Hey everyone! I recently switched from Windows 11 to Ubuntu 25.04, and I’m really enjoying it. However, I’m having trouble getting HDR to work for gaming, specifically in Helldivers 2. Back on Windows, the “Auto HDR” feature made everything look bright and vibrant. But now on Ubuntu, despite HDR being enabled in my system settings, all my games are running in SDR. Here are the details of my setup: – OS: Ubuntu 25.04 (Wayland) – Hardware: AMD 6900XT + Ryzen 7950X3D – Monitor: 4K HDR capable (worked great on Windows) – Game: Helldivers 2 (via Steam + Lutris) – HDR is enabled in System Settings, and I’ve tried HDR-related flags from gamescope in Lutris under Custom Settings. The issue is that even though the game launches, it always displays in SDR, and nothing I do seems to change that. HDR worked perfectly on Windows, so I know my hardware can handle it. Has anyone managed to get HDR working on Ubuntu for games? Am I missing configurations in Lutris or Steam, or are there other tools I should try for HDR support? Is there a way to replicate Windows’ “Auto HDR” functionality on Ubuntu? I’d really appreciate any tips or advice! Thanks in advance!
2 Answers
To get HDR working on Ubuntu, you might want to close Steam and start a new tty session. Try launching Gamescope with the command: `gamescope -r [monitor refresh rate] –mangoapp -e — steam -steamos3 -steamdeck`. This method can help HDR to kick in properly. Just remember to adjust the monitor refresh rate in the command accordingly!
Currently, HDR support on Linux is quite limited. The KDE desktop environment seems to handle HDR better than Gnome (which Ubuntu uses). Unfortunately, HDR might only work on the desktop level and lacks support for web browsers. If you want HDR in games, you might have to experiment with the Gamescope microcompositor for a session-wide solution, though it’s not really worth all the trouble. Also, keep in mind that Wine’s Wayland support is still experimental, so you’re not likely to see HDR in games that aren’t native to Linux.
I heard they might implement better HDR support in the next Wine version. Is that true?
So you’re saying this is the only way to do it within Wayland?