Linux Installation Guide

GameVox runs on most Linux distributions. Choose the format that works best for your system.

On this page

Flatpak (SteamOS / Steam Deck / Universal)

The Flatpak version bundles all dependencies (WebKit2GTK, GTK3, GStreamer) via the GNOME runtime. This is the only option for SteamOS since it doesn't ship WebKit2GTK and the root filesystem is read-only.

Install from download

  1. Download the .flatpak bundle from the Downloads page
  2. Open a terminal (on Steam Deck: switch to Desktop Mode first)
  3. Run:
flatpak install gamevox-client-x86_64.flatpak

Launch

flatpak run com.gamevox.GameVox

After installation, GameVox will also appear in your application launcher.

Steam Deck tip: Switch to Desktop Mode (hold the power button → Switch to Desktop). You can add GameVox as a non-Steam game in Gaming Mode afterward for easy access.

AppImage (Universal)

A single portable executable. No installation required — just download, make executable, and run.

  1. Download the AppImage from the Downloads page
  2. Make it executable:
chmod +x GameVox-*.AppImage
  1. Run it:
./GameVox-*.AppImage
Note: The AppImage requires WebKit2GTK and GTK3 to be installed on your system. If you get a missing library error, see the Dependencies section below, or use the Flatpak version instead.

.deb (Ubuntu, Debian, Mint, Pop!_OS)

Download the .deb package from the Downloads page and install it:

sudo dpkg -i gamevox-client-*-amd64.deb sudo apt-get install -f # Install any missing dependencies

Or with apt directly (handles dependencies automatically):

sudo apt install ./gamevox-client-*-amd64.deb

GameVox will be available in your application launcher, or you can run gamevox from a terminal.

.rpm (Fedora, RHEL, openSUSE)

Download the .rpm package from the Downloads page and install it:

Fedora / RHEL

sudo dnf install gamevox-client-*-x86_64.rpm

openSUSE

sudo zypper install gamevox-client-*-x86_64.rpm

Arch / Manjaro / EndeavourOS

The easiest way to install GameVox on Arch-based distros is via the AUR package:

paru -S gamevox-launcher-bin

Or if you use yay:

yay -S gamevox-launcher-bin

This installs the launcher which handles automatic updates and dependency detection.

Dependencies

All formats except Flatpak require these system libraries:

  • WebKit2GTK (4.1 preferred, 4.0 also supported)
  • GTK 3
  • PulseAudio (or PipeWire with PulseAudio compatibility)
  • GStreamer plugins-bad (for WebRTC voice via the browser engine)
  • libayatana-appindicator3 (optional, recommended) — enables the system tray icon and "minimize to tray". Required on Hyprland, sway, GNOME, and any Wayland-only compositor. Without it, closing the window will quit the app instead of hiding it.

Install commands by distro

Distribution Command
Ubuntu / Debian sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-0 libgtk-3-0 gstreamer1.0-plugins-base gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad libayatana-appindicator3-1
Fedora sudo dnf install webkit2gtk4.1 gtk3 gstreamer1-plugins-base gstreamer1-plugins-bad-free libayatana-appindicator-gtk3
Arch / Manjaro sudo pacman -S webkit2gtk-4.1 gtk3 gst-plugins-base gst-plugins-bad libayatana-appindicator
openSUSE sudo zypper install webkit2gtk3 gtk3 gstreamer-plugins-base gstreamer-plugins-bad libayatana-appindicator3-1
Void Linux sudo xbps-install webkit2gtk gtk+3 gst-plugins-base1 gst-plugins-bad1 libayatana-appindicator
Flatpak users: You don't need to install any of these. The Flatpak bundles everything via the GNOME runtime.

Troubleshooting

Missing WebKit2GTK error

If you see "Missing required libraries: WebKit2GTK", install the dependencies for your distro from the table above. If your distro doesn't package WebKit2GTK (like SteamOS), use the Flatpak version.

AppImage won't start / FUSE error

If you see "AppImages require FUSE to run" or "error loading libfuse.so.2", your system doesn't have libfuse2 installed. Many modern distros (Fedora, immutable variants, etc.) ship fuse3 instead.

Install libfuse2 manually:

# Ubuntu/Debian sudo apt install libfuse2 # Fedora sudo dnf install fuse-libs

Make sure the file is executable: chmod +x GameVox-*.AppImage

No voice chat / "Go Native WebRTC" in logs

Some distros (notably Ubuntu and Debian) compile WebKit2GTK without WebRTC support. GameVox detects this and falls back to a built-in voice engine automatically. If voice still doesn't work, make sure GStreamer plugins-bad is installed:

# Ubuntu/Debian sudo apt install gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad gstreamer1.0-nice # Fedora sudo dnf install gstreamer1-plugins-bad-free

Minimize to tray doesn't work / app quits when I close the window

GameVox needs a system tray icon to hide in the background. On most modern Linux setups (Hyprland, sway, GNOME, KDE) this requires the libayatana-appindicator3 library and a panel or bar that shows tray icons.

1. Install the library:

# Ubuntu/Debian sudo apt install libayatana-appindicator3-1 # Fedora sudo dnf install libayatana-appindicator-gtk3 # Arch/Manjaro sudo pacman -S libayatana-appindicator # openSUSE sudo zypper install libayatana-appindicator3-1

2. Make sure your desktop has a tray host:

  • KDE Plasma, XFCE, MATE, Cinnamon, LXQt, Budgie: built in — nothing to do.
  • GNOME: install the AppIndicator Support extension (many tiling GNOME extensions also include tray support).
  • Hyprland / sway / river / Niri: enable the tray module in waybar, or use a panel like nwg-panel.

After installing, restart GameVox. The log should show [Tray] AppIndicator (StatusNotifierItem) created. If it still says "your desktop environment does not support GtkStatusIcon", the library isn't being found — verify it's installed with ldconfig -p | grep ayatana.

Wayland display issues

GameVox forces the X11 backend via XWayland on Wayland sessions to avoid input issues with frameless windows on tiling window managers (Sway, Hyprland, Niri). If you experience display problems, make sure XWayland is installed.

Screen share audio doesn't work

Screen share audio uses per-window capture provided by the browser engine. Make sure PipeWire (or PulseAudio) is running. On some Wayland compositors, you may need to grant screen capture permission via the XDG Desktop Portal.