Linux can fit your use case very well if you don’t play one of the handful of competitive games that require a kernel level anti-cheat (C.O.D, League, Valorant, R6 Seige) to name a few.
nowadays several linux distros are out of the box extremely user friendly and simple to use. you could probably never even have to touch command line.
The learning curve is much smaller nowadays than in years past, and it’s worth the effort, even if just as a safety net for if/when windows became unusable for you
• What made you move to Linux in the first place?
Windows 11, 100%. Although I had dipped my toes in linux on and off since about 2007.
• How was the transition — smooth or frustrating?
the last one which was around February last year was very smooth. In the past I had frustrations, but looking back I didn’t know what I wanted exactly or what the options were, so a lot of my frustration was assuming everything would be the same experience and giving up to go back to windows.
• Any issues with drivers, gaming (Proton/Steam), or specific apps?
none, but my use case lately is pretty simple. there are a few other members here who’ve recently transitioned and have a larger use case that will probably chime in later
• Do you dual‑boot or fully commit?
I typically dual-booted in the past. Most recently I started with windows on a separate SSD and Linux on the primary. After a few months I realized I didnt need windows for anything anymore and wiped that drive. now I just have windows VMs for anything I might want to boot windows up for.
• If you went back to Windows, why?
in the past it was either a game not working or getting annoyed by desktop quirks. like my monitor display stretching beyond the borders, or not coming on after resuming from sleep. I have not had any of these bugs since switching last year.
Distro recommendations:
Any of the Ubuntu-based distros could be a good starter choice, the ones you mentioned as well as Zorin, Elementary, Tuxedo, Anduin. all are designed to be polished for beginners.
Many gamers really like Nobara/Bazzite, CachyOS, and PikaOS. They have nvidia drivers and some game specific software setup out of the box.
The best advice here is if you have a spare drive to attach, use it and fully install any distro that seems interesting and use it for at least a day or 2, a wekk if you have the time.
when you start, post a thread in the Operating Systems subforum and people can help with issues that pop up