How to Use Lossless Scaling on Linux: Frame Generation Guide

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Lossless Scaling has become an essential tool for Windows gamers looking to boost performance on modest hardware.

But what about Linux?

Thanks to the Pancake project (LSFG-VK), you can now use Frame Generation and Scaling technologies directly on the Penguin’s OS.

Including your Steam Deck!

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the installation and, most importantly, the technical tweaks needed to make your FPS counter (MangoHud) accurately track generated frames.

1. Requirements

  • Lossless Scaling (Steam): You must own the original software on your Steam account.
  • Pancake (LSFG-VK): The backend that bridges Linux and the Windows executable. Download the latest release (deb, rpm, or pkg.tar.zst) from the Official GitHub.

2. Installing on your distro

  • Distributions using DPKG (Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, etc.):
    sudo apt install ./lsfg-vk-x.y.z-x86_64.deb

  • Distributions using RPM (Fedora, etc.):
    sudo dnf install ./lsfg-vk-x.y.z-x86_64.rpm

  • Distributions using ALPM (Arch Linux, CachyOS, SteamOS, etc.):
    sudo pacman -U ./lsfg-vk-x.y.z-x86_64.tar.zst

3. Configuring Your Profile

After installing Pancake, open the interface and create a New Profile (e.g., “Gaming”):

  • Executable Path: Point to the lossless-scaling.exe file inside your Steam folder (usually .steam/steam/steamapps/common/Lossless Scaling).
  • Multiplier: Choose your FPS boost (2x, 3x, or even 4x).
  • Present Mode: Set to Immediate to reduce ghosting artifacts.

4. The “Secret Sauce”: Fixing MangoHud

A common issue is MangoHud showing only native FPS. To fix this, you must manually copy the Vulkan layer file:

Copy VK_LAYER_LS_frame_generation.json from /usr/share/vulkan/implicit_layer.d/ to:

  • ~/.local/share/vulkan/implicit_layer.d/
  • /etc/vulkan/implicit_layer.d/ (Use sudo mkdir -p if these folders don’t exist).

5. Launch Options

Add the following command to your Steam or Heroic Launcher game properties:

LSFG_PROCESS=Gaming %command%

🚀 Real World Results

Testing shows that games like Ark Raiders can jump from 44 native FPS to a stable 114 FPS at 1440p using an RX 6600. While some visual ghosting is expected, the fluidity gain is a game-changer for entry-level setups.

Steam Deck Installation (SteamOS Guide)

Instead of using Pancake’s project, He recommends using Decky plugin for lsfg-vk.

  1. Download the “decky-lsfg-vk.zip” file to your Steam Deck
  2. In Game Mode, go to the settings cog in the top right of the Decky Loader tab
  3. Enable “Developer Mode”
  4. Go to “Developer” tab and select “Install Plugin from Zip”
  5. Select the downloaded “decky-lsfg-vk.zip” file

How to use Lossless Scaling on Steam Deck?

  1. Purchase and install Lossless Scaling from Steam
  2. Open the plugin from the Decky menu
  3. Click “Install lsfg-vk” to automatically set up the lsfg-vk vulkan layer
  4. Configure settings using the plugin’s UI – adjust FPS multiplier, flow scale, performance mode, HDR settings, and experimental features
  5. Apply launch option to games you want to use frame generation with:
    • Add ~/lsfg %command% to your game’s launch options in Steam Properties
    • Or use the “Launch Option Clipboard” button in the plugin to copy the command
  6. Launch your game – frame generation will activate automatically using your plugin configuration

Conclusion

Using Lossless Scaling via Pancake is the ultimate fix for Linux gamers who want high-resolution gaming without a high-end GPU.

If you’ve already followed our Windows optimization guide, it’s time to bring that same performance to your Linux distro!

Source: https://github.com/PancakeTAS/lsfg-vk
https://github.com/xXJSONDeruloXx/decky-lsfg-vk

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