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What Makes Bazzite Special?
🎮 Game-Ready Out of the Box
- Steam pre-installed with HDR & VRR support
- Lutris pre-installed – manages games from all stores
- Improved CPU schedulers for responsive gameplay
- Numerous community tools to streamline streaming and gaming
🔒 Enterprise-Grade Security
- SELinux out of the box
- Secure Boot support and signed container images
- LUKS full disk encryption with optional automatic TPM unlocking
- Flathub provides attestation and sandboxing for applications
🔄 Fearless Upgrades & Rollbacks
Bazzite is an image-based distribution – after each update, the previous version is retained on your machine. If an update causes any issues, you can simply select the previous image at boot time.
90-day retention – Images are kept in repositories for 90 days and can be switched to via the terminal.
System Requirements & Hardware Support
| Component | Support |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA GPUs | Built-in drivers (Nvidia Open 595.71.05 / LTS 580.142) |
| AMD/Intel GPUs | Latest Mesa (26.0.5) with optimizations |
| Game Controllers | Out-of-the-box support for Xbox, Wii, Switch, PlayStation, Steering Wheels, and more |
| Wi-Fi Adapters | Additional support for various wireless adapters |
| DisplayLink | Support for multiple display standards |
Desktop Environments – Choose What Fits You
KDE Plasma (version 6.6.4)
- Latest from the KDE community, built on Fedora Kinoite
- Highly customizable and modern UI
- Valve’s themes and SteamOS customizations pre-installed
- Familiar to Windows users (bottom taskbar, start menu)
GNOME (version 50.1)
- Built on Fedora Silverblue
- Touch-optimized – perfect for handhelds and tablets
- Elegant design with rounded corners and thoughtful choices
- Lightly customized with easily revertible tweaks
Steam Gaming Mode
- Console-like experience
- Supports Decky Loader for community plugins and themes
- Perfect for handhelds and home theater PCs
Waydroid – Android Apps on Bazzite
- Run Android apps and games alongside your regular Linux applications
- Full support with setup guide available
Game Compatibility – A Limitless Library
Games from Multiple Stores (via Lutris)
- Xbox Game Pass (via battle.net)
- Epic Games Store
- GOG.com
- EA App
- Ubisoft Connect
- Rockstar Games Launcher
- Old CDs and any
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Compatibility Lists
Check your favorite games’ compatibility via community-maintained lists:
- ProtonDB – Massive community compatibility ratings
- AreWeAntiCheatYet – Anti-cheat system tracking on Linux
Supported Handhelds
Bazzite is particularly known for its excellent support for handheld devices:
| Device | Support Level |
|---|---|
| Steam Deck (Valve) | Excellent – full features |
| ASUS ROG Ally / Ally X | Excellent – full support |
| Lenovo Legion Go | Excellent |
| GPD Win 4 / Mini | Excellent |
| AYANEO (all models) | Very Good |
| OneXPlayer | Good |
According to The Verge: “If I already owned an Asus ROG Ally X, or regular Ally, or the Lenovo Legion Go, I would absolutely install Bazzite on it right away… You might be surprised by how little you’ll miss Windows. You might be surprised by just how much better the portable experience can get.”
Installation & Upgrades
Download ISO
Use the form on bazzite.gg to get the correct ISO link based on:
- Your device type (desktop / handheld / htpc)
- Your graphics card (NVIDIA / AMD / Intel)
- Your desktop environment (KDE / GNOME)
For Existing Fedora Atomic Desktop Users
You can rebase to Bazzite without a clean install:
bazzite-rollback-helper rebase stable
Updates & Releases
Latest stable release: 44.20260511 (May 11, 2026)
Major components in this release:
- Kernel: 6.19.14-ogc2.1 (gaming-optimized)
- Mesa: 26.0.5
- Gamescope: 137.7c5ebe99
- GNOME: 50.1
- KDE: 6.6.4
- Nvidia Open: 595.71.05
Security – Why Trust Bazzite?
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| SELinux | Enforced out of the box – real kernel-level security |
| Secure Boot | Full support – can boot on Secure Boot-enabled devices |
| Signed containers | All images are digitally signed |
| LUKS + TPM | Full disk encryption with automatic TPM unlocking (optional) |
| Flathub | Official attestation and sandboxing for apps |
Community & Support
Bazzite has a vibrant community and multiple ways to connect:
| Platform | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Discord | Game nights, live support, discussions |
| Discourse | Asynchronous discussion, newsletters about new features |
| Subreddit | Announcements, showcases, community discussions |
| GitHub | Bug reports, feature requests, code contributions |
Support the Project
- Open Collective – Sponsor Bazzite development (covers hosting, hardware, and team travel)
- Contribute – Code, bug reports, feature requests, or sponsor individual contributors
Quick Comparison with Other Gaming Distros
| Feature | Bazzite | SteamOS | Nobara | Pop!_OS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built on | Fedora Atomic | Arch | Fedora | Ubuntu |
| Image-based | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Handheld Support | Excellent | Steam Deck only | Limited | Limited |
| Desktop Environments | KDE / GNOME | KDE | KDE / GNOME | COSMIC |
| NVIDIA Support (OOTB) | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Safe Rollbacks | ✅ (retained images) | ✅ | ❌ (traditional updates) | ❌ |
| SELinux / Secure Boot | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Waydroid (Android) | ✅ | ❌ | Optional | Optional |
Changelog Highlights (44.20260511)
Updated Major Packages:
| Package | Old Version | New Version |
|---|---|---|
| Kernel | 6.19.14-300 | 6.19.14-ogc2.1 |
| Firmware | 20260410-1 | Unchanged |
| Mesa | 26.0.5-1 | Unchanged |
| Gamescope | 137.7c5ebe99-1 | Unchanged |
| GNOME | 50.1-1 | Unchanged |
| KDE | 6.6.4-1 | Unchanged |
| Nvidia Open | 595.71.05-1 | Unchanged |
Notable Changes:
- Replaced
tunerwithrefine(#4884) - Fixed Steam wake rule to align with Valve upstream (#4883)
- Enabled wakeup for Steam Controller puck (#4881)
Quick Links
- Bazzite Official Website
- Documentation – Installation & Usage Guide
- Discord – Bazzite Community
- Discourse – Asynchronous Discussions
- Subreddit – r/Bazzite
- Open Collective – Support the Project
- GitHub – Source Code
Summary
Bazzite is the distribution the Linux gaming community has been waiting for.
Whether you:
- Own a Steam Deck or ROG Ally and want an enhanced experience
- Are building a home theater PC for gaming (HTPC)
- Want a desktop gaming PC with security and robustness
- Need an operating system that just works with all drivers and compatibility
Bazzite delivers all of this and more.
With secure updates, instant rollbacks, excellent handheld support, and a vibrant community, Bazzite proves that Linux is not just a viable gaming platform – it’s the best for the next generation of gamers.
