v6.1.0-vrr8: Significantly Lower Latency VRR Streaming (Beta)

This release refactors Moonlight's VRR frame pacing. The result is significantly lower latency while keeping gameplay smooth when frame rates change or briefly dip.

Steam Deck Installation

A recent SteamOS graphics update can prevent Moonlight from opening in Gaming Mode. The guided installer below applies a temporary compatibility fix automatically.

Recommended: One-Script Steam Deck Installation

The install-vrr8-steamos.sh download performs the complete setup for the current user. It downloads and verifies Moonlight vrr8, installs it, applies the temporary compatibility fix, and schedules its automatic removal after 14 days.

1. Hold the Power button and choose Switch to Desktop.
2. Download install-vrr8-steamos.sh from the Downloads section below.
3. Open Konsole and run:

cd ~/Downloads
bash install-vrr8-steamos.sh

1. Read the summary and enter y when prompted.
2. When it finishes, open Steam in Desktop Mode.
3. Remove an older Moonlight non-Steam shortcut if one exists, then choose Games > Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library and select Moonlight.
4. Return to Gaming Mode and launch Moonlight.

The script does not use sudo and changes only the current user's Flatpak installation. The temporary graphics-component freeze can also affect updates for some other user-installed Flatpaks. It is removed automatically after 14 days; if the SteamOS issue is still present then, run the installer again.

To see when the automatic unfreeze will run:

systemctl --user status moonlight-vrr8-compatibility-reset.timer

To unfreeze immediately instead of waiting:

systemctl --user start moonlight-vrr8-compatibility-reset.service

What's New

• Significantly lower latency. Moonlight now learns how much frame queue it actually needs instead of holding a large safety buffer all the time.
• Smoother FPS changes. The queue drains quickly when frame rate drops and uses the extra VRR headroom available at lower frame rates.
• Better recovery from hiccups. Short network, decoder, or GPU stalls are cleared without turning the recovery into a burst of torn or uneven frames.
• Improved near-maximum-refresh pacing. Close to the display's refresh limit, Moonlight keeps a small temporary reserve and uses tear-free latching only when the display cannot remain reliably synchronized.
• SteamOS/Linux support. The Linux build selects the appropriate renderer automatically when VRR is enabled and retains the normal renderer order when VRR is disabled.

Technical Summary

The pacing system was changed from mostly fixed timing rules to a closed-loop controller. It measures the real decode-to-render queue age, builds only the reserve justified by recent timing variation, and gradually removes that reserve again when the stream is stable.

Backlog recovery is based on the actual headroom between the stream frame rate and the display refresh rate. Low frame rates can recover much faster without being blasted out at the panel's maximum rate, while high frame rates use gentler recovery to avoid tearing. Alignment waits are limited by the time each frame can safely afford, and fallback decisions stay tied to the specific frame rate that demonstrated a problem.

Stable cadence tracking covers streams down to approximately 20 FPS while still treating genuine long gaps as stalls rather than learning them as a new frame rate.

Existing users: After updating, open Settings and enable Enable VRR. VRR remains off by default in this beta.

Downloads

Manual Flatpak Installation

The guided script above is recommended on Steam Deck because it includes the current Gaming Mode compatibility fix. For other Linux x86_64 systems, install the bundle directly:

flatpak install --user ./Moonlight-VRR-6.1.0-vrr8-linux-x86_64.flatpak

To replace an earlier VRR beta on the user master branch:

flatpak install --user --reinstall ./Moonlight-VRR-6.1.0-vrr8-linux-x86_64.flatpak

Launch this build explicitly with:

flatpak run --user --branch=master com.moonlight_stream.Moonlight

The Flatpak uses the same application ID as Moonlight, so existing settings and paired hosts are retained.

How to Use VRR

1. Open Settings and enable Enable VRR.
2. Make sure VRR (FreeSync, G-Sync, or Adaptive-Sync) is enabled for your display.
3. On Steam Deck, enable VRR for the connected display when applicable.

Moonlight handles renderer selection and frame pacing automatically.

Beta Notice

This is a beta build. When reporting an issue, include the Moonlight session log and note whether the session was launched from Desktop Mode or Gaming Mode.