STALKER Clear Sky won't start - Pixel Shader v1.1 error - no Proton log generated

OsGari · 26 July 2025 07:06

Hi everyone,
This is my first issue running a game on Garuda. I’ve been battling this for hours with the help of ChatGPT, but I can’t seem to fix it. What frustrates me the most is that the game used to work in a previous Garuda install, but I’ve had to reinstall the OS several times for unrelated reasons (not Garuda’s fault at all — it turned out to be a weird DisplayPort/HDMI cable issue… or maybe just me being dumb).

I asked ChatGPT to summarize everything I’ve tried over the past three (or four… or more?) hours. Here’s a pretty accurate overview of the situation so far:

The Problem
STALKER Clear Sky (Steam ID: 20510) — the original version, not the Enhanced Edition — throws this error immediately on launch:

Your video card doesn’t meet game requirements. Pixel Shaders v1.1 or higher required.

This message appears instantly, and no Proton logs are generated, which suggests that Proton isn’t even launching properly for this game.

System Info

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
Driver: Official NVIDIA 575.xx, correctly installed and working
Distro: Garuda Linux (Arch-based)
Steam: Latest version from the repos
Proton: GE-Proton10-10, correctly installed and forced for this game
Vulkan: Available and working (checked with vulkaninfo)
Arch: 64-bit, all common dependencies installed

Steps Tried (Unsuccessful)

Forced GE-Proton10-10 from Steam game properties
Removed amdvlk (paru -Rns amdvlk) to avoid Vulkan ICD conflicts (NVIDIA-only system)
Removed llvmpipe from Vulkan device list

At first, vulkaninfo listed two devices:
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (real GPU)
- llvmpipe (LLVM 20.1.8, 128-bit) — a CPU-based software renderer
We found amdvlk was adding its own ICD file, causing llvmpipe to appear as a valid Vulkan device.
After uninstalling amdvlk and rebooting, llvmpipe no longer appears — Vulkan now only lists the NVIDIA GPU, confirming that the ICD conflict was resolved.

Re-verified vulkaninfo — no warnings, only GTX 1650 listed
Deleted compatdata/20510/ to reset Proton/Wine prefix
Tried launching via terminal with PROTON_LOG=1 steam — no steam-20510.log is created, reinforcing the idea that Proton never launches
Verified game path:

~/.steam/steam/steamapps/common/STALKER Clear Sky/bin/xrEngine.exe
This is the only .exe present (as expected for Clear Sky)

Also tried Proton Experimental
Confirmed the game worked perfectly in previous Garuda installs with this same GPU

Observations

The Pixel Shader v1.1 error usually appears when a Windows game is launched outside of Proton, or if Proton fails to initialize DirectX.
Since there’s no Proton log and the error shows up instantly, it seems Proton is not being triggered properly for this game, even though it is forced in Steam settings.

I hope this summary helps.
The Zone needs me.
Thanks in advance for your time and support.

System:
  Kernel: 6.12.40-1-lts arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 15.1.1
    clocksource: tsc avail: hpet,acpi_pm
    parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/@/boot/vmlinuz-linux-lts
    root=UUID=89f590d7-86ad-4cf7-bc04-ea33f95b33d4 rw rootflags=subvol=@
    quiet resume=UUID=351ff520-6778-426c-8855-8d6946d3203a loglevel=3 ibt=off
  Desktop: Xfce v: 4.20.1 tk: Gtk v: 3.24.48 wm: xfwm4 v: 4.20.0
    with: xfce4-panel tools: xfce4-screensaver avail: xautolock vt: 7
    dm: LightDM v: 1.32.0 Distro: Garuda base: Arch Linux
Machine:
  Type: Desktop Mobo: Gigabyte model: EP45T-UD3LR serial: <superuser required>
    uuid: <superuser required> BIOS: Award v: F10 date: 06/07/2010
CPU:
  Info: model: Intel Core2 Quad Q9650 bits: 64 type: MCP arch: Penryn
    level: v1 built: 2008 process: Intel 45nm family: 6 model-id: 0x17 (23)
    stepping: 0xA (10) microcode: 0xA0B
  Topology: cpus: 1x dies: 1 clusters: 2 cores: 4 smt: <unsupported> cache:
    L1: 256 KiB desc: d-4x32 KiB; i-4x32 KiB L2: 12 MiB desc: 2x6 MiB
  Speed (MHz): avg: 2000 min/max: 2000/3000 scaling: driver: acpi-cpufreq
    governor: schedutil cores: 1: 2000 2: 2000 3: 2000 4: 2000 bogomips: 24004
  Flags: ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 ssse3 vmx
  Vulnerabilities: <filter>
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA TU117 [GeForce GTX 1650] vendor: Gigabyte driver: nvidia
    v: 575.64.05 alternate: nouveau,nvidia_drm non-free: 550-570.xx+
    status: current (as of 2025-04; EOL~2026-12-xx) arch: Turing code: TUxxx
    process: TSMC 12nm FF built: 2018-2022 pcie: gen: 1 speed: 2.5 GT/s
    lanes: 16 link-max: gen: 2 speed: 5 GT/s ports: active: none off: HDMI-A-2
    empty: DP-1,HDMI-A-1 bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:1f82 class-ID: 0300
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 21.1.18 compositor: xfwm4 v: 4.20.0 driver:
    X: loaded: nvidia unloaded: modesetting,nouveau alternate: fbdev,nv,vesa
    gpu: nvidia,nvidia-nvswitch display-ID: :0.0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 509x286mm (20.04x11.26")
    s-diag: 584mm (22.99")
  Monitor-1: HDMI-A-2 mapped: HDMI-1 note: disabled model: Samsung
    serial: <filter> built: 2016 res: mode: 1920x1080 hz: 60 scale: 100% (1)
    dpi: 26 gamma: 1.2 size: 1872x1053mm (73.7x41.46") diag: 1168mm (46")
    ratio: 16:9 modes: max: 3840x2160 min: 640x480
  API: EGL v: 1.5 hw: drv: nvidia platforms: device: 0 drv: nvidia device: 2
    drv: swrast gbm: drv: nvidia surfaceless: drv: nvidia x11: drv: nvidia
    inactive: wayland,device-1
  API: OpenGL v: 4.6.0 compat-v: 4.5 vendor: nvidia mesa v: 575.64.05
    glx-v: 1.4 direct-render: yes renderer: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650/PCIe/SSE2
    memory: 3.91 GiB
  API: Vulkan v: 1.4.321 layers: 12 device: 0 type: discrete-gpu
    name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 driver: nvidia v: 575.64.05
    device-ID: 10de:1f82 surfaces: N/A device: 1 type: cpu name: llvmpipe
    (LLVM 20.1.8 128 bits) driver: mesa llvmpipe v: 25.1.6-arch1.1 (LLVM
    20.1.8) device-ID: 10005:0000 surfaces: N/A
  Info: Tools: api: eglinfo, glxinfo, vulkaninfo de: xfce4-display-settings
    gpu: nvidia-settings,nvidia-smi x11: xdpyinfo, xprop, xrandr
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel 82801JI HD Audio vendor: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R
    driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 00:1b.0 chip-ID: 8086:3a3e
    class-ID: 0403
  Device-2: NVIDIA vendor: Gigabyte driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel pcie:
    gen: 2 speed: 5 GT/s lanes: 16 bus-ID: 01:00.1 chip-ID: 10de:10fa
    class-ID: 0403
  API: ALSA v: k6.12.40-1-lts status: kernel-api tools: N/A
  Server-1: PipeWire v: 1.4.6 status: active with: 1: pipewire-pulse
    status: active 2: wireplumber status: active 3: pipewire-alsa type: plugin
    4: pw-jack type: plugin tools: pactl,pw-cat,pw-cli,wpctl
Network:
  Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8211/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet
    vendor: Gigabyte driver: r8169 v: kernel pcie: gen: 1 speed: 2.5 GT/s
    lanes: 1 port: ce00 bus-ID: 04:00.0 chip-ID: 10ec:8168 class-ID: 0200
  IF: enp4s0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
  Info: services: NetworkManager,systemd-timesyncd
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 1.13 TiB used: 52.84 GiB (4.6%)
  SMART Message: Required tool smartctl not installed. Check --recommends
  ID-1: /dev/sda maj-min: 8:0 vendor: SanDisk model: SSD PLUS 240GB
    size: 223.57 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 3.0 Gb/s
    tech: SSD serial: <filter> fw-rev: 04RL scheme: MBR
  ID-2: /dev/sdb maj-min: 8:16 vendor: Samsung model: HD103UJ
    size: 931.51 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 3.0 Gb/s
    tech: N/A serial: <filter> fw-rev: 1109 scheme: MBR
Partition:
  ID-1: / raw-size: 206.39 GiB size: 206.39 GiB (100.00%)
    used: 52.84 GiB (25.6%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda1 maj-min: 8:1
  ID-2: /home raw-size: 206.39 GiB size: 206.39 GiB (100.00%)
    used: 52.84 GiB (25.6%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda1 maj-min: 8:1
  ID-3: /var/log raw-size: 206.39 GiB size: 206.39 GiB (100.00%)
    used: 52.84 GiB (25.6%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda1 maj-min: 8:1
  ID-4: /var/tmp raw-size: 206.39 GiB size: 206.39 GiB (100.00%)
    used: 52.84 GiB (25.6%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda1 maj-min: 8:1
Swap:
  Kernel: swappiness: 133 (default 60) cache-pressure: 100 (default) zswap: no
  ID-1: swap-1 type: zram size: 15.62 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) priority: 100
    comp: zstd avail: lzo-rle,lzo,lz4,lz4hc,deflate,842 max-streams: 4
    dev: /dev/zram0
  ID-2: swap-2 type: partition size: 17.18 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%)
    priority: -2 dev: /dev/sda2 maj-min: 8:2
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 33.0 C mobo: N/A gpu: nvidia temp: 30 C
  Fan Speeds (rpm): N/A gpu: nvidia fan: 0%
Info:
  Memory: total: 16 GiB available: 15.62 GiB used: 4.01 GiB (25.7%)
  Processes: 264 Power: uptime: 2h 29m states: freeze,mem,disk suspend: deep
    avail: s2idle wakeups: 0 hibernate: platform avail: shutdown, reboot,
    suspend, test_resume image: 6.19 GiB services: upowerd,xfce4-power-manager
    Init: systemd v: 257 default: graphical tool: systemctl
  Packages: pm: pacman pkgs: 1247 libs: 376 tools: paru Compilers:
    clang: 20.1.8 gcc: 15.1.1 Shell: garuda-inxi default: Bash v: 5.3.3
    running-in: xfce4-terminal inxi: 3.3.38
Garuda (2.7.3-2):
  System install date:     2025-07-25
  Last full system update: 2025-07-26
  Is partially upgraded:   No
  Relevant software:       snapper NetworkManager dracut
  Windows dual boot:       <superuser required>
  Failed units:

gampel · 26 July 2025 11:22

Next post like chat gpt as info…

Of course.. not the right driver for your gpu (my mind)

wrong (my mind)
You need the nvidia-open-lts driver..reason: lts kernel is installed. (my mind)

to install over garuda-hardware-tool or handmade konsole. But before you have to uninstall the wrong driver.

That you use chat gpt to solved your issue, good idea to “help” yourself, only, wrong info for the Ai result =
You stay on Garuda Linux → Arch based → mostly chat gpt can’t handle this.
pls post pacman -Qs nvidia if you don’t know how to uninstall the right stuff and we “knows” then what command you need.

OsGari · 26 July 2025 11:52

Is the latest NVIDIA driver incorrect and do I need to use a different one? Finally, it seems like I’m making some progress.

pacman -Qs nvidia:

local/egl-gbm 1.1.2.1-1
    The GBM EGL external platform library
local/egl-wayland 4:1.1.19-1
    EGLStream-based Wayland external platform
local/egl-x11 1.0.2-1
    NVIDIA XLib and XCB EGL Platform Library
local/garuda-hardware-profile-nvidia 1.0.0-4
    Garuda Linux hardware profile with nvidia drivers
local/lib32-nvidia-utils 575.64.05-1
    NVIDIA drivers utilities (32-bit)
local/lib32-opencl-nvidia 575.64.05-1
    OpenCL implemention for NVIDIA (32-bit)
local/libvdpau 1.5-3
    Nvidia VDPAU library
local/libxnvctrl 575.64.05-1
    NVIDIA NV-CONTROL X extension
local/linux-firmware-nvidia 20250708-1
    Firmware files for Linux - Firmware for NVIDIA GPUs and SoCs
local/nvidia-open-dkms 575.64.05-1
    NVIDIA open kernel modules - module sources
local/nvidia-prime 1.0-5
    NVIDIA Prime Render Offload configuration and utilities
local/nvidia-settings 575.64.05-1
    Tool for configuring the NVIDIA graphics driver
local/nvidia-utils 575.64.05-1
    NVIDIA drivers utilities
local/opencl-nvidia 575.64.05-1
    OpenCL implemention for NVIDIA
local/xf86-video-nouveau 1.0.18-1 (xorg-drivers)
    Open Source 3D acceleration driver for nVidia cards

gampel · 26 July 2025 14:36

Examples :

You have “only” one dgpu installed…you don`t need nvidia-prime

And i read no info about the nvidia-open-lts driver but nvidia-open-dkms

pls uninstall over konsole:
sudo pacman -Rdd nvidia-open-dkms nvidia-settings nvidia-utils opencl-nvidia libxnvctrl lib32-nvidia-utils lib32-opencl-nvidia gwe python-py3nvml nvidia-prime

no reboot and install then (yes to all dependence)

sudo pacman -S nvidia-open-lts egl-wayland lib32-nvidia-utils lib32-opencl-nvidia nvidia-settings opencl-nvidia nvidia-utils

reboot → test = ?

or use garuda-hardware-tool --nonfree over konsole (can’t self test this)
use after this pacman -Qs nividia to “see” if the lts package is installed
and if you like and all running well give a comment inside this topic

OsGari · 26 July 2025 17:49

Alright, thanks for your help!
STALKER Clear Sky still doesn’t launch (it shows the same popup asking for Pixel Shaders 1.1)… but the rest of my games have improved! In Black Mesa, a bunch of graphical glitches are now gone, and the overall performance has improved across all Half-Life 2-based games.

I guess the obvious difference is that STALKER doesn’t have a native Linux version.

pacman -Qs nividia

local/egl-gbm 1.1.2.1-1
    The GBM EGL external platform library
local/egl-wayland 4:1.1.19-1
    EGLStream-based Wayland external platform
local/egl-x11 1.0.2-1
    NVIDIA XLib and XCB EGL Platform Library
local/garuda-hardware-profile-nvidia 1.0.0-4
    Garuda Linux hardware profile with nvidia drivers
local/lib32-nvidia-utils 575.64.05-1
    NVIDIA drivers utilities (32-bit)
local/lib32-opencl-nvidia 575.64.05-1
    OpenCL implemention for NVIDIA (32-bit)
local/libvdpau 1.5-3
    Nvidia VDPAU library
local/libxnvctrl 575.64.05-1
    NVIDIA NV-CONTROL X extension
local/linux-firmware-nvidia 20250708-1
    Firmware files for Linux - Firmware for NVIDIA GPUs and SoCs
local/nvidia-open-lts 575.64.05-2
    NVIDIA open kernel modules
local/nvidia-settings 575.64.05-1
    Tool for configuring the NVIDIA graphics driver
local/nvidia-utils 575.64.05-1
    NVIDIA drivers utilities
local/opencl-nvidia 575.64.05-1
    OpenCL implemention for NVIDIA
local/xf86-video-nouveau 1.0.18-1 (xorg-drivers)
    Open Source 3D acceleration driver for nVidia cards

gampel · 26 July 2025 19:13

https://www.protondb.com/app/20510
Perhaps with another proton version ?
Global settings inside steam for proton ? I would not use this.
Launch a game with proton (equal which version) inside game settings (my mind)
more info perhaps from the “Gamer” here inside forum.

Default you have both systems installed not “only” native.

OsGari · 26 July 2025 22:19

Perhaps with another proton version ?
Global settings inside steam for proton I would not use this.
Launch a game with proton (equal which version) inside game settings (my mind)

I installed GE-Proton10-10 and forced it in Steam’s options. I also tried the default Proton, Proton Experimental. The result is the same.

Default you have both systems installed not “only” native.

I don’t think so, because there isn’t a single .exe in the game folders indicated by Steam as “Steam Linux Runtime”.

While games marked with “Proton” do have any .exe files in their folders.

more info perhaps from the “Gamer” here inside forum.

I’ll open another thread there, asking. Thanks for the help anyway; the performance difference with these drivers is huge.

gampel · 26 July 2025 22:33

wrong
default launch command for steam is /usr/bin/steam
default launch command for steam native is /usr/bin/steam-native
You can see both entrys in the application menu (default internet / games)

OsGari · 26 July 2025 22:58

I think Google Translate is confusing me… The Steam app installs on Linux in its native version for Linux, obviously, but the games don’t. The games install on their Linux version, if it exists, and if not, it installs the normal Windows versions and runs them with Proton. Isn’t that right?

Edit: I can’t find a file or folder anywhere named “steam-native.” Perhaps that’s changed over time in an update?

Edit (again): Ah, okay, I think I get it now.
I can launch Steam in either version, although pacman -Qs steam-native returns nothing in my terminal, so I assume I don’t have the native runtime installed.
But the games themselves are the same — either native Linux versions (when available) or Windows versions running through Proton.
For example, Half-Life 2 has a native Linux version, while STALKER Clear Sky does not. ¿Correct?

gampel · 27 July 2025 08:41

no…steam handle this for you..not the game..for this “we” have a “native” steam version to play and a “default” steam version to play.
Difference …as info:

as info:
with the last steam client update
Proton is now enabled by default for games that don’t have a native Linux build.

This new behavior is equivalent to enabling “Enable Steam Play for all other titles” in Settings.
I didn’t know this and result on my test system…

OsGari · 27 July 2025 20:06

I think I’ll learn a bit of Arch before diving into the Linux gaming scene with Garuda. I got into this without knowing much more than how to install LibreOffice on Ubuntu. I’ll be back. Thanks for the help.

MrHakkuh · 27 July 2025 21:53

As from the screenshots, you’re running an ancient proton version. Get the latest proton from GE by installing ‘protonup-qt’ and use that GUI to download the latest. Then try again.

MrHakkuh · 27 July 2025 22:32

I must be sleepy. I mistakenly thought the steam screenshot was from the thread starter. My bad.

gampel · 27 July 2025 23:25

yes..right and no prop.. it’s late.

Apocalypticus · 28 July 2025 06:35

In addition not all games are compatible with the latest Proton version. Some games require older versions. Therefore, “outdated” is the wrong term.

Kayo · 4 September 2025 12:00

This topic was automatically closed after 22 hours. New replies are no longer allowed.