I currently run windows 10 on my main desktop PC, and also have a steam deck that I sometimes use in desktop mode instead of my desktop. With the way Windows is going, and the way Linux Gaming is dramatically improving, I might consider ditching Windows, at least for the most part, on my next PC build. What would be the best distro to use for gaming, with casual use as well? Any suggestions?
Whichever one you enjoy using.
Unless you have some special hardware need, all the desktop distros perform about the same. (Even long-term support releases, which offer newer kernels in case you need them.)
One can use backported version of software in Debian, I use it and it works good so far.