Moonlight

What is Moonlight?

Moonlight is a client for streaming games and desktop applications from a host PC over your local network. It works with either NVIDIA's GeForce Experience (on Windows) or the open-source Sunshine server. Originally developed for NVIDIA GameStream, it has matured into a stable, widely-used tool across Linux distributions, especially since support expanded beyond proprietary NVIDIA setups.

It's ideal for Linux users who want to play Windows-exclusive games hosted on a more powerful machine, or access a remote desktop environment with full gamepad and audio support. You’ll get the best experience if you already have a gaming PC on your network and want to stream to a less powerful device like a laptop or mini PC.

Compared to GeForce NOW, Moonlight doesn’t stream from the cloud—it relies on your own hardware. Unlike the Windows-only GeForce Experience client, Moonlight on Linux feels just as capable, especially with Sunshine. Performance is nearly identical when tuned properly, and it supports modern codecs like AV1 when your hardware allows.

Best for: Linux users who want to stream games from a powerful host PC on their local network.

Key features of Moonlight

• Hardware-accelerated video decoding via VAAPI, VDPAU, and Vulkan Video
• Supports H.264, HEVC, and AV1 codecs
• 7.1 surround sound audio streaming
• 10-point multitouch input support
• Gamepad support with force feedback for up to 16 players
• Pointer capture and direct mouse control modes
• Pass-through of system shortcuts like Alt+Tab to host
• Works with both GeForce Experience and Sunshine servers

Tips for Windows users

If you're coming from GeForce NOW or GeForce Experience on Windows, Moonlight doesn’t replace cloud streaming—it replaces the local client. You’ll need to set up a host: either keep using GeForce Experience on Windows, or switch to Sunshine on Linux or Windows. Your games stay where they are; Moonlight just streams the screen. Keyboard shortcuts like Alt+Tab work if enabled, and gamepad inputs are passed through cleanly. Pair it with Sunshine for full open-source control.

Recent releases

• 6.2.0 — October 3, 2026

  New features: - Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K has been added to toggle system keyboard grab - Added support for DualSense adaptive triggers (requires a compatible host) - Gamepads with a second trackpad can now be passed to the host (requires host support) - Client…

• 6.1.0 — September 16, 2024

  New features: - Experimental YUV 4:4:4 support for improved text clarity during remote desktop usage - HDR is now supported with software decoding (requires GPU with Vulkan support) - Bitrate limit can now be increased to 500 Mbps - Audio decoding now uses…

• 6.0.1 — June 30, 2024

  New features: - HDR to SDR tonemapping is now supported by the Vulkan renderer on Linux Behavior Changes: - More time is now provided for PCs to wake up before displaying an error when starting a stream from the CLI - Moonlight will no longer try to guess VA…

• 6.0.0 — June 6, 2024

  New features: - HDR is now supported on Steam Deck and other HDR-capable Linux systems using a new Vulkan-based renderer - Vulkan Video decoding of H.264, HEVC, and AV1 is now supported using the new Vulkan renderer - Full E2E stream encryption is now…