I am buying a friend’s PC for games. I want to avoid windows if at all possible, and I’m wondering what people’s experience using Proton in Linux for gaming has been. Are there certain publishers who use libraries Proton doesn’t handle well? Are there distros to avoid using with proton? Any other notes I should be aware of?
https://www.protondb.com/ is an excellent resource. Before you commit to Linux, look up your favorite games there to double check that they'll work.
My personal experience is basically all games work on Linux. To the point I don't even look games up on protondb before I buy. The exceptions seem to be multiplayer FPS games which use anti-cheat (but I don't play those kinds of games).
Also, areweanticheatyet.com
Yes, ProtonDB is full of very helpful information for getting tons of games up and running flawlessly. I always check it before I launch any new non-native Linux games from Steam.