Skip to main content

Installing on Linux

GameVault 2 ships a .deb package and an AppImage for Linux; the client itself does not need Wine. It is in public beta: crashes and missing features are expected, see the overview for the status. Download it from the download page or from GitHub Releases.

Requirements​

  • A 64-bit Linux distribution.
  • FUSE for the AppImage; Debian, Ubuntu or a derivative for the .deb package.
  • Free disk space for the download and installation folders.

Installation​

AppImage​

The AppImage runs on most distributions without installation:

chmod +x GameVault-*.AppImage
./GameVault-*.AppImage

If FUSE is missing (common on Ubuntu 22.04 and newer), install libfuse2 or start the AppImage with --appimage-extract-and-run. Tools such as AppImageLauncher can add a menu entry and handle updates.

Debian package​

  1. Install the package:

    sudo apt install ./GameVault-*.deb

  2. Start GameVault from your application menu.

The package pulls in the required WebKitGTK and GTK libraries.

First start​

  1. Add your server in the login window. See Connect to a server for sign-in, sign-up and SSO.
  2. Open Settings → Downloads and pick a download and an installation folder. GameVault creates the per-game structure inside them.
  3. Download a game from the library.

Verify​

Settings → About shows the version and update channel. If a game does not start, check the launch log before changing prefix settings.

Running Windows games​

GameVault 2 launches Windows games through umu-launcher, which manages the Proton/Wine runtime and the per-game prefix.

  • Each game gets an isolated prefix under the folder set in Settings → Games → Wine/Proton Prefix Directory.
  • Server admins can preconfigure the umu metadata per game: umu_game_id (GAMEID), umu_store (STORE) and umu_proton_path (PROTONPATH). The client inherits these values from the game metadata.
  • Launch output and errors go to the launch log. Enable Settings → Games → Launch logs to open it automatically.

Steam Deck​

On SteamOS, use the AppImage. GameVault 2 supports gamepad navigation, so it works in Gaming Mode.

  1. Download the AppImage and make it executable.
  2. Add it to Steam as a non-Steam game.
  3. Start it once in Desktop Mode to finish the server login.
  4. Switch to Gaming Mode and launch it from your library.

Games started by GameVault inherit Steam's environment when GameVault itself was started through Steam, so overlays and controller mappings keep working.

Next steps​