Linux

I'm answering a different question than the one you're asking, but I switched to Linux (specifically Fedora) as my main computer not too long ago. I had been trying to improve at Linux because I work in scientific research, but I was anxious because games seemed far...messier and complex than the scientific stuff I was more familiar with, and I didn't want to kill my recreation. This worry was unnecessary, because I have been immensely impressed by how straightforward playing Steam games through Proton (the windows emulation thingy that Steam uses). There have been a couple of minor issues that were easy to troubleshoot, and it was the kind of problem that sometimes crops up on Windows too.

I still feel quite overwhelmed by Linux, because I still don't really understand why some things work on one operating system and not another. Like, I understand that .exe files don't natively work on Linux (they require something like WINE, or Proton (WINE is like Proton, but not specialised for games)), but I don't understand why. I think to properly understand it, I'd need to become a kernel developer or something silly, so I think I need to make my peace with not really understanding the difference. I think that's okay though, because I don't really need to know that. It's sufficient to just know that they are different, and know how to respond (i.e. Knowing that the .exe version of software isn't intended for my system, but that I can probably run it if I use WINE or Proton).

Most of my teething problems with Linux have been non game related, and although some of them were very stressful to troubleshoot, I found it refreshing how easy it was to learn how to fix problems. Especially given that a big thing that drove me away from Windows was constantly feeling like my computer wasn't my own. Often when Windows goes wrong, it makes fixing the problem harder via hiding away settings, or obscuring information in a way that perversely makes solving small things require a much higher level of expertise. It ends up feeling like the system isn't trusting me to be able to solve problems for myself, which makes me feel powerless. I suspect you may relate to much of what I have said in this paragraph.

Coming to Linux from Windows can be stressful because suddenly, you are trusted with a lot more power. You can delete your entire operating system with one command if you want (sudo rm -rf /* , if you're curious) and there's nothing stopping you. The lack of guardrails can be scary, but there are far more helpful and kind Linux nerds on the internet than assholes, in my experience, so I have found many guides that guide me through solving problems such that I'm not just blindly entering commands and praying to the computer god. You sound like a person with a mindset towards progression, so you will likely do well with this challenge. If you're like me, you may relish the learning. Certainly I enjoy the feeling of progression that I've had the last year or so.

People here may suggest dualbooting or using a virtual box to try it out. I would suggest diving in, if you can. Unless you have software that you know is strictly windows only, setting aside some time to fully switch is a good way to immerse yourself. I tried with virtual machines and dual booting, but I ended up getting lazy and just using the Windows because it was the path of least resistance. I had to fully switch to actually force myself to start becoming familiar with Linux.

Hardly any of this directly answers your question, so I apologise if this is unwelcome; I wrote so much because I am more enthusiastic about this than the tasks I am currently procrastinating. Best of luck to you

Edit: some games have anticheat software that can cause issues. I play some multiplayer games with anticheat stuff and I've not had any problems, but I think I am fortunate to not play any with the kind of anticheat that gets its hooks in deep — they may be the rare exceptions to gaming being refreshingly straightforward. I didn't consider them because they don't affect me, but others have mentioned them and may have more to say.