MangoHud is the closest Linux replacement for Steam’s in-game performance monitor. It is an open-source Vulkan and OpenGL overlay that can display FPS, frame time, CPU and GPU load, temperatures, RAM, VRAM and other telemetry inside a game. Add mangohud %command% to a Steam game’s launch options. If you want a graphical editor instead of hand-editing settings, use GOverlay: it creates MangoHud profiles and produces Steam- or Lutris-ready launch commands.
Steam’s own performance monitor remains useful, but Valve notes that its complete metric set was first available on Windows and that some metrics are unsupported on other operating systems. On Linux, API coverage, Proton, 32-bit libraries and whether Steam itself is a Flatpak can determine what appears. The guide below explains which option fits each situation and how to diagnose a missing overlay.
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Which Linux overlay should you use?
Choose based on the job rather than the name of the tool. MangoHud is the overlay engine and the best default for a Steam library. GOverlay is a graphical frontend that configures MangoHud and related gaming layers. Mesa’s overlay and GPU-vendor panels are useful in narrower diagnostic roles, but neither is a universal replacement for a Vulkan-and-OpenGL HUD.
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| Option | Best for | API or scope | Configuration | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MangoHud | FPS, frame time and hardware telemetry in Steam or Proton games | Vulkan and OpenGL | Launch option, configuration file or a frontend | 32-bit games, drivers, display sessions and packaging can affect compatibility |
| GOverlay | Readers who want a GUI and separate profiles for different games | Configures MangoHud and other Linux gaming layers | Qt6 graphical interface; per-game mode writes a profile and launch command | It is a frontend, not an independent telemetry engine |
| Mesa Vulkan overlay | Minimal Vulkan diagnostics on Mesa drivers | Vulkan only, in the documented use case | Driver-specific settings | Current official evidence does not establish it as a full Vulkan/OpenGL Steam replacement |
| GPU-vendor panel or desktop monitor | Watching system state alongside a game | Depends on the vendor or desktop | Separate application or panel | Does not automatically provide the same per-frame, in-game workflow |
For most Linux Steam users, install MangoHud first. Add GOverlay when profile management or a visual settings editor matters. Keep the Mesa and vendor options as targeted fallbacks or complementary monitors.
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What Steam’s performance monitor provides on Linux
Valve describes Steam’s in-game performance monitor as a way to understand how a game is running and what load it puts on the system. Its baseline metrics include FPS, CPU use, GPU use and system RAM. Valve also states that the full metric set was initially available on Windows and that some metrics are not supported on other operating systems. Consequently, seeing fewer fields in Steam on Linux is not necessarily a configuration mistake.
That platform qualification is the practical reason to use a separate overlay. A Linux overlay can expose an explicit Vulkan and OpenGL path, while the exact fields in Steam can depend on the operating system, game API and current Steam implementation. You should still treat the two displays as diagnostic aids, not as independent performance tests: compare like-for-like scenes, resolution, frame limiter and graphics settings.
MangoHud: the primary Steam alternative
What MangoHud displays
MangoHud’s project README describes it as “A Vulkan and OpenGL overlay for monitoring FPS, temperatures, CPU/GPU load and more.” That coverage maps directly to the questions players ask while tuning a game:
- FPS and frame time: FPS shows the presentation rate; frame time shows how long each frame takes and exposes uneven delivery that an average FPS number can hide.
- CPU and GPU load: Utilization helps identify whether the processor, graphics processor or another limit is active.
- Temperatures: CPU and GPU temperatures provide context when clocks, fan behavior or sustained loads change.
- RAM and VRAM: System and graphics memory readings can reveal pressure that leads to stutter or texture-streaming problems.
- Additional telemetry and logging: MangoHud supports configurable metrics and logging, so you can record behavior instead of relying only on a live glance.
The exact fields available still depend on what the game, driver and platform expose. A Proton game may present a different path from a native Linux title, and a 32-bit process needs matching 32-bit overlay support on distributions that split those packages.
Install MangoHud
Use the package route appropriate to the way your system runs Steam. Upstream documents packages or installation routes for Debian and Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, Arch-based distributions and Flatpak. Package names and commands vary by release, so select the package supplied for your distribution rather than copying a command intended for another family.
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- Identify whether Steam is a distribution package or a Flatpak. The answer determines where MangoHud and its runtime components must be visible.
- Install MangoHud using your distribution’s package manager or the Flatpak route documented by the project.
- If you play a 32-bit title, install the corresponding 32-bit MangoHud package when your distribution provides separate 32-bit libraries. A 64-bit installation alone may not inject into a 32-bit process.
- Close and reopen Steam if the package or runtime was installed while Steam was running, then test one game before creating multiple profiles.
For Flatpak Steam, follow MangoHud’s documented Flatpak override and runtime-permission procedure. A host installation that is not exposed to the Flatpak sandbox will not automatically appear inside a Flatpak game.
Add MangoHud to a Steam game
The upstream Steam syntax is mangohud %command%. Steam substitutes %command% with the game’s normal launch command, allowing MangoHud to start the process first.
- Open Steam and go to Library.
- Right-click the game, choose Properties, and stay on the General tab.
- Find Launch Options and enter
mangohud %command%exactly, with%command%retained. - Close the properties window and launch the game normally.
- Verify that the HUD appears, then check whether the title is native Vulkan, native OpenGL or running through Proton. Record that API because it determines the next troubleshooting step if the display is absent.
Do not replace %command% with a guessed executable name. Doing so can prevent Steam from launching the game or can place MangoHud on the wrong side of the game’s command chain.
Run MangoHud outside Steam or with gamescope
For a standalone application, the README documents mangohud /path/to/app. Gamescope uses the mangoapp path rather than the ordinary wrapper. These are separate launch contexts: a command that works for a native application does not prove that a Flatpak Steam game or a Proton title has access to the same libraries.
Why MangoHud is usually the best fit
MangoHud combines the two attributes a Steam replacement needs: broad Vulkan/OpenGL coverage and an in-game display. It can remain visible while you test a frame limiter, a graphics preset or a Proton version, and its configurable metrics and logging support deeper diagnosis. It is also open source and is available through the major Linux packaging routes documented by its project.
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That does not make every installation identical. Compatibility can vary with the game, graphics driver, Wayland or X11 session, Steam packaging and whether the process is 32-bit. Treat those variables as part of setup, not as evidence that the overlay itself is unsuitable.
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GOverlay: a GUI for MangoHud profiles
What GOverlay does
GOverlay is a Qt6 graphical frontend. It configures MangoHud and also exposes settings for other Linux gaming layers, including vkBasalt, vkSumi, OptiScaler and Proton environment tweaks. It does not replace MangoHud’s telemetry engine; it edits the configuration and launch details that MangoHud uses.
Its per-game mode creates configuration files and a launch command ready to paste into Steam. The project also supports Lutris-ready commands. Debian’s package documentation lists MangoHud, vkBasalt and ReplaySorcery among the overlay tools it can work with, while the upstream project describes the broader set of integrations.
When GOverlay is preferable
- You want checkboxes and drop-downs instead of editing a MangoHud configuration file by hand.
- Different games need different metric sets, positions or logging choices.
- You use both Steam and Lutris and want generated commands for each launcher.
- You are managing several layers and would rather see their settings in one interface.
Build a per-game profile with GOverlay
- Install GOverlay using the package or build route appropriate to your distribution, along with MangoHud.
- Open GOverlay and select its MangoHud settings.
- Choose the per-game mode and create a profile for the title you are testing.
- Select the metrics and display behavior you need. Keep the first profile simple—FPS, frame time, CPU/GPU load and temperatures—so a missing field is easy to diagnose.
- Save the profile. GOverlay writes the configuration files and presents a launch command.
- Paste that command into the game’s Steam Properties → General → Launch Options field, or use the generated Lutris form when launching through Lutris.
- Start the game and confirm that the profile is applied. If it is not, check the game’s actual executable path, Proton status and whether Steam is running in a Flatpak sandbox.
Use GOverlay for convenience and repeatability, not because its overlay is visually or technically separate from MangoHud. If a generated profile fails, test the plain mangohud %command% launch option first; that separates a MangoHud/runtime problem from a profile or command-generation problem.
Mesa’s overlay and vendor tools
Mesa Vulkan overlay
Mesa’s Vulkan overlay can provide a minimal diagnostic display when you are using Mesa drivers and a Vulkan title. The available official documentation does not establish it as a complete Steam-overlay replacement for both Vulkan and OpenGL, so it is better treated as an advanced, driver-specific fallback. It is useful when you are isolating a Vulkan or driver issue and do not need MangoHud’s broader configuration and logging workflow.
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GPU-vendor panels and desktop monitors
A vendor control panel or desktop system monitor can show temperatures, utilization, clocks or memory while a game runs. These tools complement an in-game HUD when you need a second view, but they do not automatically provide MangoHud’s per-frame overlay inside the rendered game. They may also require switching windows, arranging a separate panel or configuring permissions for sensor access.
When comparing any of these options, check five things before investing time in a profile:
- Does it cover the game’s API: Vulkan, OpenGL or both?
- Does it expose frame time as well as FPS?
- Can it show the CPU, GPU, RAM, VRAM and temperature fields you actually need?
- Can it create per-game profiles, and will those profiles survive your Steam or Proton launch path?
- Does it work with your Steam packaging, especially a Flatpak installation and 32-bit games?
How to read the overlay without chasing the wrong bottleneck
FPS versus frame time
FPS is an average-style rate; frame time is the duration of individual frames. A game can report a high FPS number while delivering occasional long frames that feel like a hitch. Watch frame-time behavior during the exact scene where the problem occurs, not only in a menu or benchmark run. A stable frame-time pattern is often more informative than a peak FPS value.
CPU-limited behavior
If one or more CPU threads are saturated while GPU utilization is well below its usual level, reducing a GPU-heavy setting may not help. Test a CPU-sensitive option such as simulation, crowd or view-distance detail when the game provides one, and compare the same scene before and after the change.
GPU-limited behavior
High GPU utilization together with rising frame time points toward a graphics workload limit. Resolution, upscaling mode, shadows and effects are common settings to test, but change one variable at a time so the overlay can show which adjustment affected the result.
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Memory and temperature clues
High VRAM or RAM usage is a warning to investigate, not proof of a fault. Look for accompanying stutter, texture eviction or swapping behavior. Temperatures add context to sustained load; a high reading during a short shader-compilation burst means something different from the same reading after a long session.
Troubleshooting a missing or incomplete overlay
Nothing appears after adding the launch option
- Confirm the option is exactly
mangohud %command%and that it is attached to the intended game. - Identify the game API. Test whether the title is Vulkan or OpenGL, or whether Proton is translating it, because compatibility can differ by path.
- Check how Steam was installed. For Flatpak Steam, verify that MangoHud is available inside the sandbox and that the documented override or runtime permissions were applied.
- Check the package architecture. A 32-bit game may need the separate 32-bit MangoHud component on a 64-bit distribution.
- Test a second title. If another game displays the HUD, the issue is likely game-, API- or profile-specific rather than a system-wide installation failure.
The game launches but the HUD is incomplete
Some fields depend on the driver and operating system. A missing sensor, RAM field or other metric does not necessarily indicate that the wrapper failed. Compare the fields available in another API, and use the basic FPS and frame-time display first. If the title is a 32-bit process, verify the matching overlay libraries before changing unrelated settings.
A GOverlay profile does not apply
Run the plain MangoHud launch option as a control test. If that works, recreate the per-game profile and repaste the command generated by GOverlay. Check that the profile belongs to the same executable and launcher path, and that Steam is not a Flatpak whose sandbox cannot see a host-side configuration. This isolates profile and packaging issues without changing the game’s graphics settings.
Overlay conflicts or unexpected behavior
Temporarily remove additional layers and test MangoHud alone. GOverlay can configure several tools, but enabling multiple overlays at once makes it difficult to identify which component is responsible for a crash, missing field or visual conflict. Reintroduce one layer at a time after the basic HUD works.
A practical selection checklist
- Choose MangoHud when you want one in-game HUD for FPS, frame time and hardware telemetry across Vulkan and OpenGL titles.
- Choose GOverlay with MangoHud when you need a GUI, per-game profiles or generated Steam/Lutris commands.
- Try Mesa’s overlay when you are diagnosing a Mesa Vulkan title and need a minimal, driver-specific display.
- Add a vendor or desktop monitor when an external view of sensors is useful, but do not expect it to replace an in-game frame-time HUD.
Start with one known game, one launch option and a small metric set. Once that works, expand to per-game profiles and logging. This order keeps API, architecture and sandbox problems separate from configuration preferences.
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