DXVK alternatives: pick the right layer for your game

Find your layer in four questions

The answer links to the guide for that layer. The rules behind it are in one table of 22 rules, tested against every combination of answers.

Every layer at a glance

yes = takes this API as input · partial = some versions only, see the layer's note · unverified = we could not confirm it · no = not in its documented list. Notes per layer are under "The short version of each".

DXVK 3.x does not take Direct3D 12, Glide, DirectDraw or OpenGL. Direct3D 8 support came with DXVK 2.4 (F09 shows 1.10.3 has none), and there is no 64-bit Direct3D 8 on Windows at all, so real Direct3D 8 games are 32-bit (F08).

The short version of each

DXVK

Turns Direct3D 8, 9, 10 and 11 into Vulkan. Written by Philip Rebohle and contributors, zlib-licensed, used inside Proton. Pick it for Direct3D 8 to 11 games on Linux, Steam Deck and Wine; on Windows it is optional and unsupported upstream. We have tested it on Windows Server and Wine in a lab (F01). See What is DXVK?

DXVK 1.10.3 and Sarek

The last releases that run on Vulkan 1.1 drivers, and a fork that keeps old GPUs working. Pick them if your GPU has no recent Vulkan driver. 1.10.3 has no Direct3D 8 (F09). See DXVK 1.10.3 and Sarek.

dgVoodoo2

A freeware Windows wrapper by Dege for Glide, DirectDraw and Direct3D 3 to 9, outputting Direct3D 11 or 12. Pick it for games older than DirectX 8 on Windows. See DXVK vs dgVoodoo2.

WineD3D

Wine’s own Direct3D, translating to OpenGL. It runs when DXVK is not installed under Wine, and is the fallback if DXVK breaks a game or your GPU lacks Vulkan. Our description is from general knowledge, not re-verified. See DXVK vs WineD3D.

vkd3d-proton

Direct3D 12 to Vulkan, funded in part by Valve; it shares DXVK’s DXGI since DXVK 2.1, so games that probe Direct3D 12 can work with both. Pick it for Direct3D 12 games on Linux. See DXVK vs vkd3d-proton.

Gallium Nine

A native Direct3D 9 implementation inside Mesa’s Gallium drivers, reached from Wine with the wine-nine-standalone project. It needs a Gallium Mesa driver, so not every GPU or driver stack. Fans say it can beat DXVK in some Direct3D 9 games on AMD or Intel Mesa drivers; most people use DXVK because it works everywhere. We have not tested it, and could not verify how active the project is on the check date.

D7VK

A community fork of DXVK for Direct3D 7, with Direct3D 5 and 6 following, reported by GamingOnLinux in November 2025. A Linux-side option for very old games; we have not tested it.

D3DMetal and DXMT (macOS)

Apple’s Game Porting Toolkit layer (D3DMetal) and the community DXMT translate Direct3D to Metal. Reports say they are usually the better choice on Apple Silicon. DXVK reaches macOS through forks via MoltenVK. See DXVK on macOS.

dxwrapper

A community Windows wrapper some retro guides use. We have not read its documentation and mark it unverified.

Zink

Zink translates OpenGL to Vulkan inside Mesa. It is not a Direct3D layer and is not a substitute for any layer above.

Can you combine them?

Yes, in specific chains.

• dgVoodoo2 then DXVK. dgVoodoo2 turns an old API into Direct3D 11; DXVK turns that into Vulkan. A community setup on Linux, because dgVoodoo2’s author says Wine is not a supported target. Details on the dgVoodoo2 page.
• DXVK next to vkd3d-proton. They share DXVK’s DXGI, so a game that probes Direct3D 12 can run both. This is how Proton works.
• Never two Direct3D 9 wrappers on the same d3d9.dll. One file name has one owner; see conflicts.

Is DXVK better than DirectX?

DXVK does not replace your graphics driver. On Windows the native Direct3D driver is usually as fast or faster; the gains reported are in specific CPU-bound or old-API cases. See Does DXVK increase FPS? for what is and is not known.