Why Ubuntu 26.04 will thrill gamers - and it's not just the performance bump

2026-04-09 | original

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Why This Matters

Ubuntu 26.04's significant performance improvements, new kernel, and GNOME 50 make it a compelling choice for gamers and general users alike, potentially transforming the Linux gaming experience and increasing its appeal as a Windows alternative. This release signals a major step forward in Linux performance and hardware compatibility, benefiting both consumers and the broader tech industry.

Key Takeaways

Ubuntu 26.04 outperforms previous versions across nearly all benchmarks, including gaming and application speed.
The release is the first Ubuntu version to be Wayland-only, enhancing graphics performance and security.
Improved support for AMD hardware and Wine 11 boosts Linux's viability as a gaming platform.

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ZDNET's key takeaways

Ubuntu 26.04 might be the fastest release yet.

With a new kernel and GNOME 50, this raccoon can run.

This is also the first Wayland-only release.

Ubuntu 26.04, aka Resolute Raccoon, is just a few days away -- April 23 -- and it's received a decent performance boost over version 25.10, according to Phoronix benchmarks.

You can view the graphs and quickly see that 26.04 outperforms 25.10 across nearly every category, including PyPerformance, the Godot Game Engine, Kernel Compilation, and more. In fact, I didn't see a single test where 26.04 lost to 25.10.

Also: My 11 favorite Linux distributions of all time, ranked

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