The July 2025 update of CachyOS is here and it puts Windows 11 to shame. If you’re tired of clunky performance, update fatigue, or just want more control over your system, this Arch-based Linux distro might be what finally gets you to make the switch.
One of the most requested features is now available. During installation, users can pick their preferred shell. Whether you go with Fish, Zsh, or Bash, the choice is yours. Fish remains the default, but you’re no longer locked into it.
Ledger supports Linux, is open-source where it counts, and is battle-tested. If you’re holding crypto, you should own a hardware wallet.
CachyOS has also dropped systemd oomd after users reported it was terminating apps too early. That alone will be a relief for people who do actual work or gaming and don’t want their system making bad decisions behind their back.
KDE Plasma installations now use Wayland by default, but if your hardware can’t handle it (like with older NVIDIA drivers) CachyOS will automatically install the fallback X11 session. Firmware updates also get easier with the inclusion of fwupd in both GNOME and Plasma environments.
For gamers, the news gets even better. The distro now supports AMD’s Anti Lag 2 through mesa git. The custom Proton build, Proton CachyOS, includes fresh Wine Wayland patches and improved anti cheat integration. There’s also a new PROTON FSR4 UPGRADE variable that auto downloads and swaps in the latest FSR 4 DLL, upgrading any game that supports FSR 3.1.
The browser experience also gets a much-needed upgrade. While the old cachy browser has been dropped, you now get two options. You can apply cachyos firefox settings to your existing Firefox install, or just use firefox pure, which is a preconfigured and optimized version that’s ready to go.
Nerds might not need antivirus. But for your family’s PC, Bitdefender is a solid choice .
If you’re into handheld Linux gaming, the Handheld Edition of CachyOS now supports the Lenovo Legion Go. It includes configuration tweaks inspired by SteamOS and also improves support for Steam Deck OLED users with galileo mura packages for better visuals.
True, this release doesn’t scream for attention, but it doesn’t have to. It just works better than Windows 11 in the areas that matter, such as control, performance, and freedom.
To upgrade an existing install, simply enter this into terminal:
sudo pacman -Syu
New users can download the latest ISO from SourceForge or official mirrors:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/cachyos-arch/files
