fixes to get things to work, and it's built right into the package.

I'm not saying that Arch and the AUR is always better, but the level of control you have over what you're installing, and the visibility and quick feedback loop you get while fixing things is invaluable, in my opinion.