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PikaOS
A newer Debian/Ubuntu-hybrid gaming distribution built around a custom-patched, performance-tuned kernel and pre-installed gaming tooling, aimed at squeezing more performance out of a .deb-based system.
Based on
Debian/Ubuntu hybrid
First released
2023
Package manager
APT (.deb)
Desktop environments
KDE Plasma, GNOME, Hyprland
PikaOS pairs a Debian/Ubuntu package base (giving it access to both ecosystems' software) with its own custom-compiled Linux kernel carrying performance and scheduler patches similar in spirit to what CachyOS does on Arch, plus pre-installed gaming tools, codecs, and drivers configured out of the box. It's a notably newer project than most other distributions in this directory, built by a small independent team specifically chasing better default gaming performance on a .deb-based (rather than Arch-based) foundation, which remains the less common choice among gaming-focused distributions.
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