Have a look at Debian. If you set up Flatpak with Flathub (very easy) you can easily install all of the applications you're likely to want with the GNOME Software GUI. Debian is a community distribution.
this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2026
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Actually this might be it! Do you know how it works with games on steam and heroic?
Since you have mentioned that you have an RX 9070–which is a relatively new card, you should stay away from LTS distros like Ubuntu LTS and OpenSUSE Leap. Those have older kernels and Mesa which will noticeably impact your graphics experience.
For GUI-based app installation: pretty much all desktop environments have an app for it (e.g. Discover on KDE Plasma). Use can use them install software packaged by your distro, or other sources such as flatpak/Flathub. As mentioned by others, there are some independent storefronts such as Bazaar as well.
Linux Mint - Looks nice, I spent only like 30-60 minuts on it so hard to say but I think that if I could bring Software app from fedora/opensuse gnome with flatpak and flathub amazing GUI I would spend some time on customazing the look and would be able to stay longer.
I mean Linux Mint has a software center that includes both Flatpak and "system packages" version
I was sorta wondering as I read the post because I use zorin and yeah it has a software center that I think comes from ubuntu. So I assume most ubuntu respins have it.
Mint has a software manager and you can also install Synaptic.
Gaming on Mint works fine, but it's based on Ubuntu LTS releases, so you won't have the latest kernel or mesa versions. If you're using an RX 9000 series GPU, you should probably pick a distro with a newer kernel and mesa version to get the best performance.
Well, that’s a good point. I have 9070. Any recommendations? Maybe I will give another chance to OpenSUSE…
Which version of opensuse did you try?for a desktop I would always use Tumbleweed.
I tried Leap, will consider testing Tumbleweed during the weekend :)
Nobara and Bazzite are gaming focused distributions, but they are both based on Fedora. OpenSUSE Tumbleweed will give you the lastest kernel version if you want a rolling release distro.
Spend some time learning how to install software using the terminal. It'll be worth it, I promise.
I don't think the terminal is for everyone. Steep learning curve and sometimes it's not really worth it. I know how to navigate the terminal on a basic level but I still end up using the software store half the time cause I can't be bothered.
Bazaar is a nice gui app for flatpaks.
KDE Discover also is good if you want to see/be notified that you have updated things and be able to uninstall/reinstall apps without the GUI bugging out.
discover is OK if you're on kde. it probably can work on other de, but I'm not a big enough fan of discover to look into it.
you could just automate app updates with a systemd timer. at least thats what I did, haha.
I love Bazaar. I put it on my laptop running r regular fedora because it's just so convenient.
Thanks! I will try it out today 😃
On Mint there is a Software Center or you can just install .deb files from wherever you download files.
In my cursory search of the web, it does not appear that gnome-software is available on mint, unless you fancy mucking around with PPAs and such. But there is good news!
Mint uses a desktop environment called Cinnamon, which is installable on arch-based systems and should be listed as an option in the CachyOS installer. And you can install the gnome-software package on top as well.
That’s why Linux wins.
How to install Linux software using GUI?
On your GUI Desktop Environment, you use your GUI Application Launcher to start the GUI Terminal emulator. Then you simply type "apt install foo". Easy.
See, the GUI is not harder then the normal way.
Out of interest, which openSUSE distribution did you use?
I had OpenSUSE Leap. The issue at the end was some weird error regarding disk encryption that popped up every time I tried to install system update that was released on last Thursday. After performing the update, I was asked for my disk encryption password and after typing it, there was system loading screen and then PC just turned off. I tried it a few times, always the same result. I recovered the system with snappy (I hope I remember the name correctly) and recovered *.16.1 version and left for the weekend. I came back on Tuesday and worked on the PC for sometime - it worked well. At the end of the day I tried to install the update again (since I hoped it was fixed) and it happens again. So I decided to try Mint instead.
Oh okay, sounds weird indeed and not normal. I use Tumbleweed and its mostly smooth sailing, after a steep learning curve for me. You should be good with Mint, there is not much difference between Distributions for Causal Gaming. Newer Hardware can be a show stopper with not so up to date Distributions.
Thanks! Will try it out. I am open for experimentation (I have 3 ssd drives so I can try out other distorts on one of them to find the perfect one)
Just a few words, Tumbleweed is great but fast moving – if you can’t find something in the Wiki ask at the Forum, there is a bunch of helpful people.
My Experience with Gnome and KDE was good, but i use Xfce for a while and do most common things like installing, upgrades and so on using the Terminal. Looks like Myrlyn is a good GUI Option for this too, but i can’t say anything about it from own experience.
Oh, and yes, snapper has got you covered if something goes wrong during upgrades. Just don’t forget to do backups, just in case.
Whatever you do, have fun.
16.1? Isn't that still alpha? I thought the latest public release was 16.0?
Not entirely sure since I'm on Slowroll and Tumbleweed.
I don’t remember the version exactly. There was some number at the beginning and 16.1 at the end. After the update the 16.1 at the end changed to 17.1
Ah, ok. Makes sense.