Recommended Linux distros
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- For Ports of the Linux kernel for consoles, see Homebrew and hack Roms#Operating_systems.
Linux Distributions have existed since 1992.
- This is a list of the current recommended Linux distros in their respective categories.
Contents
General use-focused[edit]
- These Linux distributions offer a complete Desktop experience with a large user base.
- Linux Hardware.org is a good resource if you are having trouble finding Linux distributions that work on your computer.
- See guide to setup/download emulators for instructions for these distros.
| Name | Architecture | Based on | Desktop | Latest Version | Active | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Kubuntu |
x86, ARM | Debian | Gnome, KDE (Kubuntu) | 23.10 Ubuntu Desktop Ubuntu for Raspberry Pi Kubuntu |
✓ | ✓ |
| Linux Mint | x86 | Ubuntu | Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce | 21.3 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Raspberry Pi OS | ARM, x86 | Debian | PIXEL | 2023-12-05 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pop!_OS | x86 ARM (preview) |
Ubuntu | Gnome (Cosmic) | 22.04 LTS | ✓ | ~ |
| Manjaro | x86, ARM | Arch Linux | Xfce, KDE Plasma, Gnome | 23.1.3 | ✓ | ~ |
Experienced users[edit]
| Name | Architecture | Based on | Desktop | Latest Version | Active | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arch Linux | x86 ARM and others unofficially |
Independent | Any | Latest | ✓ | ✓ |
| Debian | x86, ARM and many others |
Independent | Gnome (and others) | 12.5 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fedora Fedora Atomic |
x86, ARM and many others |
Independent | Gnome (and others) | 39 Fedora Workstation Fedora Atomic |
✓ | ✓ |
Gaming-focused[edit]
- These Linux distributions target to be a complete gaming package. Emulators might not pre-installed on these systems but are easily installed.
- You can use EmuDeck which is an installation script that helps you get started with emulation.
| Name | Architecture | Based on | Desktop | Latest Version | Active | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bazzite | x86 | Fedora Atomic | KDE Plasma, Gnome | 2.3.0 | ✓ | ✓ |
| ChimeraOS | x86 | Arch Linux | Gnome | 45 | ✓ | ✓ |
| SteamOS 3 HoloISO |
x86 | Arch Linux | KDE Plasma | SteamOS N/A HoloISO |
✓ | ~ |
| Nobara Project | x86 | Fedora Linux | KDE Plasma | 39 | ✓ | ~ |
| winesapOS | x86 | Arch Linux | KDE Plasma | 4.0.0 | ✓ | TBD |
| Garuda Linux (KDE Dragonized Gaming edition) |
x86 | Arch Linux | KDE Plasma | “Spizaetus” (231029) | ✓ | TBD |
| Drauger OS | x86 | Ubuntu | KDE Plasma | 7.6 | ✓ | TBD |
| Regata OS | x86 | openSUSE | KDE Plasma | 23 "Honeycomb" | ✓ | TBD |
Comparison: https://github.com/ChimeraOS/chimeraos/wiki/OS-Comparison
Emulation-focused[edit]
- These Linux distributions offer complete emulation packages for PCs, single board computers, consoles and other systems.
| Name | Architecture | Frontend | Latest Version | Active | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batocera.linux | ARM, x86 | EmulationStation fork | 38 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lakka | ARM, x86 | RetroArch | 5.0 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Recalbox | ARM, x86 | EmulationStation | 9.1-Pulstar | ✓ | ✓ |
| RetroPie | ARM | EmulationStation fork | 4.8 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Elemenity OS | ARM64 | Custom, supports RetroArch | 1.1 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Retro Home | ARM, x86 | Ludo | 22.189-alpha1 | ✗ | TBD |
Android[edit]
| AOSP What does “AOSP Android” really mean? | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Architecture | Frontend | Latest Version | Active | Recommended |
| LineageOS | ARM | Trebuchet | 15.1 (Switch) Raspberry Pi 3 builds Raspberry Pi 4 builds Raspberry Pi 5 builds |
✓ | ~ |
- See the Hardware features and Enhancements of sections of Android emulators for Android-x86 and it's forks.
| Android on x86 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Architecture | Frontend | Latest Version | Active | Recommended |
| BlissOS | x86 | Android-x86 fork includes 3 launchers: Taskbar, Quickstep and Smart Dock. |
16.9.x | ✓* | ✓ |
| Berry OS | x86 | Based on Android-x86 and Bliss OS Mini Desktop launcher is pre-installed. |
2023-02-22 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android-x86 | x86 | Trebuchet (KitKat version) | 2022-03-25 | ~* | ~ |
Multiplatform-focused[edit]
These Linux distributions provide system development environment experiences on a wide range of platforms, including different hardware architectures.
| Name | Architecture | Latest Version | Active | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T2 SDE | Alpha ARM HPPA (incl. HPPA64) IA64 MIPS PowerPC (incl. PowerPC-64) SPARC (incl. SPARC64) SuperH x86 (incl. x86-64) and theoretically any GCC/Linux supported one. |
8.0 | ✓ | ✓ |
