Nvidia: Steam players on Linux can now use DLSS thanks to this open-source driver

NVK is the open source Vulkan driver for Nvidia graphics cards under Linux, developed within the Mesa project. Concretely, it allows you to use an Nvidia card without installing the brand’s proprietary driver. It was missing a big part: DLSS, Nvidia’s in-house upscaling technology which allows players to gain performance.

According to Phoronix, the code was integrated into version 26.2 of Mesa, which is currently under development. DLSS works with recent games launched via Steam Play, the compatibility layer that runs Windows games on Linux.

For Linux gamers, the interest is clear. DLSS remains a strong argument for Nvidia cards, and its absence from the open source driver pushed us to stay with the proprietary driver. This opening is part of a broader movement: Nvidia is taking Linux more and more seriously, and the open source ecosystem is catching up with Windows on cutting-edge technologies like the Nvidia Reflex.

A usable function, but with conditions

Despite this serious progress, DLSS support is marked as experimental and remains hidden by default: you must activate an environment variable (NVK_EXPERIMENTAL=dlss) to access it. Known bugs may therefore remain.

The most serious limitation is technical. DLSS relies on code compiled for the GPU, and the NVK driver needs this code ready to use (the bytecode) for the card used, otherwise it doesn’t work. In short: older games, which do not provide code compatible with recent cards, will not be able to benefit from DLSS on this driver for the moment. Adding this conversion would be a huge undertaking.

For the Linux player equipped with a recent Nvidia card and curious to tinker, this is good news: DLSS becomes accessible without a proprietary driver, from the stable version of Mesa planned for August. For others, it’s better to wait until the experimental status drops and older games are supported. Nvidia’s open source driver could fill one of the last big gaps.