How to Install and Configure Vulkan on Arch Linux

Vulkan is a low-overhead, cross-platform 3D graphics and compute API developed by the Khronos Group. It offers high-efficiency, high-performance access to modern GPUs, making it the preferred choice for gaming, 3D rendering, and scientific computing applications. On Arch Linux, thanks to its rolling-release nature and bleeding-edge repository, Vulkan support is robust and frequently updated. This guide will walk you through installing and configuring Vulkan on Arch Linux.

1. Introduction to Vulkan

Vulkan is often seen as the successor to OpenGL, offering better performance and more direct control over GPU operations. While OpenGL is easier to use for beginners, Vulkan’s detailed API allows developers to squeeze out extra performance, particularly in multi-threaded applications.

In the Linux ecosystem, Vulkan is widely supported through open-source and proprietary drivers, and Arch Linux provides fast access to the latest versions through the official repositories and AUR (Arch User Repository).

2. Prerequisites

Before diving in, ensure that:

• You are running a recent and updated version of Arch Linux.
• You have sudo privileges.
• Your system is equipped with a Vulkan-compatible GPU.

Run the following command to update your system:

sudo pacman -Syu

Also, reboot if any kernel or driver updates were installed.

3. Identify Your GPU

Vulkan support varies based on GPU vendor and driver. The first step is to identify your GPU:

lspci | grep -E "VGA|3D"

This will output something like:

• For NVIDIA:

  01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation TU117 [GeForce GTX 1650] (rev a1)
  

• For AMD:

  01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Navi 21 [Radeon RX 6800 XT]
  

• For Intel:

  00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation UHD Graphics 620 (Whiskey Lake)
  

Take note of your GPU vendor as it will determine the Vulkan driver package you need to install.

4. Install Vulkan Packages

The core Vulkan libraries are available from the Arch repos:

sudo pacman -S vulkan-icd-loader vulkan-validation-layers vulkan-tools

Explanation:

• vulkan-icd-loader: Provides the Vulkan loader.
• vulkan-validation-layers: Optional debugging layers, useful for development or troubleshooting.
• vulkan-tools: Includes command-line tools like vulkaninfo and cube.

These packages are vendor-agnostic. Next, you’ll install the vendor-specific drivers.

5. Install Driver-Specific Vulkan Packages

For Intel GPUs

sudo pacman -S vulkan-intel

Note: For newer Intel Arc GPUs, the package intel-media-driver may also be relevant.

For AMD GPUs

sudo pacman -S vulkan-radeon

This installs the RADV (Radeon Vulkan) driver, maintained by the Mesa project. It is open-source and usually sufficient. Optionally, you can install AMDVLK:

sudo pacman -S amdvlk

If both vulkan-radeon and amdvlk are installed, you can control which one to use using environment variables (explained later).

For NVIDIA GPUs

First, install the proprietary driver:

sudo pacman -S nvidia nvidia-utils

Then install Vulkan support:

sudo pacman -S lib32-nvidia-utils

If you’re using the open-source nouveau driver, note that Vulkan support is limited and not recommended for performance-critical tasks.

6. Verify Vulkan Installation

After installing the appropriate packages, use the vulkaninfo tool to check that everything is working:

vulkaninfo | less

You should see detailed output describing your Vulkan implementation. If you get an error such as:

Cannot create Vulkan instance.

Then something is misconfigured—possibly a missing ICD or misinstalled driver.

You can also test with:

vkcube

This will open a spinning 3D cube. If you see the cube, your Vulkan setup is functional.

7. Common Vulkan Tools and Utilities

Here are some useful Vulkan utilities and tools:

• RenderDoc: A popular Vulkan/OpenGL graphics debugger.

  sudo pacman -S renderdoc
  

• DXVK: Translates Direct3D 9/10/11 calls to Vulkan. Used by Wine/Proton.

  sudo pacman -S dxvk-bin
  

• vkmark: A Vulkan benchmark tool (available from AUR).

  yay -S vkmark
  

• vulkan-trace / vulkan-replay: Tools for capturing and replaying Vulkan command streams.

8. Troubleshooting

Problem: vulkaninfo fails

• Make sure you’ve installed both vulkan-icd-loader and the correct ICD driver (e.g., vulkan-intel, vulkan-radeon, or nvidia-utils).

• Check environment variables that affect Vulkan behavior:

  echo $VK_ICD_FILENAMES
  echo $VK_LAYER_PATH
  

  These should normally be unset unless you are using multiple Vulkan drivers or working in a development environment.

Problem: Multiple Vulkan drivers installed (AMD)

If you installed both vulkan-radeon and amdvlk, set VK_ICD_FILENAMES to explicitly choose the ICD file:

export VK_ICD_FILENAMES=/usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/amd_icd64.json

Or for RADV:

export VK_ICD_FILENAMES=/usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/radeon_icd.x86_64.json

Add this line to your shell configuration (e.g., .bashrc or .zshrc) to make it permanent.

9. Performance Tips

Here are a few tips for improving Vulkan performance on Arch Linux:

• Use the latest Mesa drivers (for AMD and Intel): Arch is usually up to date, but you can use mesa-git from the AUR for bleeding-edge improvements.

• Enable async compilation in games that support it (like Vulkan-based Proton games).

• Use gamemode: A performance tool by Feral Interactive that optimizes the system for gaming:

  sudo pacman -S gamemode
  

• Configure CPU governor:

  sudo cpupower frequency-set -g performance
  

• Disable compositors: Tools like picom can cause micro-stuttering in full-screen Vulkan applications. Consider turning them off while gaming.

10. Conclusion

Vulkan is a powerful graphics API that brings high performance and fine-grained control to developers and users. Arch Linux, being on the bleeding edge, is a great platform for Vulkan development and gaming alike.

Installing Vulkan on Arch is relatively straightforward, provided you install the correct driver packages for your GPU. Once installed, tools like vulkaninfo and vkcube help verify functionality, and further tools such as DXVK and RenderDoc can enhance your experience or aid in development.

Whether you’re gaming, experimenting with Vulkan development, or trying to optimize graphics performance, Arch gives you the flexibility and power to take full advantage of Vulkan.

Additional Resources

• Vulkan Specification (Khronos)
• Arch Wiki – Vulkan
• Proton GitHub (for Vulkan gaming on Wine)