Getting the warez
WARNING
I'm sorry if some of the following links are sketchy, but the community is a divided mess unfortunately. Refer to the Other Issues section for a rant.
Kernels
Let's start with the kernels: they are very important as they have the software that controls all of the PS4's hardware. This is, by definition, Linux.
This is the section for recommended kernels. There are both vanilla kernels and performance kernels. Ordered by newest to oldest, the top ones are the recommended ones.
Credits for all of these kernels.
Read this if you're confused!
Do kernel versions matter?
Yes, but only for Baikal, as it has been stuck on 5.4 for a while and can't use modern GPU drivers anymore. For the rest, it doesn't matter.
The community has moved on from 6.15 to 6.18, and now there is also active 7.0 kernel work for Aeolia and Belize. Baikal is still catching up.
What about more performance?
If all you care about is squeezing as much performance as possible out of the PS4 (you do) try the performance kernel section. Those have patches to make the system more responsive.
Kernel list
These are normal general-use kernels with additional patches to make them work properly on the PS4.
TIP
Get the bzImage_Clang_thinLTO, if available. Some consoles may require the use of the no-built-in-fw variant.
| Kernel Download | Compatible Southbridges | Source Code | Extra info |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.0-Clean | Aeolia, Belize | GitHub | 7.0 work by rmux lives here. Pick the branch or release you need from the repo. |
| 6.18.21 (Recommended) | Aeolia, Belize | GitHub | Prebuilts are in the repo releases even if they are not marked latest. |
| 6.15.4 | Aeolia, Belize | GitHub | LTO and other improvements. ThinLTO recommended. |
| 5.15.15 Belize Ver. | Belize | GitHub | Same as above. Might provide better performance than 6.15.4. |
| 5.4.247 | Baikal | GitHub | Specific for Baikal systems. Don't use on any other console! |
Server kernels
If you are using the PS4 as a server, use these instead of the normal desktop-oriented builds when available.
TIP
Pair server kernels with the 128MB server payload unless you have a specific reason not to.
| Kernel Download | Compatible Southbridges | Source Code | Extra info |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.18.21 (Recommended) | Aeolia, Belize | GitHub | Contains the Strawberry server prebuilts in the repo releases. |
| 7.0-Clean | Aeolia, Belize | GitHub | Newer 7.0 server work by rmux. Use the repo to pick the branch or release you want. |
More kernels
Other kernels
These are other kernels that you may want or need to use.
| Kernel Download | Compatible Southbridges | Source Code | Extra info |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.15, 5.15 and 5.4 | All | N/A | FullLTO, 120Hz support, 4K for PS4 Pro. You need to download the whole archive and pick one for your needs. By saya. |
| 6.15.4 | Aeolia & Belize | N/A? | ZRAM, CachyOS patches, KVM and more. By triki1. |
| 5.15.15 Aeolia Ver. | Aeolia | GitHub | NOT RECOMMENDED. Has half broken SATA/Bluray driver. Use for testing only. |
If you have issues, remember to check the Issues page. If you want more help, check out Discord servers.
Initramfs
This is the rescue shell that boots your Linux installer/installation. Think of it as GRUB, but more basic.
Download this one. Source (not really).
More details
There's another in-dev initramfs (probably not working), if you want to check out the source it's here.
Also, you may want to read this post on the PS4 Linux forums, it explains what an initramfs is and does in actuality.
Distros (that you ACTUALLY wanna use)
Honestly there's a neptillion distros... If you're indecisive, click on all the links and check them out. Either way they are listed from most to least recommended.
DANGER
If you have a Baikal console (many PS4 Pros are the Baikal variant) or are otherwise using the 5.4.x kernels, make sure your distro ships with Mesa version 25.1 or lower. Newer versions are not supported on this Linux version, and so GPU acceleration will not work. See this GitHub issue or this page to understand why.
More about these distros
Each distro has it's own pros and cons. But most of the difference on PS4 comes down to drivers; each distro requires it's own version of them and it can be a pain in the ass to install.
Arch based distros are recommended, but not because you need to be part of the elite. They are the only ones that currently have automatic updates (meaning with the rest of the system) without breaking anything.
You can of course use other distros, but you do run the risk of breaking your distro or having to reinstall everything when something needs updating, unless you know what you are doing.
| Distro | Compatible Southbridge & Mesa | Port credits | Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| CachyOS Light | Aeolia, Belize (Mesa 25.3.5) | DionKill | CachyOS, but without it running like crap. Automatic Mesa updates. Recommended. |
| Arch | Aeolia, Belize (Mesa 25.3.3) | Erkkola | An Arch install with different desktops: KDE, XFCE or even TempleOS! |
| Arch - Baikal Ed. | Baikal (Mesa 25.1) | deeWaardt | Test distro. Use this if you have a Baikal system. More info. |
| CachyOS "Strawberry" Server Edition | Aeolia, Belize | rmux | For server use only! It doesn't run any DE! |
| JaguarLinux | Aeolia, Belize (Mesa 26-devel) | TigerClips1 | A distro made from scratch for the PS4! Void-based & in development. Worth a mention. |
More distros
Here are the distros that we can't recommend anymore, as they have been superseeded, or haven't had any major updates in a while.
It may be useful to you if you want something other than Arch, or if you have a Baikal southbridge.
Click here to show more distros
| Distro | Compatible Southbridge & Mesa | Port credits | Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| CachyOS | All (Mesa 25.1.0) | Elokuba (Qba) | "Final Fantasy v2" version. It has nothing to do with FF. Mere fantasy. |
| EndeavourOS | All? (Mesa Version ?) | Elokuba (Qba) | Arch based distro that's nice to use and easy to maintain |
| Manjaro | All? (Mesa Version ?) | Elokuba (Qba) | A Manjaro KDE distro |
| Garuda | All? (Mesa Version ?) | Elokuba (Qba) | "Gaming focused" distro (not really) |
| Fedora 42 | Aeolia, Belize (Mesa 26) | Elokuba (Qba) | Normal Fedora running KDE on Wayland |
| Debian Forky | Aeolia, Belize (Mesa 25.3+) | triki1 | Very new distro. Extremely bleeding edge. |
| Kali Linux | All (Mesa 25.0.3-devel+) | triki1 | Based on Debian Forky, but with Kali Linux stuff included |
| Debian Trixie | Aeolia, Belize (Mesa 25.2.0-devel+) | triki1 | Latest Debian |
| Xubuntu | All (Mesa 25.0.5) | triki1 | Divided into multiple files |
| Batocera 40 | All (Mesa 22.1.7) | Noob404 | For retrogaming |
TIP
Want to add more distros? Make an issue and your wish shall be granted.
Want to make your own? Check this out!
To the installation we go
You should go to the next step, where you'll finally complete your installation!