CachyOS adds Linux 6.15, Plasma Wayland by default, and AMD Anti-Lag 2 support

CachyOS's fifth ISO snapshot of 2025 arrives with Linux kernel 6.15, updating its base system and package core. Wayland becomes the default session protocol for Plasma 6.4.2, improving graphics performance and security. For systems with incompatible hardware like older NVIDIA cards, the installer automatically includes plasma-x11-session to maintain compatibility.

The installer now lets users choose between fish, Zsh, or plain Bash as their shell, with Fish still set as the default. systemd-oomd has been removed following reports of aggressive memory kills, replaced by the kernel’s native memory-pressure handling. Keyring reliability has also improved with more resilient retry logic for key downloads during installs or updates.

fwupd now comes pre-installed on both KDE Plasma and GNOME images, enabling firmware updates via Discover or GNOME Software. On the gaming front, mesa-git adds AMD Anti-Lag 2 support for Vulkan games, and the Proton build supports it natively. Setting PROTON_FSR4_UPGRADE=1 lets users automatically benefit from AMD’s latest FSR 4 upscaling. Wine-Wayland and anti-cheat patches further refine gaming responsiveness, and the Handheld Edition now boots cleanly on Lenovo Legion Go and Go S devices.