Gaming-first Linux distro delivers 1 PB as users dodge Windows 11 — Bazzite a haven for Win 10 refugees

By branfont
in Back Page News

 Share

Recommended Posts

Veteran

branfont

Posted
Posted

Original title: "Gaming-first Linux distro delivers a petabyte of ISOs in one month as users avoid forced updates to Windows 11 — Bazzite distro is another safe haven for Win 10 refugees"

 

Earlier in the week, we reported on the barnstorming success Linux distro Zorin OS has had since the official end of support for Windows 10 date passed, notching 780,000 installs from Windows 10 users in a mere five weeks. Now it turns out that other Linux distros are also making hay while Microsoft Windows 10’s sun sets: The developers of Bazzite have taken to social media to trumpet that it has “delivered over 1 petabyte of Bazzite ISOs in just the last 30 days.”

From October 29 to November 28, team Bazzite is happy to share that the site had 730,000 unique visitors, and it served 1PB of data during a month, for the first time. How many Bazzite OS downloads does this imply? We looked at the various ISO installers on offer and noted that an Nvidia GPU friendly ISO was 7.5GB, and an AMD GPU-ready ISO 6.6GB. So, if we assume an average of 7.0GB per ISO, that would be about 143,000 Bazzite downloads – getting close to 150,000 new users, as a best-case scenario.

Why Bazzite?

For those unfamiliar with Bazzite, it first blipped on our radar back in 2023, when it made waves as a gaming-centric SteamOS clone for those without a Steam Deck, but who were looking for a similar experience.

Bazzite progress has continued, but one has to admit its future looks less certain now that SteamOS is officially available for desktops. Nevertheless, Bazzite has been developed long and lovingly enough to make a fight of it. It currently offers broader system support, with the latest Linux drivers for broad compatibility with lots of desktops, laptops, and handhelds. You get a choice of downloading an ISO with Nvidia drivers already in place, and a choice of multiple desktop environments, too. Another important thing for gamers is the ready support for non-Steam launchers (for your Epic, GOG, Ubisoft and other PC games libraries).

 

 

https://www.tomshardware.com/software/linux/gaming-first-linux-distro-delivers-a-petabyte-of-isos-in-one-month-as-users-avoid-forced-updates-to-windows-11-bazzite-distro-is-another-safe-haven-for-win-10-refugees

Grand Master

tsupersonic

Posted
Posted (edited)

Good. Linux has made great progress over the past few years in general, and it should only get better. There are plenty of great distros out there for gaming besides Bazzite - Nobara, CachyOS, and Garuda are the most popular. 

Grand Master

satukoro

Posted
Posted
On 30/11/2025 at 21:51, Arceles said:

I just installed arch and it is fast as hell.

I switched to arch ever since i found out its the base for SteamOS and have no complaints in regards to gaming. Arch + kde is a pleasure to use.

Only setback at the moment is kernel level anti cheat in games from EA (cant play skate. or battlefield for example). I'm sure someone will come up with a workaround.

Over at phoronix, i see a lot of folks using and recommending CachyOS which i think is based off arch but with some additional performance improvements.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • The official Funny Pictures thread

      By +Edouard · Posted

    • Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it

      By Jaybonaut · Posted

      Looks like the 7.1 is fake effects, can it at least do real 5.1? It says 'virtual 7.1' in all descriptions.
    • Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it

      By Jaybonaut · Posted

      You can't, if you didn't notice, it doesn't support surround at all, it's right in the spec list.
    • Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it

      By cleverclogs · Posted

      Hi — I’m always interested in soundcards. Like displays, I just want to know I’m getting as much clean “sonic juice” into my brain as possible as the years take their toll. I’m not entirely sure what to take away from this review, though. It doesn’t really tell me whether the AE‑X is a good product or who it’s actually for. Most of what I’m getting is: there’s a driver to install, here’s what it looks like, and here’s what’s in the box. There’s a lot of emphasis on the SPDIF input. When you mention not needing to switch headphones between console and PC — does that mean the PC has to be powered on just to pass audio through? That seems like a fairly big waste of energy. Is this more something a streamer would use alongside a capture card? How are you testing the sound? (Also, you might want to clarify that you’re using the headphones in wired mode when you mention they’re wireless.) You mention the lack of EMI shielding — how much real‑world difference does that make compared with typical motherboard audio? On multi‑channel: what exactly isn’t supported? Does this mean Windows spatial audio (Dolby Atmos for Headphones, DTS Headphone:X, etc.) won’t work, or just that the card itself doesn’t decode surround formats? And are there any true multi‑driver “surround” headphones left that would even use that? You also highlight support for high‑impedance headphones — but what does that translate to in practice? How does it compare to driving the same headphones from a normal device, and does it make any difference for everyday, lower‑impedance models? In short, who is this card actually targeted at?
    • The Microsoft Office feature that time forgot

      By cleverclogs · Posted

      Yes, THIS is wordart, not the styling that can now be done. Wordart was all about those curvy words, that you could change the path of, like making words go around a circle. I don't think it can be done now, right?

  • Recent Achievements

    • Dedicated
      Almohandis earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Dedicated
      JuvenileDelinquent earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • First Post
      DrWankel earned a badge
      First Post
    • Reacting Well
      DrWankel earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • Week One Done
      Supreme Spray LV earned a badge
      Week One Done

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      503
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      170
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      88
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      76
    5. 5
      Michael Scrip
      74
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!