Unleash Epic Gaming with Omarchy OS – GameScope Launcher + Kernel Switcher

I take Omarchy OS gaming to the next level. After spending a week testing Valve’s new Steam hardware announcements and thinking about the future of desktop Linux gaming, I decided to build a complete Gaming Optimisation Tool for Omarchy OS.

Link to download load install script

A new version of the script has been released please view this video

https://youtu.be/0ix5JgBfsu8

this version has the catchy BORE kernel removed for simplification

0. Gaming Kernel Installation (Optional – First Run)

• Option to install the CachyOS BORE LLVM gaming kernel
• BORE = Burst-Oriented Response Enhancer scheduler
• LLVM optimisations for better performance
• Lower latency and smoother frame pacing
• Keeps your original kernel as a fallback in GRUB
• Can be reverted anytime by re-running the installer
• Automatically sets up the CachyOS repository

1. Gaming Mode Launcher (enter-gamesmode)

• Optimises system performance for gaming
• Sets CPU governor to performance
• Forces GPU to maximum performance
• Disables Hypridle to prevent sleep/lock during gameplay
• Launches Steam in Gamescope with selectable resolutions
• Includes MangoHud performance overlay options

2. Gaming Mode Exit (leave-gamesmode)

• Restores original CPU governor
• Restores GPU power/performance mode
• Cleans temporary session files
• Gracefully ends the gaming session

3. Added Keybindings
   • Super + Shift + S → Launch Gaming Mode
   • Super + Shift + R → Exit Gaming Mode

4. Configuration Options
   • Resolution presets (Native, 4K, 1440p, 1080p, etc.)
   • MangoHud presets (Off, Minimal, Full Stats)
   • Steam launch options (Big Picture, Gamepad UI)
   • Performance mode toggle

5. System Optimisations
   • CPU: all cores forced to performance governor
   • AMD GPU: high-performance power mode
   • NVIDIA GPU: PowerMizer set to maximum performance
   • Gamescope: real-time scheduling + immediate flips

This script gives you:
• A GameScope launcher (Steam Deck–style fullscreen mode)
• A kernel switcher that toggles between vanilla Arch and the CachyOS “Bore” kernel
• Automatic real-time scheduling, MangoHUD overlay, Gamescope flags
• Persistent resolution & scaling profiles
• One-button launch → Super + Shift + S
• One-button exit → Super + Shift + R

No manual config editing. No messing with GRUB. Just download → chmod → run.

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🔹 Why I Built This

Launching Steam on Omarchy is fast for everything except Steam itself — the splash screen and window resizing slow things down
People kept asking whether the CachyOS kernel really improves gaming performance. So I built a tool that creates a proper A/B test:
• Vanilla Arch kernel
• CachyOS Bore kernel
• With and without GameScope
• Same games, same settings, same session

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🔹 Benchmarks Tested

All tests were run on:
• Ryzen 9
• RTX 5060 Ti
• 32GB RAM
• Omarchy OS 3.17

Games benchmarked:
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Cyberpunk 2077

Baseline Results (Vanilla Kernel)

Tomb Raider: 42 FPS
Cyberpunk 2077: 48.84 FPS

CachyOS Kernel Results

Tomb Raider: 46 FPS
Cyberpunk: 48.93 FPS
(Minor improvement, but real.)

CachyOS Kernel + GameScope + Optimiser Script

Tomb Raider: 49 FPS
Cyberpunk: 48.1 FPS
(Tomb Raider improved noticeably. Cyberpunk unchanged — but flatter frame pacing)
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🔹 What the Script Does
• Installs GameScope (if missing)
• Optionally installs the CachyOS Bore kernel
• Creates a kernel-switching boot menu
• Enables GamesMode (Feral Interactive)
• Adds scheduler tweaks
• Adds MangoHUD FPS overlay
• Applies resolution scaling (1080 → 1440 → 4K)
• Launches Steam directly inside GameScope
• Remembers your last chosen resolution profile
• Adds Omarchy-style keybindings
• Super + Shift + S → Launch Gaming Mode
• Super + Shift + R → Exit to desktop

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💬 Final Thoughts

Is the CachyOS kernel worth it?
• For some games: yes, especially Tomb Raider.
• For others (Cyberpunk): not really, but frame pacing improves.

Is GameScope worth it?
• Absolutely. It fixes windowing issues, gives you a clean fullscreen compositor, and feels like Steam Deck mode.

This is the most complete gaming optimisation tool I could build for Omarchy — and you can customise or expand it however you like.

Let me know your FPS results in the comments!