Gaming Linux

Verify GPU Setup

# Check Vulkan driver
vulkaninfo | grep driverName
# Should show: RADV (radv)

# Check OpenGL
glxinfo | grep "OpenGL renderer"
# Should show: AMD Radeon RX 6800

# Check GPU info
lspci -k | grep -A3 VGA

# Verify 32-bit libs are installed
pacman -Qs lib32-mesa lib32-vulkan

Required Packages

# Essential
pacman -S mesa vulkan-radeon lib32-mesa lib32-vulkan-radeon

# Monitoring
pacman -S radeontop lm-sensors

GPU Monitoring

GPU Temperature for Scripts/Waybar

# Read GPU temp (divide by 1000 for °C)
cat /sys/class/drm/card1/device/hwmon/hwmon*/temp1_input | awk '{printf "%.0f°C\n", $1/1000}'

# GPU usage percentage
cat /sys/class/drm/card1/device/gpu_busy_percent

Steam + Proton

Installation

# Requires multilib repo enabled in /etc/pacman.conf
pacman -S steam

Proton Setup

1. Steam → Settings → Compatibility
2. Enable "Enable Steam Play for all other titles"
3. Select Proton version (latest stable or Proton-GE)

Proton-GE (Community Build)

Proton-GE includes extra patches, media codecs, and game fixes not in official Proton:

# Install via AUR
yay -S proton-ge-custom-bin

After installing, select it per-game: Game Properties → Compatibility → Force specific tool.

Launch Options

Common Steam launch options (right-click game → Properties → Launch Options):

Check Compatibility

• ProtonDB (protondb.com) — community reports on game compatibility
• Ratings: Platinum > Gold > Silver > Bronze > Borked
• Check for game-specific tweaks and launch options

Lutris

Installation

pacman -S lutris wine-staging

Usage

• Manages non-Steam games, emulators, Windows applications
• Uses Wine runners (system Wine or custom builds)
• Install scripts available from lutris.net
• Good for: Battle.net, Epic Games, GOG, standalone games

Common Runners

MangoHud

On-screen display showing FPS, CPU/GPU usage, temps, and frame timing.

Installation

pacman -S mangohud lib32-mangohud

Enabling

# Environment variable
MANGOHUD=1 game_command

# Steam launch option
MANGOHUD=1 %command%

# Lutris: enable in runner options

Configuration

Config file: ~/.config/MangoHud/MangoHud.conf

# Toggle HUD
toggle_hud=F12
toggle_fps_limit=F11

# Position
position=top-left

# Display options
fps
gpu_stats
gpu_temp
cpu_stats
cpu_temp
ram
vram
frame_timing
frametime
fps_limit=0

# Appearance
background_alpha=0.5
font_size=20

GameMode

Optimizes system settings while games are running.

Installation

pacman -S gamemode lib32-gamemode

What It Does

Usage

# Wrap game command
gamemoderun ./game

# Steam launch option
gamemoderun %command%

# Verify it works
gamemoded -t

Configuration

Config file: ~/.config/gamemode.ini

[general]
renice = 10
softrealtime = auto
inhibit_screensaver = 1

[gpu]
apply_gpu_optimisations = accept-responsibility
gpu_device = 0

CurseForge (Minecraft)

Installation

yay -S curseforge-bin
pacman -S jre-openjdk   # Java runtime for Minecraft

Configuration

• Set Java path in launcher settings
• Allocate RAM: 4-8GB recommended for modded Minecraft
• JVM args: -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:+ParallelRefProcEnabled

Hyprland Gaming Window Rules

Add to hyprland.conf:

# ── Steam ──
windowrulev2 = float, class:^(steam)$, title:^(Friends List)
windowrulev2 = float, class:^(steam)$, title:^(Steam Settings)
windowrulev2 = float, class:^(steam)$, title:^(Game Properties)
windowrulev2 = workspace 9, class:^(steam)$, title:^(Steam)$

# ── Games general ──
# Steam games: fullscreen, no idle, allow tearing (VRR)
windowrulev2 = fullscreen, class:^(gamescope)$
windowrulev2 = idleinhibit always, class:^(steam_app_.*)$
windowrulev2 = immediate, class:^(steam_app_.*)$

# ── Lutris ──
windowrulev2 = float, class:^(lutris)$
windowrulev2 = size 1200 800, class:^(lutris)$

# ── Minecraft ──
windowrulev2 = idleinhibit always, class:^(Minecraft.*)$
windowrulev2 = fullscreen, class:^(Minecraft.*)$, title:^(Minecraft.*)$

Finding Window Classes

# Watch for new windows
hyprctl clients -j | jq '.[].class'

# Or use hyprctl event monitoring
hyprctl event-listener

Performance Tips

System Tuning

# Required by many games — increase memory map limit
# /etc/sysctl.d/99-gaming.conf
vm.max_map_count = 1048576

# Apply immediately
sudo sysctl vm.max_map_count=1048576

Environment Variables for Performance

Hyprland Gaming Config

# Enable variable refresh rate
misc {
    vrr = 1          # 0=off, 1=on, 2=fullscreen only
}

# Disable unnecessary compositor effects during fullscreen
# (Hyprland is already very GPU-efficient, but these help)
decoration {
    blur {
        enabled = true
        # Blur doesn't apply to fullscreen, so no perf impact
    }
}

Game-Specific Tips

• Shader compilation stutter: Use DXVK_ASYNC=1 or wait for shader pre-caching in Steam
• Input lag: Disable V-Sync in game, use vrr = 1 in Hyprland instead
• Performance monitoring: Always test with MangoHud to identify bottlenecks
• Steam Shader Pre-Caching: Enable in Steam Settings → Shader Pre-Caching
• Proton compatibility: Check ProtonDB before troubleshooting — often there's a known fix