Vulkan Loading Issues in Steam: Version Mismatch and Errors Ubuntu 24.1 | Kernel 6.13 | Messa 25-git

[Posihdun]

Environment
Linux
	Distro	Ubuntu 24.10
	Kernel Build	6.13.0-061300-generic
	Machine Target	x86_64
	Version	#202501302155 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Sat Feb 8 09:06:55 UTC 2025
	DESKTOP_SESSION	ubuntu-xorg
	DISPLAY	:0

Hardware
CPUs	16
Memory	Physical Available	30 GB
System Disk Space	Free	315 GB
Current Dir Disk Space	Free	316G

Executable Info
Exe Directory	/usr/bin
Current Directory	/home/posihdun/vulkan/1.4.304.1
App Version	Version 1.3
Vulkan API Version	1.4.304
Byte Format	64-bit

I’m encountering issues with Vulkan not loading in Steam what stops me from running games that require dx12, and I'm not sure how to troubleshoot the problem.

Steps Taken:

• Tried to force Steam to use the system-wide Vulkan defaults.
• Discovered that Steam was using an older version of Vulkan when installed via Snap or Flatpak.
• Managed to get Steam (via the steam_installer.deb) to use the system-wide Vulkan, but I’m still getting the following error:
  • 'VK_KHR_surface'
  • 'VK_KHR_xlib_surface'
• I also tried running Steam through Wine, but it fails to start entirely.
• I downloaded Vulkan SDK and other tools to help with logging and debugging, but I haven’t made any progress.
• I was able to run raytracing bench marks with Phoronixs, hitting 65-90FPS maxed out settings @ 1920*1080.

It seems like Vulkan is working, but there may be a mismatch between the version of Vulkan that Steam is using and the one installed on my system.

I should note that I downloaded Vulkan samples from Git, but only a few of them run. It’s possible I compiled the package incorrectly.

I've attached the HTML and JSON (converted to text file) with my GPU and system information.

Any insight or steps for debugging would be greatly appreciated!

INFO:
GPU INFO UPLOAD

Edit: I want to note I have followed these steps and still doesn't help
Intel Drivers 
INTEL GPU PREVIEW GIT 

- Steam loads up successfully and OpenGL is enabled, but Vulkan isn't. I can run benchmarks in Steam, but only for titles that use lower than DX12.

[Posihdun · Accepted solution]

 

Solved! Here's What Worked for Me:
==================================

This thread has gotten long, so I’m dropping the full solution here. After a lot of trial and error, I finally got everything working , and with that, I’m running the game smoothly!

Key Takeaways:
--------------
I tested Steam across Snap, .deb, and Flatpak versions, and here’s what I observed:

- Snap (Steam): Successfully builds GPU topology using Mesa driver 24 — decent performance.
- .deb (Steam): GPU topology refused to build no matter what I tried — completely broken for me.
- Flatpak (Steam): GPU topology builds successfully using Mesa driver 25, with  llvmpipe as a fallback.

System Info:
------------
Hardware:
- Motherboard: ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming 4
- CPU: AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800XT × 16
- GPU: Intel® Graphics (BMG G21)
- RAM: 32.0 GiB
- Storage: 2.5 TB

Software:
- Firmware: P5.63
- OS: Ubuntu 24.10 (64-bit)
- Kernel: Linux 6.14.1
- GNOME: Version 47
- Display Server: Wayland

OS: Freedesktop SDK 24.08 (Flatpak runtime)

KERNEL: 6.14.1-061401-generic

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT 8-Core

GPU: Intel Mesa Intel (BMG G21)

GPU DRIVER: 4.6 Mesa 25.0.3 (git-c3afa2a74f)

RAM: 31 GB

The Breakthrough (Flatpak Fix):
-------------------------------
Initially, Flatpak Steam also wouldn't load GPU topology properly(at first). This started while I was trying to get Steam to recognize an external drive for games already installed on my system.

I installed and ran:

flatpak run com.github.tchx84.Flatseal

I used Flatseal to grant Steam Flatpak permissions to access the drive, but that still didn’t work. Frustrated, I hit the reset button in Flatseal , not knowing what it would do.

After that, I restarted Steam (Flatpak) and boom! GPU topology built successfully using the latest Mesa Vulkan drivers , no errors whatsoever.

FF7 Rebirth:
-------------------------
Even though other games started running flawlessly (no screen tearing, no weird issues), FF7 Rebirth still threw a DirectX error on launch.

So I dug deeper and added the following to the launch options:

VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr VKD3D_FEATURE_LEVEL=12_2 VKD3D_SHADER_MODEL=6_6 %command%

Launched the game , shaders started compiling , and minutes later I’m running around in the open world. Absolutely smooth!

Final Thoughts:
---------------
From my experience:

- Flatpak Steam = best choice. Clean, modern Mesa drivers. Easy to control permissions using Flatseal.
- Snap Steam = just okay. Some compatibility issues, but at least it builds GPU topology.
- .deb Steam = nightmare. Broken GPU detection, failed builds, and just generally not worth the hassle right now.

If you're on Ubuntu with newer hardware and using Mesa and VKD3D, I highly recommend Flatpak Steam paired with Flatseal for control.

Let me know if anyone needs help replicating this setup — happy to share more!