protonscr

GPU memory allocation failures + UI freezes in Wuthering Waves (Proton + NVIDIA)

protonclosed
ValveSoftware/Proton#9818 · opened 2026-05-26 by Mvkweb · updated 2026-05-26 · 3 comments · github
MMvkweb 2026-05-26 github

Compatibility Report

  • Name of the game with compatibility issues: Wuthering Waves
  • Steam AppID of the game: 3513350

System Information

I confirm:

  • [x] that I haven't found an existing compatibility report for this game.
  • [x] that I have checked whether there are updates for my system available.

Symptoms

Repeated NVIDIA NVKMS memory allocation errors during gameplay under Proton:

  • [nvidia-drm] Failed to allocate NVKMS video memory for GEM object
  • [nvidia-drm] Failed to allocate NVKMS memory for GEM object

When this happens:

  • Regular playing, nothing in the background just the game and steam.
  • UI applications may freeze or hang temporarily
  • Happens especially when switching focus or using GPU-accelerated applications (Discord stream/video, Ghostty fullscreen)
  • More frequent during Wuthering Waves + other GPU-heavy workloads
  • No full system crash, but temporary system unresponsiveness

Reproduction

  1. Launch Steam with Proton (CachyOS SLR or Proton Experimental)
  2. Start Wuthering Waves
  3. Play until GPU load increases
  4. While game is running:
    • Open GPU-accelerated application (e.g. Discord stream or terminal with GPU rendering)
    • OR toggle fullscreen mode between applications
  5. Observe UI freeze / temporary hang
  6. Check kernel logs for NVKMS memory allocation errors

Notes

  • Issue reproduced on both Proton-CachyOS-SLR and Proton Experimental
  • No consistent XID crash observed
  • System recovers without reboot or hard reset
  • Shutdown works normally after issue
  • Possibly related to VRAM pressure or NVIDIA DRM memory allocation under Proton

steam-3513350.log

Jjohn-rm 2026-05-26 github

Hi! Does this issue occur with any other game or specifically Wuthering Waves?
I couldnt find any proton related issues in the log you attached.
The minimum requirements on the game are pretty high so this could just be a hardware limitation, specifically the vram.

Minimum:
    Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    OS: Windows10 64-bit
    Processor: Intel Core i5 (9th Gen) / Ryzen 2700
    Memory: 16 GB RAM
    Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060/AMD Radeon RX 570/Intel ARC A380
    DirectX: Version 12
    Network: Broadband Internet connection
    Storage: 150 GB available space
    Sound Card: Windows Compatible Audio Device
    Additional Notes: HDD Supported, SSD Recommended.
MMvkweb 2026-05-26 github

Replying to https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues/9818#issuecomment-4543635865

I have not tested other games with proton, but i am playing games more demanding than wuthering waves that don't require proton and this does not happen at all.

I know this isn't so much relevant, but wuthering waves didn't have such issues on Windows, the game runs well even on medium settings, but even going all the way down doesn't seem to fix it i dont think its a hardware issue. Id say the cpu is my limiting point but 4 gb for this game should be enough even on medium, if not atleast on the lowest settings so idk.

Could also just be from nvidia and how it interacts with proton? Because other demanding games don't give such issues. seems to be just wuthering waves proton.

Kkisak-valve maintainer 2026-05-26 github

Hello @Mvkweb, we're using one issue report per unofficially supported game title, so I've gone ahead and transferred this issue report to https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues/8569#issuecomment-4544147421.

Proton versions

Upstream links