Hi, I am considering switching to NixOS and I was wondering what level of hassle I should expect for gaming.
I have been using linux for about 10 months so I don’t know a lot yet. I am wondering if it is worth it to try gaming on Nix or if it is going to be way too much of a headache considering my limited knowledge.
I’ve had wildly different experiences trying gaming on different distros, and very differently from what I expected. It went from fine for a weird niche distro (antiX), to really awful for a distro supposedly “easy” and “good for gaming” (Manjaro 😑), to absolutely amazing gaming distro (Nobara), and finally to surprisingly good for a “don’t try unless you are a Level 99 Tech Wizard dual-classed Zen Master you idiot” distro (Arch). So I really have no clue what to expect from Nix.
I really like Arch but my main issue is that I keep forgetting what I have already configured and how and with which settings, or I leave stuff partially configured because adhd then I forget it wasn’t finished and where I was at, so using config files instead sound insanely more convenient and I’ve been wanting to try Nix for a while.
I’d be really glad for anyone willing to share their experience of gaming on Nix 🙂
This video should answer a few of your questions
He has been summoned
Wait how did I watch so many videos of this channel in preparation for switching to Nix but miss this one ? 😂 (Thanks !)
Works pretty well for me. I just have this config:
# Sadly we can't easily install steam on a per-user basis, because installation
# requires touching a lot of system libraries, etc.
programs.steam = {
enable = true;
remotePlay.openFirewall = true; # Open ports in the firewall for Steam Remote Play
dedicatedServer.openFirewall = true; # Open ports in the firewall for Source Dedicated Server
};
I’m using Sway on an Nvidia RTX 4080 Super. It’s important to be on the latest driver. I’m still waiting for Sway to merge support for DRM explicit sync objects, but until then, gaming still works fine with the occasional artifacts from lack of synchronization with the kernel.
If by chance you need a specific Nvidia driver, you can configure that like so:
hardware.graphics.enable = true;
hardware.nvidia = {
package = config.boot.kernelPackages.nvidiaPackages.stable;
# More versions readily available for downgrading.
# package = config.boot.kernelPackages.nvidiaPackages.mkDriver {
# version = "535.154.05";
# sha256_64bit = "sha256-fpUGXKprgt6SYRDxSCemGXLrEsIA6GOinp+0eGbqqJg=";
# sha256_aarch64 = "sha256-G0/GiObf/BZMkzzET8HQjdIcvCSqB1uhsinro2HLK9k=";
# openSha256 = "sha256-wvRdHguGLxS0mR06P5Qi++pDJBCF8pJ8hr4T8O6TJIo=";
# settingsSha256 = "sha256-9wqoDEWY4I7weWW05F4igj1Gj9wjHsREFMztfEmqm10=";
# persistencedSha256 = "sha256-d0Q3Lk80JqkS1B54Mahu2yY/WocOqFFbZVBh+ToGhaE=";
# };
# package = config.boot.kernelPackages.nvidiaPackages.mkDriver {
# version = "550.40.07";
# sha256_64bit = "sha256-KYk2xye37v7ZW7h+uNJM/u8fNf7KyGTZjiaU03dJpK0=";
# sha256_aarch64 = "sha256-AV7KgRXYaQGBFl7zuRcfnTGr8rS5n13nGUIe3mJTXb4=";
# openSha256 = "sha256-mRUTEWVsbjq+psVe+kAT6MjyZuLkG2yRDxCMvDJRL1I=";
# settingsSha256 = "sha256-c30AQa4g4a1EHmaEu1yc05oqY01y+IusbBuq+P6rMCs=";
# persistencedSha256 = "sha256-11tLSY8uUIl4X/roNnxf5yS2PQvHvoNjnd2CB67e870=";
# };
modesetting.enable = true;
nvidiaSettings = true;
};
# Weird that "xserver" is here when we are using Wayland. But this is required
# to install the NVIDIA driver.
services.xserver.videoDrivers = [ "nvidia" ];
In my case, it just worked, on two machines. Just added steam and lutris into the config along with two other options recommended for gaming and it worked.
Specifically programs.steam.enable = true sets up the direct rendering and 32-bit libraries that you generally need.
I was confused at first about how to install wine runners in Lutris or in Bottles. It turns out you do it the same way as in any other distro, through the app.
Search the manual for support32Bit configuration options, like hardware.opengl.support32Bit, hardware.pulseaudio.support32Bit, or services.pipewire.alsa.support32Bit. Any 32-bit games, as well as Steam itself, will need these to get their GL and PA/ALSA libraries set up properly.
You may also want to look up what programs.nix-ld.enable does, although I hear that there’s a better harness builtin as of NixOS 24.05.
All that said, everything Just Worked when I last tried. I haven’t run Steam in a while, though. I do use Retroarch and OBS without problems, though, streaming PS4 speedruns to Youtube or Peertube, and that all works out-of-box.
I haven’t tried it out yet for some reason, but I’d start here https://youtu.be/qlfm3MEbqYA
