CachyOS has pushed out its August 2025 release, marking the sixth update this year. This refresh puts stability first, introduces a new package dashboard, and delivers features aimed at gamers, NVIDIA laptop users, and anyone who wants more control over their Linux setup.
The most significant change is the addition of packages.cachyos.org, a dashboard that lists all current versions of packages used in CachyOS. It lets you sort by repository, package name, architecture, or update time. Each entry shows the PKGBUILD source, making it clear whether the package comes straight from Arch Linux, has been modified by CachyOS, or is pulled from the AUR. Users can even grab binaries directly, making it easier to inspect or install without waiting on pacman.
Kernel stability has been a pain point for some, so the team now includes the linux-cachyos-lts kernel by default. This way, if the mainline kernel causes issues, users can fall back to the LTS build. Even the installation medium now boots with LTS to reduce headaches on fresh installs. While this could create problems for newer GPUs that require the latest kernel, the developers are considering shipping multiple kernels to cover more hardware out of the box.
There’s also a new desktop environment option in the installer: Niri WM. CachyOS maintains dotfiles to provide a functional default setup, with additional documentation and keybindings available in its wiki. Meanwhile, GRUB users running Btrfs will notice that bootable snapshots are automatically enabled, giving a safety net if an update breaks the system.
On the hardware side, NVIDIA users get S0ix sleep support, which enables modern low-power standby with background event handling. And with updates to Cachy-Update, users can now enable a system tray indicator for update notifications and one-click upgrades.
Gamers will probably find the Proton-CachyOS tweaks most interesting. The fork now includes DLSS and XeSS version upgraders, FSR4 support for RDNA3 GPUs, improved NVIDIA library integration for PhysX, and optional shader caching per game. There’s even dxvk-sarek for older GPUs that struggle with Vulkan 1.3, though the developers warn against using it in online games with anti-cheat.
The release also includes bootloader fixes for Limine, resolving MBR install errors, restoring dual-boot with Windows on BIOS systems, and ensuring Btrfs snapshots boot correctly with GDM.
This release doesn’t feel flashy, but it shows the developers are listening. By focusing on stability while still introducing gamer-friendly improvements, CachyOS continues to carve its own identity among Arch-based Linux distributions. You can grab the ISO now.
