NVIDIA drivers

What are the different drivers?

A driver helps Linux use your graphics card. With NVIDIA, you’ll see three common names.

Nouveau

Nouveau is a driver made by the Linux community. Many distros include it, so your screen can work without installing an extra driver.

It can be fine for browsing and everyday use. If you’re planning to game, I’d usually choose NVIDIA Open or NVIDIA’s proprietary driver instead, as long as it supports your card. Nouveau can have lower performance or missing features, depending on the card and game.

NVIDIA proprietary

This is NVIDIA’s own closed-source driver. Closed source means its code isn’t publicly available to inspect or change.

It supports gaming and apps that need NVIDIA’s driver. Older cards may need an older version, so check your distro’s guide for your model.

NVIDIA Open

This is also made by NVIDIA, and it’s suitable for gaming too. Part of its code is open source, but it still uses some closed-source NVIDIA software.

It works with GTX 16 series and RTX cards. Some newer cards require it. NVIDIA Open and Nouveau are different drivers, despite both having “open source” associated with them.

Which should you use?

Start with the driver your distro recommends for your card. For a newer card, that may be NVIDIA Open. You don’t need to pick the proprietary version just to play games.

For more detail, see NVIDIA’s driver information (opens in a new tab) and the Nouveau guide (opens in a new tab).