Bazzite 44.20260629 is now live, bringing Linux kernel 7.0.9-ogs3.2, Mesa 26.1.3, and updated NVIDIA drivers to its stable gaming branch. The release also bumps Steam to client 1.0.0.87 and pushes Gamescope to 137.7c5ebe99 for better VRR and HDR passthrough on handhelds and HTPCs. KDE Plasma lands at 6.7.1 and GNOME at 50.3, cleaning up Wayland compositor bugs that previously plagued the desktop experience.

Bazzite Linux 44.20260629 lands with kernel 7.0.9-ogs3.2, refreshed drivers, and desktop environment updates

Bazzite 44.20260629 has arrived, shipping with Linux kernel 7.0.9-ogs3.2, Mesa 26.1.3, KDE Plasma 6.7.1, GNOME 50.3, and updated NVIDIA drivers across its stable branch. For an immutable Linux distro focused on gaming, that is a lot of moving parts shifting at once.

The community-driven project runs entirely through automated GitHub Actions pipelines, which means every release ships without a single manual compile. That builds-and-forgets approach has kept Bazzite ahead of the curve since its November 2023 debut. If you own an ROG Ally, Legion Go, home theater PC, or a gaming laptop from the last few years, the new build quietly patches the cracks you didn't know were there.

The technical update

Kernel 7.0.9-ogs3.2 brings scheduler tweaks and improved GPU driver support, which matters more for gaming than the version number suggests. Mesa jumps to 26.1.3 with Vulkan and OpenGL fixes that typically land in Steam Proton compatibility lists. KDE Plasma arrives at 6.7.1, and GNOME pushes to 50.3, both cleaning up Wayland compositor bugs and polishing the desktop experience. NVIDIA's open driver sits at 610.43.02, while the LTS branch holds at 580.159.04 for older RTX and GTX cards.

Flatpak and the Bazaar app store pull in routine maintenance, while rpm-ostree keeps the base system immutable. You get atomic updates with a 90-day rollback window if something breaks. You also get SELinux enabled out of the box and cryptographically signed images, which is exactly why sysadmins start paying attention to Bazzite.

What actually matters for gaming

Steam itself updates to client version 1.0.0.87, and Gamescope lands at 137.7c5ebe99. The hardware market has been a mess since memory shortages drove up costs, but Bazzite sidesteps the whole conversation by just working on whatever box you're running. If you are rocking an HTPC or handheld, those compositor patches usually mean fewer input lags and more stable HDR passthrough.

It's a solid incremental release rather than a headline-grabbing overhaul. The kernel and Mesa bumps are the kind of things you notice over time, though the compositor patches drop instantly in frame timing. Kernel 7.0.9. Driver updates in tow. However, at the same time, the immutable architecture means you trade manual tweaks for rock-solid rollback safety.

If you want to pin directly to 44.20260629, swap stable for the full version string. Full changelog details live on the Universal Blue GitHub repo, and documentation is hosted at docs.bazzite.gg. Existing users can rebase to the new build with bazzite-rollback-helper rebase stable from the terminal.

bazzite-rollback-helper rebase 44.20260629

Keep in mind that your specific handheld might need a manual tweak for niche peripherals, so head here to check the official hardware compatibility list before you commit. Need to do a fresh install? Head here to download an ISO image.