Unofficial CachyOS image for PS5. Flash it, boot it, play.
Credit: based on the official ps5-linux CachyOS image and its kernel patches. All credit for the base image, kernel patches, Wi-Fi driver and first-boot setup goes to the ps5-linux project. Report problems with this build here, not to them.
New in this release
- Kernel 7.3.4 with ps5-linux-patches
b33e7c5(was 7.2.3 /5f6b5d3) - Safer GPU hang recovery: a GPU hang now resets only the stuck queue and keeps your desktop, instead of trying a full GPU reset (which doesn't work on PS5)
- Correct clock at boot: a new driver reads the PS5's own clock before the network is up. When the network time differs, it saves the correction back to the console (at most a few times per boot). To keep it read-only, add
ps5_rtc.write=0tocmdline.txt - FreeSync / VRR (on,
hdmi.vrr=1incmdline.txt): needs a monitor/TV with FreeSync over HDMI (on some monitors you have to turn on Adaptive-Sync/FreeSync in the monitor menu first), then set Adaptive Sync in System Settings → Display. Works at 60 and 120 Hz modes (1080p, 1440p, 4K), not at 144 Hz. Does nothing on screens without FreeSync over HDMI. To turn it off, removehdmi.vrr=1 - 1080p above 120 Hz (on,
hdmi.extended_tmds=1): 1080p 144 Hz on monitors that support it (tested on a Samsung Odyssey G5; not tested upstream yet). If 1080p 144 Hz gives you a black screen, pick another mode or removehdmi.extended_tmds=1 - 1080p 100 Hz on screens that offer it (from upstream, not tested here)
- USB webcams and HDMI capture cards (UVC) work
- "12-bit Colour" desktop icon: sets the display to 12-bit colour in one click (needed for HDR at 4K)
- Gaming Mode up to 144 Hz at native resolution (was the monitor's default, usually 60 Hz), with a "Gaming Mode Refresh Rate" desktop icon to change it
- 12-bit colour service updated for kernel 7.3
Display
- 1080p, 1440p up to 144 Hz and 4K at 60 Hz. 4K at 120 Hz needs an HDMI 2.1 TV (untested)
- 1080p and 1440p without black screens (DP link lock)
- HDR on the desktop: off by default, turn it on in System Settings → Display. HDR at 4K needs Colour resolution set to 12 bits (click the "12-bit Colour" desktop icon)
- 12-bit colour, 4:2:2 output to the HDMI bridge
- HDR and 12-bit colour need the FLAVA3 HDMI chip; consoles with the VERDE chip get 8-bit without HDR by default. Check yours with
sudo dmesg | grep "HDMI IC" - Tip: if you use desktop scaling above 100%, set System Settings → Display → Legacy Applications (X11) to "Apply scaling themselves". Otherwise games like CS2 run at a lower resolution and look blurry
Gaming Mode
- SteamOS-style Steam interface on boot
- Starts at your screen's native resolution and up to 144 Hz (60 Hz screens get 60, 120 Hz TVs get 120)
- "Gaming Mode Refresh Rate" desktop icon: choose 144 Hz, 120 Hz (for FreeSync / VRR), 60 Hz or the monitor default
- Display and network settings in Steam
- Switch to Desktop from Steam's power menu, and back with the "Return to Gaming Mode" desktop icon
- No Steam update check hang (OS updates:
sudo pacman -Syu)
Hardware support
- Bluetooth: DualSense reconnects automatically
- Wi-Fi: NXP IW620 driver
dc97cf5 - USB: boots from a USB SSD in a rear port or the front USB-C port (
usbc_dp.enable=0, so the USB-C driver can't drop the boot drive) - Fan curve from boot, GPU slows down at 85 °C
System
- CachyOS packages on Arch Linux, KDE Plasma (the system reports itself as "Arch Linux", like the official image)
- zram swap (half the RAM, zstd)
- Chrome hardware video decode flags
- First-boot setup: timezone, password, hostname, and the partition grows to fill the drive
Flashing
- Windows / macOS: extract the
.img.xzto.imgfirst (7-Zip on Windows, double-click on macOS), then flash the.imgwith balenaEtcher. - Linux:
xzcat ps5-cachyos-7.3.4-pb33e.img.xz | sudo dd of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync
Check the download first: sha256sum ps5-cachyos-7.3.4-pb33e.img.xz must match ps5-cachyos-7.3.4-pb33e.img.xz.sha256.
Known issues
- Drive not found at boot ("waiting for device", then an emergency shell): push the USB cable all the way in and use a rear USB port. If your drive gets stuck when the PS5 hands over to Linux, unplug it and plug it back in while the boot waits, and the boot carries on by itself.
- After a warm restart (kexec): Wi-Fi can fail, and on some USB SSDs writes stay slow (reads are fine). A cold boot from the PS5 fixes both.
- Not tested on a PS5 Pro.
Tested on a PS5 (FW 13.60) with soniciso1's ps5-linux-loader. This image from a USB drive: first-boot setup, partition grow, 1440p 144 Hz, 1080p 144 Hz, FreeSync at 1440p 120 Hz, Gaming Mode at 144 Hz with Switch to Desktop, the new desktop icons. The same kernel on my own install: 4K 60 Hz with HDR, CS2 and Rocket League, Bluetooth/DualSense, Wi-Fi.
Default login: steam / steam, and SSH is on (the official image's defaults). Change the password in the first-boot setup ("Customize").
Source: see KERNEL-SOURCE.md and the attached linux.patch.