Linux gaming has been on a great trajectory these past few years.
Proton turned a massive chunk of the Steam library into playable Linux titles thanks to Wine as its backbone, and purpose-built Linux gaming consoles are now a product category that actually exists.
We recently covered the Playnix Console, a $1,179 Linux gaming machine from the EmuDeck team that ships with a custom Arch-based OS and boots straight into Steam's gaming mode.
Today, we have a project that lets you run a Linux-powered operating system on Sony's PlayStation 5 console.
Running Linux on a PS5?
Andy Nguyen, the developer behind this, first posted about him running Linux on the PS5 back in March, where he demonstrated playing GTA V Enhanced with Ray Tracing enabled.
More recently, he posted that his project "ps5-linux" was live on GitHub, allowing gamers to turn their PS5 (non-slim) devices into a fully functioning Linux gaming PC.
You see, the PS5 does not run a Linux kernel. Sony's operating system is built on a heavily modified version of FreeBSD, which is a separate Unix-like OS altogether. What ps5-linux delivers is a genuine Linux port, not some tweak on top of what was already there.
In terms of what you actually get, it's a full desktop Linux environment. The PS5's 8-core, 16-thread CPU can be pushed to 3.5 GHz, the GPU to 2.23 GHz, and HDMI video output goes up to 4K at 60Hz. Steam runs on it, providing you with access to PC games and settings that Sony's own OS doesn't offer.
There are some gaps though; the PS5's onboard Bluetooth and networking hardware currently have no Linux driver support. You'll need a USB Ethernet or WLAN adapter for internet access and a Bluetooth dongle if you want to use a DualSense controller wirelessly.
It's also not a persistent install as the console's internal SSD is left completely untouched, so bricking your PS5 isn't really a concern. The trade-off is having to re-run the exploit from scratch on every single reboot.
I ported Linux to the PS5 and turned it into a Steam Machine. Running GTA 5 Enhanced with Ray Tracing. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/aMbT0PQ1dS
— Andy Nguyen (@theflow0) March 6, 2026Want to install it?
It works on PS5 (non-slim) consoles only. Devices running firmware 3.xx (3.00, 3.10, 3.20, 3.21) are supported but without M.2 SSD support. If you are on firmware 4.xx (4.00, 4.02, 4.03, 4.50, 4.51), you get the full package, including the ability to dedicate an M.2 SSD to Linux.
And you can run the following Linux distributions:
- Arch Linux (with Sway)
- Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
- Ubuntu 26.04 LTS
- Alpine Linux 3.21
Apart from that, you will have to follow the instructions closely and make use of the PS5 Linux Image Builder to get a Linux OS installed on your PlayStation 5 device. Andy also has a Discord server set up for people who can do a kernel exploit on his project and help him hack drivers.
Some thoughts
Is it practical? Not really. Using the exploit means starting the whole process over, and Sony will almost certainly DMCA the repos or employ some other legal mechanism at some point.
But someone built a full Linux port for a console that was never meant to run it, got Steam working on it, and put it all out for free. The Linux community has always been more interested in proving something is possible than in whether it's convenient, and this project is exactly that.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday May 06, @02:33AM (3 children)
I had an original PS3 fat, not the very very first gen, but close, I think mine only burned 300W resting instead of 500+.
Anyway, it was connected to the living room TV, and as such I had it pulling webcam photos for wallpaper on the built-in Linux mode desktop. Not rocket science, but a nice app for a "window to the world" on our new 1080p 42" flatscreen.
Aaaand, they pulled the plug on Linux mode - which took away about 80% of the screen-time we used to give to the PS3. Oh well. Never been tempted to buy a PS4 or 5 since then, not even a little.
🌻🌻🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by jasassin on Wednesday May 06, @10:10AM (2 children)
That nerfing Linux on the PS3 was some shady shit, I agree with you there!
I did buy a PS4 (which I tried fixing because it sounded like a jet plane, and ended up in about 400 pieces in the garbage) and a PS5 which I have found cannot play "God of War: Ragnarok" positioned vertically without overheating in about 5-10 seconds. It does play perfectly fine when positioned upside down horizontally.
Now, to the point of my whole comment. Why I bought a PS5?
Gran Turismo 7 is a hell of a drug.
jasassin@gmail.com GPG Key ID: 0xE6462C68A9A3DB5A
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday May 06, @11:51AM
Oh, and I had GT5? on the PS3, used to really like the online battles - looking back they only lasted a couple of years before they pulled the plug on them, now it's single player only. Utter BS.
🌻🌻🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 4, Interesting) by aafcac on Wednesday May 06, @03:50PM
Geohot is going to burn when he finally dies for starting that hack and then abandoning it. It resulted in the OtherOS feature being taken away without a successful jailbreak exploit becoming available until later one.