More people are warming to the idea of Linux for gaming, especially with performance keeping pace with Windows (based on recent SteamOS benchmarks at 4K). And now, a new set of tests shows a popular alternative distro, CachyOS, actually outperforming Windows in a variety of games, running on a Radeon RX 6700 XT and Ryzen 5 5600X GPU & CPU combo.
Where Winds Meet and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 are two titles that enjoy notable performance increases on CachyOS, with up to 27% higher average FPS for the former. On top of that, the majority of games enjoy 3-10% higher FPS on CachyOS when compared to Windows 11 on the RX 6700 XT, with positive gains in all tested games aside from The First Descendant.
Latest gaming benchmarks for CachyOS versus Windows 11
All credit goes to YouTuber NJ Tech, who benchmarked more than 15 games, capturing average frame rates running at 1920 x 1080. Adrenalin 26.3.1 and MESA 26.0.3 were the driver versions used in this test for Windows 11 and CachyOS, respectively.
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It should also be noted that NJ Tech ran the same test with the RX 6650 XT, too, albeit with a slightly different selection of games. We’ve included the biggest winners (10%+ gains) in our table below to summarize. We recommend checking out the video(s) for a complete list of results and settings used.
| Game | GPU | Windows 11 | CachyOS | Average FPS gains |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where Winds Meet | RX 6700 XT RX 6650 XT |
72 FPS 62 FPS |
92 FPS 72 FPS |
+27% +16% |
| Space Marine 2 | RX 6700 XT RX 6650 XT |
68 FPS 64 FPS |
81 FPS 72 FPS |
+19% +13% |
| The Last of Us Part II | RX 6700 XT | 60 FPS | 71 FPS | +18% |
| DOOM: The Dark Ages | RX 6700 XT RX 6650 XT |
52 FPS 62 FPS |
60 FPS 70 FPS |
+15% +13% |
| Resident Evil Requiem | RX 6700 XT RX 6650 XT |
87 FPS 78 FPS |
96 FPS 88 FPS |
+10% +13% |
| Counter-Strike 2 | RX 6700 XT RX 6650 XT |
380 FPS 344 FPS |
419 FPS 362 FPS |
+10% +5% |
1% lows on Linux also benefit from the performance gains, so there’s no issue in that regard, either. AMD builds are still the best for Linux gaming, though a modern Nvidia GPU should offer solid performance, too, but maybe not to this exact level.
Could it finally be the year of Linux gaming? Well, we’ve seen that term thrown around a lot, particularly last year, but 2026 is already shaping up to be the best yet, especially with Linux development happening at GOG, news of Nvidia hiring Linux driver engineers, and even reports that EA is working to bring Linux and Proton support to its Javelin Anti-Cheat.
It’s evident that Linux is getting more popular for gaming, especially following the end of Windows 10 support at the tail-end of last year, which was soon followed by the announcement of Valve’s new Steam hardware. Its upcoming Steam Machine and Steam Frame both run on SteamOS, the company’s custom Linux-based operating system. We’re still waiting to hear when those will be available, given all the RAM and SSD-based delays, but Valve says they’re still on track for 2026.