Gaming Linux, unchained from systemd.
FenrirOS is an Arch-based gaming Linux distribution built on OpenRC and elogind, combining the performance of CachyOS kernels and SCX schedulers with a systemd-free init system — making OpenRC approachable for everyday gamers.
fenriros/
├── archiso-profile/ # Main archiso build profile
│ ├── profiledef.sh # ISO metadata and build settings
│ ├── pacman.conf # Package repos (CachyOS + Arch)
│ ├── packages.x86_64 # All packages included in ISO
│ └── airootfs/ # Filesystem overlay (maps to /)
│ ├── etc/
│ │ ├── init.d/ # OpenRC service files
│ │ ├── rc.conf # OpenRC global config
│ │ └── pacman.d/ # Mirrorlist configs
│ └── usr/local/bin/
│ ├── fenrir-installer # Install bootstrap script
│ └── fenrir-welcome # First-boot welcome
└── docs/ # Documentation
| Component | Choice | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Arch Linux | Rolling, flexible, large repo |
| Kernel | linux-cachyos | Performance patches, BORE/LAVD |
| Init | OpenRC | Lightweight, fast, systemd-free |
| Session | elogind | Standalone logind for DEs/Steam |
| Scheduler | SCX (LAVD) | Best gaming latency |
| Audio | Pipewire | Modern audio, works without systemd |
| DE | KDE Plasma | Wayland-ready, gamer-friendly |
| Display Mgr | SDDM | Lightweight, KDE native |
| Gaming | Steam + Proton + Lutris | Full Linux gaming stack |
sudo pacman -S archisocd fenriros/
sudo mkarchiso -v -w /tmp/fenriros-work -o /tmp/fenriros-out archiso-profile/The ISO will be output to /tmp/fenriros-out/.
Steam and most DEs require logind for session/seat management.
elogind is a standalone fork that satisfies this without pulling in systemd.
Pipewire normally relies on systemd user socket activation. FenrirOS uses a custom OpenRC service + PAM environment approach instead.
gamemode has some systemd assumptions in its DBus activation.
A patch is needed to use elogind's DBus session instead.
- v0.1 — Bootable ISO with OpenRC + elogind + KDE
- v0.2 — Steam + full gaming stack validated
- v0.3 — Calamares installer with FenrirOS branding
- v0.4 — Custom FenrirOS repo with patched packages
- v1.0 — Stable release, DistroWatch listing
FenrirOS is in early development. Join the pack:
- GitHub: (coming soon)
- Discord: (coming soon)
- Website: fenriros.org (coming soon)
"Unchained" — like Fenrir himself, this distro breaks free.
