An All-New Package Dashboard
Robust LTS Kernel Fallback
Enhanced Installation and Desktop Options
Seamless System Snapshots
NVIDIA Power Management
Introducing Cachy-Update
Proton-CachyOS: Next-Level Gaming
Fixes and Refinements
Getting Started & Support
Conclusion
CachyOS has once again raised the bar for Arch-based distributions with its August 2025 release, blending rock-solid stability, deeper system insights and cutting-edge gaming enhancements. This sixth update of the year introduces a sleek package dashboard, out-of-the-box fallback kernels, streamlined installer improvements and a host of power-user tweaks for desktop and handheld aficionados alike. Whether you’re a seasoned sysadmin, a curious hobbyist or a hardcore gamer, this release promises a smoother, more transparent and better-equipped experience. Let’s dive into the highlights and explore how each change can make your day-to-day Linux life more enjoyable.
An All-New Package Dashboard
Every Linux enthusiast knows the thrill of staying on top of package versions, but tracking dozens or hundreds of components can quickly feel like herding cats. CachyOS’s answer is a dedicated, public package dashboard that brings unprecedented clarity to your system’s software inventory.
This dashboard lists every package in the distribution, complete with architecture, repository origin and last update time. It even flags which PKGBUILDs have been tweaked by the CachyOS team and which remain straight from the Arch Linux archives. No more guessing whether that security patch was applied or if your favourite utility has been forked for optimised performance.
Each entry includes a direct link to the binary, so you can eyeball the compiled artefact or pull it down for manual installation without firing up your package manager. For anyone who’s ever wrestled with partial upgrades or mysterious dependency issues, this transparency is a game changer. It’s akin to having X-ray vision over the entire software stack—ideal for auditors, power users and curious newcomers alike.
Beyond simple version tracking, the dashboard can be filtered by architecture or repository, letting you spot outdated packages on ARM-based laptops separately from those on x86_64 rigs. If your workflow demands pure stability or the latest multimedia codecs, you can customise your view to focus on exactly what matters. And because all data is served from a central URL, integrating package status checks into custom scripts or status bars has never been simpler.
Robust LTS Kernel Fallback
One of the most common hiccups on rolling-release distributions is occasional kernel regressions—new hardware support might land, only for a subtle bug to slip through and take your network or graphics offline. In response, CachyOS now installs the linux-cachyos-lts kernel by default alongside the bleeding-edge stable kernel.
This means that if you ever find yourself stranded by a flaky Wi-Fi driver or kernel panic, you can reboot into the tried-and-tested Long-Term Support kernel without reinstalling or juggling packages. The same LTS kernel powers the live ISO, ensuring that installation media boots reliably on a wide range of hardware. While the stable kernel remains the recommended default for performance enthusiasts who crave the newest features, the LTS alternative sits ready as a safety net.
Under the hood, maintaining two kernels also simplifies recovery workflows. If a system update drags in an incompatible module, you can choose the fallback at the GRUB menu and continue working while investigating the root cause. For enterprise or lab environments where uptime is paramount, this dual-kernel strategy strikes a fine balance between innovation and reliability.
CachyOS developers are also monitoring hardware support gaps—particularly for the latest AMD and Intel GPUs that sometimes need a fresher kernel. Should those situations arise, they’re prepared to bundle a third option in future ISOs. For now, this dual-kernel approach already saves countless hours of troubleshooting and keeps the system rock-solid.
Enhanced Installation and Desktop Options
Installation shouldn’t be a chore, and CachyOS’s online installer has received several thoughtful upgrades to make deploying or testing the distribution more user-friendly than ever.
Firstly, the desktop selection screen now includes Niri WM—an elegant, tiling window manager that balances minimal resource use with intuitive keybindings. The CachyOS team ships a curated set of dotfiles, meaning new users experience sensible defaults straight away: a functional status bar, easy window navigation and a handful of productivity-oriented scripts. For those who relish customizing their environment, Niri WM offers a fresh canvas without forcing you into excessive boilerplate configuration.
Under the hood, choosing GRUB as your bootloader on a Btrfs root filesystem now automatically enables bootable snapshots. This mirrors Limine’s snapshot behaviour and means that any iffy update can be rolled back in a jiffy, even before you get to your desktop. No more wrestling with the command line to restore old snapshots; the installer handles the setup for you.
Meanwhile, Limine itself has seen refinements to smooth out BIOS-based installs. Common errors—like misselecting /dev/sdaX for the boot partition or running into a missing Stage 3 file—are now caught with clearer warnings and fixes. Windows dual-boot emerges properly from the box on legacy systems, and Btrfs snapshots under GDM will always boot correctly, eliminating frustrating reconfiguration steps.
These improvements mean that whether you’re installing on a laptop, a desktop tower or a handheld device, the process is both resilient and flexible. Newcomers can follow the guided defaults with confidence, while veterans have the freedom to fine-tune advanced options without worrying about obscure installer bugs.
Seamless System Snapshots
System snapshots are one of the unsung heroes of modern Linux distributions, especially when paired with a Btrfs filesystem. CachyOS takes this concept a step further by weaving snapshot functionality deeply into both installer and update workflows.
Choosing Btrfs during installation isn’t just about copy-on-write magic—it now triggers automatic snapshot creation via GRUB or Limine. That means every time you boot, your last known good system state sits safely archived. If a recent update breaks something critical, you can rollback at the boot menu rather than muck around with chroot environments or rescue media.
For the desktop and handheld editions alike, this snapshot integration dovetails with the CachyOS Hello app. After installing, users can glance at their snapshot roster, prune old ones or restore a snapshot in seconds. It transforms what used to be a command-line adventure into a click-and-reboot simplicity.
Behind the scenes, snapshots are created without full-disk copies; only changed blocks are stored, so you can maintain a rolling history for weeks without devouring terabytes of storage. Administrators can tweak retention policies, and desktop users can rely on sensible defaults that preserve system integrity while keeping disk usage in check.
Snap-and-rollbacks are a tremendous boon for development environments, too. Testing a major compiler update or a new kernel module becomes risk-free—snap before the change, test, then rollback if anything misbehaves. This safety net encourages exploration and speeds up debugging, making CachyOS an ideal playground for both seasoned developers and curious tinkerers.
NVIDIA Power Management
CachyOS has always been attentive to hybrid and discrete graphics scenarios, and this release brings meaningful enhancements to NVIDIA-powered systems. By enabling S0ix sleep on supported hardware, laptops and handhelds can now tap into modern low-power standby modes without losing connectivity for notifications or background tasks.
Rather than hard-suspending every peripheral, S0ix lets the CPU enter a deep idle state while key modules—like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and audio codecs—remain poised to wake the system instantly for incoming events. The result is a noticeable bump in battery life during short breaks and an almost instantaneous resume time that rivals proprietary solutions.
Behind the scenes, CachyOS configures the necessary kernel modules and power profiles so that enabling S0ix is a matter of flipping a switch in the system settings. There’s no need for manual blacklists or arcane GPU driver tweaks; the distribution ships with sensible defaults that operate out-of-the-box.
For GPU-heavy workflows—such as video editing or machine learning—the stable kernel fallback still ensures reliable driver compatibility, while the stable NVIDIA driver stack is tested against both kernel variants. Users can switch kernels without worrying about losing GPU acceleration or tearing through xorg logs for hours.
Altogether, these power management improvements reinforce CachyOS’s commitment to delivering a polished, battery-friendly experience on modern hardware, making it a strong contender for mobile Linux deployments.
Introducing Cachy-Update
Frequent updates are a defining feature of Arch-based distributions, but keeping pace with dozens of repositories—including the Arch official repos and the AUR—can be daunting. To address this, CachyOS now bundles Cachy-Update, a fork of arch-update, directly in its own repository.
Once enabled via the Hello app’s Tweaks page, Cachy-Update runs quietly in your system tray, periodically checking for new package versions. Unlike generic update tools, it indicates both official and AUR-based updates, colour-codes them by repository and lets you trigger a full system refresh with a single click. It’s the difference between dreading sudo pacman ‑Syu and embracing updates as a low-effort routine.
The current default check interval is fairly brisk, notifying you almost immediately when new builds land. Based on community feedback, the team is contemplating stretching that out to a two-to-five-day cadence, striking a balance between staying current and avoiding update fatigue. Power users can tweak the timer to suit weekend-only refreshes or daily checks, depending on their risk tolerance.
Cachy-Update also gracefully handles network outages and partial sync failures, queueing alerts for when connectivity is restored. It opens a terminal window pre-configured with the right mirrorlist and Pacman options, so even novices can follow the prompts without memorising commands.
By integrating update notifications directly into the desktop, CachyOS reduces the friction of maintaining a rolling-release system. The result is fewer reluctant upgrades, cleaner package databases and a more confident user base.
Proton-CachyOS: Next-Level Gaming
Gaming on Linux has advanced by leaps and bounds, and CachyOS’s August release brings a suite of Proton-CachyOS enhancements that cater to both casual players and eSports enthusiasts.
First up, the release introduces dedicated downloaders for the latest DLSS and XeSS libraries. Simply set the environment variable PROTON_DLSS_UPGRADE or PROTON_XESS_UPGRADE to fetch the newest versions (DLSS 310.3.0, XeSS 2.1.0) without hunting through GitHub releases. You can even force the latest preset via PROTON_DLSS_INDICATOR, displaying an in-game heads-up for immediate feedback.
Beyond upscaling, Proton-CachyOS now bundles missing NVIDIA libraries for PhysX, NVENC and NVML, so games that require these modules run seamlessly. For RDNA3 GPUs, the PROTON_FSR4_RDNA3_UPGRADE switch fetches FSR 4 libraries and self-configures the necessary variables, giving AMD gamers parity with their NVIDIA counterparts.
Shader caching got a makeover, too. Instead of using a global cache that risks eviction under limited space, Proton-CachyOS maintains per-game shader caches under your Steam library folder. This delivers smoother frame rates after the initial buildup, without regressing when disk usage spikes.
For legacy GPUs that struggle with Vulkan 1.3, optional DXVK-Sarek support is now included (use PROTON_DXVK_SAREK=1). Note that this async branch isn’t suited for multiplayer or anti-cheat games, but it breathes new life into older hardware for single-player classics.
Finally, NTSync compatibility has been added—flip on PROTON_USE_NTSYNC to reduce stuttering and input lag on games built with the NativeTimestamps extension. Combined, these features forge a gaming environment that’s as thrilling as possible on Linux, with minimal manual intervention.
Fixes and Refinements
No release is complete without meticulous bug-hunting, and the CachyOS team has been diligent in squashing installer and bootloader gremlins.
Limine’s BIOS install path now correctly handles /dev/sdaX selections for the /boot mount point, avoiding the dreaded “Stage 3 file not found” error. Uninitialised bootLoader variables are properly set, and a warning about the bios-grub flag ensures you won’t accidentally brick a legacy install. Dual-booting Windows on BIOS systems emerges smoothly, and Btrfs snapshots no longer fail under GDM, guaranteeing a reliable roll-back experience.
The Launch Installer button in the live session gains fallback IPs for both IPv4 and IPv6, so network checks never stall if a single protocol is down. These small but vital touches translate into fewer support tickets, less time hunting logs, and more time actually using your new system.
Getting Started & Support
Upgrading existing CachyOS installations is straightforward: enable Cachy-Update in the Hello app’s Tweaks page, then simply run a full system update. New users can grab the latest desktop or handheld ISO from official mirrors. Once booted, you’ll enjoy the stability of dual kernels, the convenience of transparent snapshots and the thrill of best-in-class gaming support.
If you appreciate these improvements, consider supporting the project. Contributions fund server costs, development bounties and future feature work—every pledge accelerates the next round of enhancements.
Conclusion
The August 2025 release of CachyOS is a masterclass in balancing innovation with reliability. From a panoramic package dashboard and LTS kernel safety net to automated snapshots, smarter installers and game-ready tweaks, this update empowers all types of Linux users to work, play and experiment with complete confidence. Whether you’re deploying on cutting-edge hardware, maintaining mission-critical servers or simply enjoying a robust desktop, CachyOS continues to demonstrate why it stands out in the crowded Arch-based landscape.
Disclaimer
All trade names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this overview using official CachyOS sources.
References
CachyOS August 2025 Release
How to Log In to CachyOS Live ISO
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