Installing¶

Download the latest build from the Download section of the home page. There are two channels: stable (final releases only, recommended) and beta (new features first, plus every stable release). Older versions are on the releases page. Each release lists a SHA-256 checksum for every file, plus a signed SHA256SUMS file: see Verifying downloads.

Requirements¶

	Linux	Windows
OS	x86_64, glibc 2.38+ (Fedora 39+, Ubuntu 24.04+, Arch, CachyOS)	Windows 10 or 11, x64
CPU	x86-64-v2 (anything from roughly 2009 on)	x64
GPU	Vulkan 1.3 driver: NVIDIA proprietary, Mesa RADV (AMD) or ANV (Intel)	Vulkan 1.3 driver (current NVIDIA / AMD / Intel drivers)
Ray tracing (optional)	NVIDIA RTX 20-series+ or AMD RX 6000+	same

Minimum graphics cards¶

Slipstream needs a Vulkan 1.3 driver. That rules out some older cards whose drivers stopped at an earlier Vulkan version, even if the card itself is capable.

	Windows	Linux
NVIDIA	GeForce GTX 750 / 900 series (Maxwell) or newer, driver 512 or later	same, driver 510 or later
AMD	Radeon RX 400 series (Polaris) or newer, Adrenalin 22.2.1 or later	any GCN Radeon (HD 7000 and newer), Mesa 22.0 or later
Intel	HD / UHD Graphics 500 / 600 (6th-gen Core, Skylake) or newer	same, Mesa 22.0 or later

Not supported: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 600 / 700 (Kepler) and AMD Radeon HD 7000 / R9 200 / R9 300 / Fury on Windows, whose final drivers only reach Vulkan 1.2; Intel 5th-gen Core (Broadwell) and older.

Linux¶

Download Slipstream_<version>_x86_64.tar.xz.
Unpack it: tar -xJf Slipstream_*_x86_64.tar.xz
Run ./slipstream from the extracted folder.

Debian, Ubuntu, Mint¶

On Ubuntu 24.04+, Debian 13+ and Linux Mint 22+, install from the signed apt repository. apt then installs everything the viewer needs, and sudo apt upgrade brings new versions:

sudo wget -qO /usr/share/keyrings/slipstream-archive-keyring.asc https://apt.slipstreamviewer.org/slipstream-archive-keyring.asc
sudo wget -qO /etc/apt/sources.list.d/slipstream.sources https://apt.slipstreamviewer.org/slipstream.sources
sudo apt update && sudo apt install slipstream-viewer slipstream-archive-keyring

The repository has two channels, and you pick one:

stable (slipstream.sources, above): final releases only.
beta (slipstream-beta.sources): every beta and every final release, whichever is newest. To use it, download slipstream-beta.sources instead in the second command (keep the file name slipstream.sources on your side), then run sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade. Switching back to stable later won't downgrade you; you'll get the next stable release that's newer than your beta.

The slipstream-archive-keyring package keeps the repository's signing key up to date. Start the viewer from the menu or with slipstream. To uninstall: sudo apt remove slipstream-viewer slipstream-archive-keyring, then delete /etc/apt/sources.list.d/slipstream.sources. Your settings stay in ~/.slipstreamviewer.

If you'd rather not add a repository, download Slipstream_<version>_amd64.deb from the release and run sudo apt install ./Slipstream_<version>_amd64.deb (the ./ matters). You won't get updates automatically that way.

If you ran the tarball before, delete ~/.local/share/applications/slipstream-viewer.desktop, or the menu shows two Slipstream entries.

Arch Linux (and Arch-based distros)¶

Signed pacman repository (recommended: pacman -Syu keeps the viewer current). Trust the signing key once, then add one of the two repositories: [slipstream] for releases, or [slipstream-beta] for betas and releases (a beta user always gets the newest build, beta or final):

curl -fsSLO https://arch.slipstreamviewer.org/slipstream.asc
gpg --show-keys --with-fingerprint slipstream.asc    # must read C28F DB4A 40AA 8360 D8DF 0470 AD8E 6152 6C06 E929
sudo pacman-key --add slipstream.asc
sudo pacman-key --lsign-key C28FDB4A40AA8360D8DF0470AD8E61526C06E929

# stable releases:
curl -fsS https://arch.slipstreamviewer.org/slipstream.conf | sudo tee -a /etc/pacman.conf
# or betas and releases (pick one, not both):
curl -fsS https://arch.slipstreamviewer.org/slipstream-beta.conf | sudo tee -a /etc/pacman.conf

sudo pacman -Syu slipstream-bin

The packages and the repository databases are signed (SigLevel = Required DatabaseRequired). To go back to an older version: sudo pacman -U https://arch.slipstreamviewer.org/slipstream/os/x86_64/<file> (the last few versions stay on the server). The viewer's own updater never touches a pacman install.

Without the repository: each release also has a PKGBUILD for the slipstream-bin package. Download it into an empty folder and run makepkg -si to build and install the package. It fetches the release tarball and checks its checksum and its signature. Import the release key once first, or makepkg stops with "unknown public key":

gpg --recv-keys C28FDB4A40AA8360D8DF0470AD8E61526C06E929
# or, without a keyserver:
curl -fsSL https://slipstreamviewer.org/slipstream-release.asc | gpg --import

The fingerprint must read C28F DB4A 40AA 8360 D8DF 0470 AD8E 6152 6C06 E929 (see Verifying downloads). AUR helpers such as yay and paru offer to import it for you. An AUR listing will follow once AUR account registration reopens.

Flatpak (Fedora, Steam Deck, Bazzite, openSUSE, any distro)¶

The Flatpak works on any distribution with Flatpak and updates itself together with your other apps. It comes from our own signed repository; the runtime it needs comes from Flathub.

flatpak install https://flatpak.slipstreamviewer.org/slipstream.flatpakref

Or open that link in your browser, which hands it to GNOME Software or Discover. On the Steam Deck, switch to Desktop Mode and run the command in Konsole (add --user to install just for you). To get betas as well as releases, install slipstream-beta.flatpakref instead (the beta branch also receives every final release). To switch from beta to releases only, install slipstream.flatpakref, then remove the beta with flatpak uninstall org.slipstreamviewer.Slipstream//beta. Your settings are kept. Start Slipstream from your app menu, or with flatpak run org.slipstreamviewer.Slipstream.

Updates arrive through flatpak update or your software center.
No internet on that machine? Each release also has a Slipstream_<version>.flatpak file: flatpak install Slipstream_<version>.flatpak. Once installed, it updates from our repository like the normal install.
Uninstall: flatpak uninstall org.slipstreamviewer.Slipstream (add --delete-data to remove your settings and chat logs too).

The Flatpak runs in a sandbox, which changes a few things:

Your settings live in ~/.var/app/org.slipstreamviewer.Slipstream/.slipstreamviewer, not in ~/.slipstreamviewer. Moving from the tarball, .deb or Arch package? Copy your settings over once, before the first start: mkdir -p ~/.var/app/org.slipstreamviewer.Slipstream && cp -a ~/.slipstreamviewer ~/.var/app/org.slipstreamviewer.Slipstream/
Importing from another viewer works for the usual folders, which the Flatpak can read (but not change): ~/.firestorm_x64, ~/.firestorm, ~/.secondlife, ~/.alchemyviewer, ~/.alchemynext and ~/.blackdragon. If you keep that viewer's chat logs somewhere else (Firestorm lets you choose, for example ~/Documents/SL Chat), give Slipstream read access to that folder first, or those transcripts are skipped: flatpak override --user --filesystem="$HOME/Documents/SL Chat:ro" org.slipstreamviewer.Slipstream The same command with another path covers a viewer installed somewhere unusual. Undo it with flatpak override --user --reset org.slipstreamviewer.Slipstream.
Snapshots and uploads go through your desktop's file dialog. A folder you pick there stays available to Slipstream, so later snapshots save there without asking again.
Web links open in your normal browser, and secondlife:// links from the browser open Slipstream.

Slipstream runs natively on Wayland and falls back to X11. To force X11, start it with SDL_VIDEO_DRIVER=x11 ./slipstream.

Windows¶

Download Slipstream_<version>_Setup.exe and run it. It installs for your user only (no admin prompt) to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Slipstream, adds a Start menu shortcut, and can be removed from Settings → Apps. Installing a newer version over an older one updates it in place; your settings and chat logs are never touched.
The build is unsigned, so Windows SmartScreen may warn you: choose More info → Run anyway.

Prefer no installer? Download Slipstream_<version>_win64.zip instead, unzip it anywhere and run SlipstreamViewer.exe.

Where your settings live¶

	Settings, chat logs, accounts	Logs
Linux	`~/.slipstreamviewer`	`~/.slipstreamviewer/logs/Slipstream.log`
Linux (Flatpak)	`~/.var/app/org.slipstreamviewer.Slipstream/.slipstreamviewer`	`~/.var/app/org.slipstreamviewer.Slipstream/.slipstreamviewer/logs/Slipstream.log`
Windows	`%APPDATA%\SlipstreamViewer`	`%APPDATA%\SlipstreamViewer\logs\Slipstream.log`

If you used a pre-rename test build (when Slipstream still called itself Alchemy), the first run copies your old AlchemyViewer settings over automatically. The originals are left untouched.

Moving between installs¶

The normal Linux install and the Flatpak keep their settings in different folders (see the table above), so switching from one to the other starts you with fresh settings. Until Slipstream can import them by itself, you can copy them over by hand. Both folders have the same layout.

Close Slipstream in both versions (check that no Slipstream window is still open).

Open a terminal and run the line for your direction:

From the normal install to the Flatpak:

rsync -a --exclude cache --exclude logs ~/.slipstreamviewer/ ~/.var/app/org.slipstreamviewer.Slipstream/.slipstreamviewer/

From the Flatpak to the normal install:

rsync -a --exclude cache --exclude logs ~/.var/app/org.slipstreamviewer.Slipstream/.slipstreamviewer/ ~/.slipstreamviewer/

Start the other version. Your preferences, chat history and per-account settings are there (you may need to type your password again); the cache fills up again as you go.

The cache and logs are left out on purpose: the cache is large and rebuilds itself, and logs are specific to each install. If you've never started the Flatpak, start it once and close it before copying, so its folder exists. Files with the same name in the destination are replaced.

Updating¶

With the apt repository: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade. With the pacman repository: sudo pacman -Syu. The Flatpak updates itself (flatpak update). Otherwise, download the new release and unpack it over the old folder (or into a new one). Your settings live outside the program folder, so they carry over.