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Gaming performance

PS5 Linux runs Steam games through Proton, and performance is solid.

Steam and Proton​

Don't use the Snap version of Steam

The Snap package of Steam has known issues on the PS5 images. On Ubuntu, install it with apt instead (or use the .deb from store.steampowered.com/about):

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install steam

Use Proton Experimental (bleeding-edge branch) for the best compatibility. For games with Easy Anti-Cheat or BattlEye, try Proton EAC or Proton BE.

Performance tips​

  • Turn on the fan and CPU/GPU boost with ps5_control before gaming, see GPU boost.
  • 1800p is a sweet spot: many games that struggle at 4K reach 90+ fps at 1800p.
  • Set RADV_DEBUG=nohiz globally if you see graphical glitches, see GPU performance tips.
  • Remove idle=halt from cmdline.txt if you notice micro-stuttering.
  • Unlock the extra compute units if your unit has them, see 40 CU unlock.
  • Raise the GPU memory ceiling for games that need more than 8 GB of VRAM, see VRAM.
  • Running Gamescope straight from a TTY (no desktop environment) is the lowest-overhead way to play. Gamescope also handles frame rate limiting and upscaling.

Game streaming​

With a VCN-enabled kernel (see Hardware video (VCN)), streaming can use H.264 hardware encoding through VAAPI. HEVC encoding only works with I-frames, so stick to H.264 for streaming. Vulkan video encoding is not supported on this GPU (GFX1013).

  • Sunshine + Moonlight: works great with VCN. Tested with Sunshine 2026.914 streaming to Moonlight with encoder = vaapi and H.264 only (turn HEVC and AV1 off in Sunshine). Both 1080p60 and 1080p120 stream fine, and DualSense forwarding works. On the release kernel without VCN, it fails with [h264_vulkan] Encoding of h264 is not supported by this device.
  • Steam Link: works with x264 software encoding. Reported CPU use is about 33% per core while streaming.
  • VR (Quest and other standalone headsets): WiVRn has given better results than Steam Link or ALVR for PC VR streaming. It is reported to work with the Quest 3. Audio can be choppy at low bitrates; raise the bitrate if you see pixelation or stutter.