It’s time again to observe the latest trends related to the Linux Gaming distros, based on the very useful ProtonDB data dumps. Without further due, let me share with you the result below of the latest few months of data:

There are a few recent trends emerging.

Ubuntu and Manjaro Fall Further

We have already mentioned it before - Ubuntu is on its way down for a long time, and Manjaro has been on a similar downward path since 2023 as well. And it looks like both are not taking any break and keep dropping to new lows. Ubuntu has just reached 11.4% for the first time, and Manjaro has fallen to 6.4%, the lowest we have ever seen it yet. Because of this drop, Manjaro is now positioned below Fedora, and Ubuntu is now just a few points ahead of Linux Mint - if the Ubuntu derivative ends up beating the original, this will make for fun headlines.

While Manjaro digs further into its own hole, there’s still people who can’t read the room, like the folks from Orange Pi who announced recently a handheld gaming device running… Manjaro. Now even PC handheld gamers can enjoy expired certificates wherever they are! Progress!

Endeavour and Nobara Reach New Highs

When there’s losers, there are usually winnners as well. Endeavour and Nobara are increasing this time, with Endeavour (Arch-based) reaching the same share as Fedora, and Nobara (Fedora-based) hitting 5% share for the first time. It’s too early to say if this is a trend, since Endeavor has been hovering around 6 for a while. Same for Nobara where the share has been hovering above 4% for a while.

The Big Picture

If anything, the big take-away from this chart is… we are increasingly going into a fragmented Linux world. Look at the left side. Four years ago, most people would be using one of Ubuntu, Arch, Manjaro or Mint. Nowadays, if you want to cover the same market share of users, you need to list TWICE more distros! Whether that’s progress or not is a matter of debate. I like the idea of competition and choice, as long as it’s meaningful and differentiated for the end users.

The only constant over time is the strength of Arch Linux.

It’s like a rock, the waves keep hitting it, but it does not move one inch.