> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://itsfoss.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Someone Just Made an Immutable Gentoo-Based Distro Tailored for Gaming - URL: https://itsfoss.com/matrixos/ - Published: 2026-02-17T13:39:48.000Z - Updated: 2026-02-17T13:39:48.000Z - Description: matrixOS brings OSTree atomic upgrades to Gentoo with a simple motto: "emerge once, deploy everywhere." - Author: Sourav Rudra - Tags: First Look [Sabayon Linux](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabayon%5FLinux?ref=itsfoss.com) was a Gentoo-based distribution that existed from the mid-2000s until 2019\. It aimed to make Gentoo accessible to regular users without the usual compilation headaches. Created by [Fabio Erculiani](https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabio-erculiani-b154b74/?ref=itsfoss.com), Sabayon offered pre-built binaries through its Entropy package manager. This let users skip the hours of compiling while still getting the Gentoo experience. Now Fabio [has shared](https://www.phoronix.com/news/Sabayon-Linux-To-matrixOS?ref=itsfoss.com) that he's working on a new immutable, atomic Linux distro called **matrixOS**. Like Sabayon, it's also based on Gentoo. 🚧 **The developer warns that this is* ***a hobby project** *specifically created for* [**homelab*](https://itsfoss.com/tag/homelab/) *setups, not for production machines.* ## matrixOS: Overview ⭐ The project's motto is "*emerge once, deploy everywhere*." In Gentoo, [emerge](https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Emerge?ref=itsfoss.com) compiles packages from source on practically every machine you set up. matrixOS remedies this by building once and distributing binaries, so you skip the compilation wait entirely. Plus, it uses [OSTree](https://ostreedev.github.io/ostree/?ref=itsfoss.com) for atomic upgrades. Your system either updates completely or not at all. **The base is read-only**, which prevents accidental breakage. Gaming is also one of its priorities, with the latest [Mesa](https://mesa3d.org/?ref=itsfoss.com) and [NVIDIA](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/drivers/?ref=itsfoss.com) drivers handling AMD and NVIDIA GPUs, so graphics work right away without you needing to go looking for drivers. Cooling management is handled by [coolercontrold](https://docs.coolercontrol.org/?ref=itsfoss.com) and [liquidctl](https://github.com/liquidctl/liquidctl?ref=itsfoss.com), and the filesystem runs btrfs on both `/boot` and `root` with zstd compression. The root partition auto-resizes on first boot and NTFS drives work using the [NTFSPlus](https://itsfoss.com/ntfsplus/) driver. **SecureBoot support is built in** with certificates you can enroll directly in UEFI BIOS or through Shim MOK enrollment at first boot. Looking ahead, the project aims to implement proper CI/CD pipelines and testing workflows, rewrite the core tooling in Go (*replacing the current bash scripts*), and migrate to [bootc](https://bootc-dev.github.io/bootc/?ref=itsfoss.com) or build a wrapper on top of OSTree with [Unified Kernel Image](https://uapi-group.org/specifications/specs/unified%5Fkernel%5Fimage/?ref=itsfoss.com) (UKI) support. ## A Quick Look πŸ˜Άβ€πŸŒ«οΈ ![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/02/matrixos-desktop-view.jpeg) ![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/02/matrixos-system-details.jpeg) **matrixOS' GNOME implementation looks slick.* Seeing that matrixOS is an experimental distro, I ran it as a virtual machine using [Virtual Machine Manager](https://virt-manager.org/?ref=itsfoss.com). Right away, I found the GNOME interface familiar, but with a Windows-like taskbar at the bottom. I could access pinned apps, notifications, and the quick-settings menu from here, with a handy button on the far-right letting me focus on the desktop when multiple app windows were open. ![this desktop screenshot of matrix shows btop, steam, google chrome, nvidia settings, and the shell extension apps open, displaying against a mixed blue cubical background, and a blurred taskbar at the bottom](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/02/matrixos-pre-installed-apps.jpeg) **Speaking of apps**, there are plenty of useful ones included, like [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/?ref=itsfoss.com) for gaming, [Btop](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXClWDkOH3Q&ref=itsfoss.com) for system monitoring, [Google Chrome](https://www.google.com/chrome/?ref=itsfoss.com) for browsing, and [gedit](https://itsfoss.com/gedit-tweaks/) for text editing. Classic games like Mahjong and Chess are also pre-installed. Likewise, the distro ships with [Google Antigravity](https://antigravity.google/?ref=itsfoss.com) for AI-assisted coding, and there's built-in support for [GNOME Shell extensions](https://itsfoss.com/gnome-shell-extensions/) if you want to further customize the desktop to your liking. ![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/02/matrixos-snap-flatpak-docker-1.png) ![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/02/matrixos-gnome-software-2.png) **matrixOS gives you many ways to install new apps!* *Flatpak*, *Snap*, and *Docker* **are all pre-configured and ready to use**, so you have multiple options for installing apps. GNOME Software ties it all together with a simple interface for browsing and fetching applications without [you needing to touch the terminal](https://itsfoss.com/no-longer-need-terminal/). ## Grab an Image πŸ“₯ matrixOS comes in [three variants](https://images.matrixos.org/index.html?ref=itsfoss.com): *Bedrock*, *GNOME*, and *Server*. Each is available in `raw` for flashing to drives and `qcow2` for running on [virtual machines](https://itsfoss.com/virtual-machine/). The distro **requires UEFI to boot**, so legacy BIOS systems won't work. For logging in, the default password is "*matrix*," and the source code lives on [GitHub](https://github.com/lxnay/matrixos?ref=itsfoss.com) for people interested in contributing or building from source. [matrixOS](https://images.matrixos.org/index.html?ref=itsfoss.com) --- **Suggested Read πŸ“–:** [*7 Best Gentoo-Based Linux Distributions*](https://itsfoss.com/gentoo-based-distros/) [7 Best Gentoo-Based Linux DistributionsWant to experience Gentoo but better and easier? These Gentoo-based distributions got your back.![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/icon/android-chrome-512x512-282.png)It's FOSSAnkush Das![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/thumbnail/gentoo-based-distros-2.png)](https://itsfoss.com/gentoo-based-distros/)