v6.1.0-vrr17.1: Linux SDR color fix and faster 4K 120+ FPS

VRR17.1 is a stable follow-up to VRR17. It fixes washed-out SDR colors on Linux when VRR is enabled, and it reduces the GPU work Windows spends on 4K streams at 120 FPS and above.

Pacing, latency presets, and the rest of VRR17 are unchanged. Host capture stalls, network interruptions, and game-driven frame-rate changes can still be visible.

What's New

• Correct SDR colors on Linux VRR. Moonlight now uses the same renderer for the startup color-range probe as it does for playback. SDR streams no longer come back washed out when VRR is enabled.
• Faster 4K at 120 FPS and above on Windows. Eligible 4K streams bind decoder textures directly instead of copying every frame, which cuts a large amount of GPU copy work at high refresh rates. 1080p and 1440p behavior is unchanged.

Timing Presets

These are the same VRR17 presets.

These are maximum buffer allowances, not delay added all the time. Every preset also respects the shared queue-capacity limit. Stable delivery can let the queue drain toward its minimum. Smooth intentionally trades more potential delay for a tighter and longer-term motion target.

The percentages are controller timing-quality targets weighted by the severity and duration of client-added spacing errors. They are not percentages of perfectly displayed frames, optical measurements, or promises of tear-free output.

Existing users: Confirm that V-Sync and VRR are enabled, select Low Latency, Balanced Target, or Smooth, and reconnect after changing the preset or Reduce judder.

Downloads

Steam Deck Installation

1. Switch to Desktop Mode.

2. Download Moonlight-VRR-6.1.0-vrr17.1-linux-x86_64.flatpak from the assets below.

3. Open Konsole and change to the download folder:

   cd ~/Downloads

4. For a first installation, run:

   flatpak install --user ./Moonlight-VRR-6.1.0-vrr17.1-linux-x86_64.flatpak

   To update or replace an earlier VRR build, run:

   flatpak install --user --reinstall ./Moonlight-VRR-6.1.0-vrr17.1-linux-x86_64.flatpak

5. Open Steam in Desktop Mode and add Moonlight as a non-Steam game. If an older Moonlight shortcut already exists, remove it and add Moonlight again so Steam selects the user-installed VRR17.1 Flatpak.

6. Return to Gaming Mode and launch Moonlight.

No sudo, Mesa downgrade, Flatpak mask, or compatibility installer script is required.

Other Linux Distributions

Install Flatpak through your distribution if it is not already available, download the .flatpak asset, then run from the directory containing the download:

flatpak install --user ./Moonlight-VRR-6.1.0-vrr17.1-linux-x86_64.flatpak

To replace an existing Moonlight VRR build:

flatpak install --user --reinstall ./Moonlight-VRR-6.1.0-vrr17.1-linux-x86_64.flatpak

Launch it from the desktop application menu or with:

flatpak run com.moonlight_stream.Moonlight

This bundle targets 64-bit x86 Linux and uses the same Flatpak application ID as standard Moonlight. If both a system-wide and user installation exist, your desktop shortcut may need to be recreated so it opens the user installation.

Windows Installation

Installer

1. Close Moonlight completely before installing the update.
2. Download MoonlightSetup-6.1.0-vrr17.1.exe from the assets below.
3. Run the setup EXE and follow the installer prompts. This installer includes the Visual C++ runtime and replaces stock Moonlight 6.1.0 or an earlier VRR MSI.
4. If Windows warns that the build is from an unknown publisher, confirm that you downloaded it from this release before continuing. This build is intentionally unsigned.
5. Launch Moonlight from the Start menu when installation finishes.

Uninstalling the previous build first is not required.

Portable ZIP

1. Close any running copy of Moonlight.
2. Download MoonlightPortable-x64-6.1.0-vrr17.1.zip from the assets below.
3. Extract the entire ZIP to a new writable folder. Do not run Moonlight directly from inside the ZIP.
4. Run Moonlight.exe from the extracted folder.

Keep all extracted files together. If replacing an older portable build, use a fresh folder or replace the complete extracted directory while Moonlight is closed.

AppImage Installation

Download Moonlight-6.1.0-vrr17.1-x86_64.AppImage, make it executable, and run it:

chmod +x Moonlight-6.1.0-vrr17.1-x86_64.AppImage
./Moonlight-6.1.0-vrr17.1-x86_64.AppImage

How to Use VRR

1. Enable V-Sync in Moonlight.
2. Enable VRR.
3. Make sure FreeSync, G-Sync, or Adaptive-Sync is enabled for the display.
4. In Moonlight's frame-rate setting, choose one of the entries marked VRR.
5. Choose Low Latency, Balanced Target, or Smooth under VRR timing. Start with Balanced Target, then adjust to your preference.
6. Select a stream frame rate the host can sustain within the display's VRR range. Full-refresh and lower-rate VRR options are both available.
7. Optionally enable Reduce judder, and reconnect after changing either timing setting.

SHA-256 Checksums

8eb17df59a11efadc446820b126a0bdf7c885fcd1bcc4147a8d2d28913e88a7c  Moonlight-6.1.0-vrr17.1-x86_64.AppImage
386b2e5da041ce5f522a2b7c9cfba255259bad06e65abd32e6e208462710b938  Moonlight-VRR-6.1.0-vrr17.1-linux-x86_64.flatpak
7cf6a4700676c3ee6597a519016374e6176fb8936de1c591eddca9dcd71c53c7  MoonlightPortable-x64-6.1.0-vrr17.1.zip
a2f0504a80e9dddae96aa00125f0916ac99b674953e8f995d3d519eb81d2b576  MoonlightSetup-6.1.0-vrr17.1.exe

Notes

Host or game stalls, network interruptions, decoding delays, GPU contention, and compositor behavior can still cause visible stutter. When reporting a regression, include:

• the Moonlight session log;
• operating system and GPU;
• display model and refresh rate;
• selected stream resolution and FPS;
• selected VRR timing preset;
• whether VRR, HDR, hardware decoding, and Reduce judder were enabled; and
• for Steam Deck, whether the issue occurred in Desktop Mode or Gaming Mode.