System Requirements

LuminalShine is Windows 11 only by design. The Linux and macOS code inherited from upstream Sunshine has been deprecated so the team can focus entirely on the Windows pipeline. Multi-platform support may return in the future but is not on the current roadmap.

Host PC

This is the machine LuminalShine runs on — the PC whose games and desktop you want to stream.

Component

Minimum

Recommended

OS

Windows 11 23H2 (x64)

Windows 11 24H2 or Insider Preview (Canary / Dev)

CPU

Quad-core x86-64 with AVX2

6+ cores; recent Intel / AMD / Snapdragon X

GPU

DirectX 12 capable, HEVC encode

NVIDIA RTX 40/50, AMD RDNA 3/4, or Intel Arc with AV1 encode

RAM

8 GB

16 GB+

Display stack

WDDM 3.0

WDDM 3.2+, HDR-capable physical or virtual display at 240 Hz

Network

1 Gbps wired or Wi-Fi 6

2.5 Gbps wired or Wi-Fi 6E / 7

PowerShell

Windows PowerShell 5.1

PowerShell 7

Privileges

Local administrator (for install + service registration)

TPM 2.0 (used for credential sealing)

PowerShell 7 supersedes Windows PowerShell as Microsoft’s current shell. LuminalShine’s MSI custom actions automatically prefer it when installed.

Why these minimums

  • AVX2 / DirectX 12 / HEVC encode — the capture and encode pipeline assumes all three. Anything older falls outside the tested matrix.

  • WDDM 3.0 — required for the Windows Graphics Capture pipeline that LuminalShine uses in service mode.

  • 240 Hz display (recommended) — needed if you want DLSS / FSR / XeSS frame-generated frames captured at full rate without micro-stutter. A virtual 240 Hz display via SudoVDA counts.

  • TPM 2.0 — optional but strongly recommended. Without a TPM, admin credentials fall back to Windows Credential Manager (still encrypted at rest, just not hardware-sealed).

Hardware encoder support

LuminalShine probes for an encoder on startup and uses the first one that works. All three major vendors are supported on Windows:

Vendor

Family

Codecs

NVIDIA

NVENC, GeForce GTX 9xx and newer

H.264, HEVC; AV1 on RTX 40/50

AMD

AMF, RDNA / RDNA 2 / 3 / 4

H.264, HEVC; AV1 on RDNA 3/4

Intel

QuickSync / Arc

H.264, HEVC; AV1 on Arc

NVIDIA Smooth Motion is supported on RTX 40 / 50 series. RTSS and the NVIDIA Control Panel are integrated for frame limiting and V-Sync handling before a stream starts.

Network

  • Same LAN as your client(s). WAN streaming works but is out of scope for the recommended setup — expect to tune buffers and pacing yourself.

  • Latency budget. Wired Ethernet on both ends is the only way to get the smoothest experience; Wi-Fi 6E / 7 on the client comes close on a quiet RF environment.

  • Bitrate. Default 20 Mbps suits 1080p60. Plan ≥50 Mbps for 4K60, ≥80 Mbps for HDR 4K120.

Client devices

Anything that runs a Moonlight client works. Tested + supported:

  • Android, iOS / iPadOS / tvOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS

  • Xbox, LG webOS TVs (via NortheBridge’s sibling project Twilight), Raspberry Pi, Nintendo Switch, PS Vita

  • Any modern browser via the built-in WebRTC client at /webrtc — no client install required

See the Moonlight client list for the full set.

What you do not need

  • A separate streaming server. LuminalShine runs on the gaming PC.

  • A GeForce Experience / NVIDIA Shield. LuminalShine replaces them.

  • A subscription, account, or login of any kind. There is no cloud component — pairing is peer-to-peer over your LAN.

  • A second GPU. Capture and encode share the GPU you already game on.