The house pour
This is a full gaming setup in one file. Save it as gaming.nix, import it from your configuration.nix, and rebuild.
{ pkgs, ... }: {
programs.steam = {
enable = true;
remotePlay.openFirewall = true;
gamescopeSession.enable = true;
};
programs.gamemode.enable = true;
hardware.graphics.enable = true;
environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
mangohud heroic lutris protonup-qt
];
}
- Steam with Proton built in, plus ports opened for Remote Play.
- gamemode nudges your CPU into performance mode while you play.
- gamescope gives you a couch-friendly, Steam Deck-style session.
- MangoHud shows FPS and temperatures; Heroic covers Epic and GOG.
Will my games run?
Mostly, yes. When a game doesn’t run, the cause is usually its anti-cheat, which blocks Linux in general. Check your exact titles on ProtonDB and Are We Anti-Cheat Yet? before you switch.
On tap
Most single-player and many multiplayer games via Proton, plus native Linux titles.
e.g. Counter-Strike 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Hades II
Needs a tweak
Games that want a specific Proton version, a launch option, or a launcher like Heroic or Lutris.
Tip: ProtonUp-Qt installs GE-Proton in two clicks.
Not served here
Games whose kernel-level anti-cheat blocks Linux. That’s the publisher’s decision, and nothing in your config can change it.
e.g. Valorant, Fortnite, League of Legends. Keep a Windows partition if these matter.
Your graphics card
AMD and Intel: drivers are open source and built into the kernel. hardware.graphics.enable = true; in the setup above is all you need.
NVIDIA: add three lines for the proprietary driver. Recent cards (RTX 20-series and newer) can use NVIDIA’s open kernel module:
services.xserver.videoDrivers = [ "nvidia" ];
hardware.nvidia.modesetting.enable = true;
hardware.nvidia.open = true;
Launchers
| You use | On NixOS | Add to your config |
|---|---|---|
| Steam | Steam (with Proton) | programs.steam.enable |
| Epic, GOG, Amazon | Heroic Games Launcher | heroic |
| Battle.net, EA, Ubisoft | Lutris | lutris |
| Minecraft | Prism Launcher | prismlauncher |
| Discord | Discord (or Vesktop) | discord |
The landlord's rig
endgame: Ryzen 7 7800X3D · Radeon RX 9070 XT
My own gaming desktop, which runs NixOS every day. Read the config and borrow what you like.