GameMode — Optimise Linux System Performance for Gaming

Introduction

GameMode is a Linux daemon created by Feral Interactive that applies temporary system optimisations while a game or demanding application is running. It automatically switches the CPU to performance mode, adjusts I/O and process scheduling priorities, and can activate GPU performance profiles, then reverts all changes when the game exits.

What GameMode Does

• Switches the CPU frequency governor to performance mode when a game starts
• Adjusts process niceness and I/O priority for the game process
• Requests GPU performance mode on NVIDIA and AMD cards
• Inhibits the screensaver during gameplay
• Reverts all optimisations automatically when the game exits

Architecture Overview

GameMode consists of a user-space daemon (gamemoded) and a client library (libgamemode). Games or launchers call gamemode_request_start() to activate optimisations and gamemode_request_end() to deactivate them. The daemon applies changes via sysfs, inotify, and D-Bus interfaces. The gamemoderun wrapper script preloads the client library into any executable.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Install via your distro's package manager (apt, dnf, pacman) or build from source
• Configuration file lives at ~/.config/gamemode.ini or /etc/gamemode.ini
• Customise which optimisations are applied (governor, nice, ioprio, GPU)
• Define custom start/stop scripts in the config for per-game tweaks
• Verify installation with gamemoded -t (runs a self-test)

Key Features

• Zero-configuration default that works out of the box for most games
• Automatic activation via Steam launch options or Lutris integration
• GPU performance mode support for both NVIDIA and AMD drivers
• Custom script hooks for game-specific optimisations
• Lightweight daemon with minimal overhead when idle

Comparison with Similar Tools

• auto-cpufreq — always-on CPU management; GameMode applies changes only during gaming
• CoreCtrl — GUI for GPU overclocking profiles; GameMode is automatic and daemon-based
• cpupower — manual governor control; GameMode automates it per-session
• MangoHud — performance overlay for monitoring; GameMode actively optimises
• Steam's built-in settings — limited to Proton options; GameMode tunes the OS itself

FAQ

Q: Does GameMode improve FPS? A: It depends on the hardware and game. Gains of 5-15% are common on systems where the CPU governor defaults to power-saving.

Q: Is it compatible with Proton and Wine? A: Yes. Use gamemoderun %command% in Steam's launch options for Proton games.

Q: Does it affect other applications? A: No. Optimisations target only the requesting process and revert when it exits.

Q: Can multiple games use it simultaneously? A: Yes. The daemon reference-counts requests and keeps optimisations active while any client is running.

Sources

• https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode
• https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode/blob/master/README.md