Linux: AMD GPU: Terrain not Rendering

[Davidian1024]

2026-02-24 UPDATE: It Works!​

For the first time on an AMD GPU on Linux, I am able to see the terrain.

Key details:
Native Linux version v2026.2.35.3667
The game needs to be ran with XDG_SESSION_TYPE=x11 set.

This is what I did on Bazzite:

1. Download and extract the tarball from https://ksa-linux.ahwoo.com/:
   • tar -xzf setup_ksa_v2026.2.35.3667.tar.gz
2. Change into the directory that was just extracted:
   • cd linux-x64
3. Create a symbolic link to the Vulkan library that came with Bazzite:
   • ln -s /usr/lib64/libvulkan.so.1.4.328 libvulkan.so
4. Install dotnet-10.0
   • sudo rpm-ostree install dotnet-runtime-10.0
5. Reboot (Bazzite is an immutable OS which makes this nessesary)
6. Run the game with the environment variable set:
   • XDG_SESSION_TYPE=x11 ./KSA

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Historical​

I've gotten the impression from people on Discord that no one on Linux with an AMD GPU (like myself) is able to see any terrain right now. This seems to be true of any planet/moon. This means the Earth is a giant water world, Luna is invisible, etc.

I thought I'd start a thread here to see how common this is and if anyone has a fix.

---

Here's a quick test you can perform to tell if you have the problem:

1. Switch to map view.
2. Adjust the view so that land is visible.
3. Zoom out far enough until land becomes visible. (there is a specific distance where the game switches to a simpler rendering method.)

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Current Status as of 2026-02-20: Terrain still not rendering on my AMD GPU on Linux.

GPU: Radeon 7900 XTX (RDNA 3)
OS: Bazzite 43.20260217.0 (Kinoite)
Dotnet Version: 10.0.2
KSA Version: v2026.2.31.3640 Linux Native

I don't think I'll be testing the Windows version under Proton anymore now that there is a Linux native version. It's much easier to deal with than having to go through the extra work of setting up Wine or Proton.

This issue looks identical to me with the Linux binary when compared to what I saw with the Windows binary.

 

[dorian]

amd ryzen 7 5800x 8 core 8gb vram 32gb ram.

earth renders as a bright white ball, little white boxes show up on the craft if viewing the craft with the earth behind it.
crashes if f3 (ground track) is pressed.

crashes if I do solar system.

 

[Kiwi Shark]

You might want to check out and contribute to some of our existing Linux threads, you might find some useful info there.

One True Linux Thread - https://forums.ahwoo.com/threads/one-true-linux-thread-tm.144/

Linux Discussion - https://forums.ahwoo.com/threads/linux-discussion.72/

Linux Troubleshooting (w/ Wine & Maybe Proton) - https://forums.ahwoo.com/threads/troubleshooting-ksa-pre-alpha-on-linux-under-wine.52/

 

[Davidian1024]

It's nice to not always have to lump all Linux issues into generic Linux threads.

 

[Davidian1024]

I think we really need sections or categories (not sure what they'd be called on this forum) for Linux, Mac, etc. There are alot of people who are not gonna be playing this on Windows.

 

[iaidoka]

7800 XT user here, I also don't see terrain. I've tried a lot of different launchers (Bottles, Heroic, Steam) and Wine/Proton versions (soda 9, Proton 8/9/10/experimental, GE-Proton) - no terrain anywhere, and differing amounts of other graphical glitches. I'm starting to wonder if that particular bug might not also occur on Windows.

I really hope the dev team does some QA on a Proton box at some point, judging by the activity the Linux threads are receiving, there's quite a few of us.

 

[Davidian1024]

So, for what it's worth. I just launched the game on my wife's PC. It has an older NVidia card in it. A GTX 1080 Ti. The game ran pretty poorly. But it did render the terrain.

 

[seehpcod]

7600 XT, tried "everything", no terrain.

@Davidian1024: Could you edit your original post to show, that it does not work, yet? Include latest version. Or make a new "Canary-Thread: Radeon not rendering terrain under Linux yet"-thread? As soon as anyone gets it working, it should be written down there.

 

[Davidian1024]

7600 XT, tried "everything", no terrain.

@Davidian1024: Could you edit your original post to show, that it does not work, yet? Include latest version. Or make a new "Canary-Thread: Radeon not rendering terrain under Linux yet"-thread? As soon as anyone gets it working, it should be written down there.

Good idea. Ok, I just updated it.

 

[Kaa253]

I see exactly the same - no terrain.
All my previous tests of KSA ran the same using the Windows version under Proton.

GPU: Radeon RX 6700
OS: KUbuntu 24.04
Dotnet Version: 10.0
KSA Version: v2026.2.32.3646 Linux Native

I also tried using Gamescope and again got no terrain.

 

[Tom4K]

Apparently, AMD graphics cards are not yet properly supported, so we'll just have to be patient...

 

[seehpcod]

I can only say, that I will gladly double my payment for the game if "running under Proton" or "Steamdeck-ready" or similar becomes part of the pledge for the devs. I would be happy not to have a native linux client, but pretty much everything that I throw at Linux runs fine. KSA is the weird exception.

 

[seehpcod]

I can only say, that I will gladly double my payment for the game if "running under Proton" or "Steamdeck-ready" or similar becomes part of the pledge for the devs. I would be happy not to have a native linux client, but pretty much everything that I throw at Linux runs fine. KSA is the weird exception.

Edit:
Wow, just found out there are experimental native Linux builds!! https://ksa-linux.ahwoo.com/
Time to up my payment

 

[Kaa253]

Edit:
Wow, just found out there are experimental native Linux builds!! https://ksa-linux.ahwoo.com/
Time to up my payment

The Linux build got my first payment. Now a fix for AMD GPUs under Linux would inspire another one I think.

 

[seehpcod]

You wouldn't believe it: The Linux build gives me terrain on my RX 7600XT. Wow!

 

[Kaa253]

You wouldn't believe it: The Linux build gives me terrain on my RX 7600XT. Wow!

Confirmed. I have terrain now on KSA build v2026.2.37.3699. I didn't have to do anything (dotnet-10.0 already installed). I am on Kubuntu 24.04 KDE Plasma 5.27.12 and Graphics Platform: X11 (IMHO Wayland is still too broken and I use my PC for 1. Work and 2. Games in that priority order).

 

[Rocket]

Thanks for keeping us updated. We are hoping to keep a solid focus on native Linux support.