Ludora 45.0 Ships Own Kernel, Keeps Secure Boot
The Fedora-based gaming Linux distribution now builds its own kernel from kernel.org source and installs with Secure Boot enabled.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Gaming
Lars Søe Mikkelsen has released Ludora 45.0, a gaming-focused Linux distribution based on Fedora 45. The release no longer builds on the CachyOS kernel and instead ships an independent kernel built on the official kernel.org source.
Why it matters
Users can install and run Ludora without disabling Secure Boot, which removes a common hurdle for gaming Linux setups. The release also reflects a shift toward a self-maintained kernel rather than depending on another distribution's kernel build.
The ludora45.0-x86_64.iso download is 3,577MB and is the first Ludora release built on Fedora 45. The extraction does not report benchmark results or adoption figures for the new kernel.
The players
Lars Søe Mikkelsen
Mikkelsen is the developer who released Ludora 45.0, a gaming-oriented Linux distribution built on Fedora.
The details
The BORE scheduler and POC idle-CPU selector are included and taken directly from their author, firelzrd, and CachyOS tuning settings are built into the kernel. If Secure Boot is enabled and the Ludora kernel is selected during installation, the kernel is signed on the user's machine, and users enroll the signing key once in MokManager on first boot.
Timeline
Ludora 45.0 was announced on November 3, 2026.
Culture Shift
The release follows the broader move among Linux gaming distributions to keep Secure Boot enabled through MokManager key enrollment rather than asking users to disable it. Ludora's switch from building on the CachyOS kernel to shipping its own mirrors a wider trend of gaming distributions maintaining their own kernel builds.
Users who want a gaming-focused Linux install can download the 3,577MB ISO and install it with Secure Boot left on. On first boot, they enroll the signing key once in MokManager before the custom kernel loads.
The takeaway
Gaming Linux users no longer need to turn off Secure Boot to run a custom kernel. Verifying the ISO checksum before installing is a practical step for anyone trying the release.
Further reading
Explore more gaming coverage for context on PC and console platforms.
More information
Download the Ludora 45.0 live ISO, which lists its SHA256 checksum for verification.
