Antergos was one of the most loved Arch-based Linux distributions — and now Antergos NeXT is bringing it back. A community-led project has revived the original distribution, restoring the Cnchi graphical installer and the polished out-of-the-box experience that made Antergos popular before it shut down in May 2019.

What is Antergos NeXT?

Antergos NeXT is a community-driven revival of the original Antergos Linux distribution. It stays true to the original spirit: a rolling release based on Arch Linux, with a graphical installer that removes the barrier to entry for new Arch users.

The project ships its latest ISO dated June 12, 2026, and is available on SourceForge. The source code is fully open under the GPL-2.0 license and hosted on GitHub.

Key Features

The most significant update in Antergos NeXT is a modernized Cnchi installer. The original Cnchi was abandoned alongside the project in 2019 and became incompatible with newer Python versions. The NeXT team has patched it for Python 3.14 compatibility, verifying 522 packages in the process. This makes the installer reliable again for fresh installations on current hardware.

KDE Plasma is the default desktop environment, featuring the Breeze Dark theme and the original Antergos icon set and wallpapers. The project also supports multiple other desktops selectable during installation — Cinnamon, XFCE, GNOME, Budgie, Deepin, LXQt, Openbox, and i3.

Being built on Arch Linux, Antergos NeXT follows a rolling release model. Users get kernel, driver, and application updates directly from upstream Arch repositories with minimal delay. There are no major version upgrades — the system stays current on its own.

A Bit of History

Antergos started life in July 2012 under the name Cinnarch — Cinnamon running on Arch Linux. By May 2013, the project switched to GNOME as the default and adopted the name Antergos, a Galician word for “ancestors.” It ran until May 21, 2019, when the developers announced they could no longer sustain the project due to time constraints.

After the shutdown, the EndeavourOS project emerged from the Antergos community as a spiritual successor, taking a different approach by staying closer to vanilla Arch. Antergos NeXT takes a different path: it revives the original experience, including the Cnchi installer, rather than starting fresh.

You can read more about the original Antergos distribution in the OpenSourceFeed archives.

Where to Get It

Antergos NeXT is available for download on SourceForge. The project community is active on Matrix, and bug reports go through GitHub. Everything — the ISO builder, installer, and package repository — is open source.

Whether you are nostalgic for the original Antergos or simply looking for a polished, Arch-based distribution with a graphical installer, Antergos NeXT is worth a look.