Linus Torvalds has released the first release candidate of the Linux 6.19 kernel series for public testing. This milestone follows two weeks after the Linux 6.18 long-term support release. The update introduces several new features and hardware support enhancements.
Linus Torvalds announced on December 14, 2025, the availability of the first Release Candidate (RC1) for the Linux 6.19 kernel series. This development version is now downloadable from kernel.org for testing by developers and users. The release comes two weeks after Linux kernel 6.18, which is designated as a long-term support (LTS) branch and will receive updates until at least December 2027.
The merge window for Linux 6.19 has opened, initiating a period of release candidates over the next couple of months. Key new features in this kernel include support for Intel Nova Lake S audio, a SoundWire SCDA generic class driver with regmap support, DRM Color Pipeline API support, initial Intel Xe3P graphics support, and hardware monitoring (hwmon) for the AMD Steam Deck APU.
Additional enhancements encompass new objtool features and a klp-build script to generate livepatch modules from source patches. Filesystems now support increasing the minimum writeback chunk size, and a new Terminus 10×18 bitmap console font improves readability on modern laptops. The kernel also includes new and updated drivers for broader hardware compatibility, documentation updates, and filesystem improvements.
Notably, Linux 6.19 marks the first kernel version to include fully working drivers written in the Rust programming language. The final stable release is anticipated in early February 2026, potentially on February 1 if seven release candidates are issued, or February 8 with eight.
This RC1 was released from Japan, as noted in related coverage.
