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moonlight-stream/moonlight-qt

Open source PC client for streaming games from an NVIDIA GameStream or Sunshine host to Windows, macOS, Linux, and Steam Link.

Open-source alternative to:NVIDIA GameStreamSteam Remote Play

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What is it?

Moonlight PC is a desktop client for remote game streaming. It connects to a host PC running NVIDIA GameStream or Sunshine and displays the host's games and desktop on a local machine, with hardware-accelerated video decoding on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

The client supports H.264, HEVC, and AV1 video, HDR streaming, and 7.1 surround audio. Some options depend on the host: YUV 4:4:4 and 10-point multitouch work only with Sunshine, and AV1 requires Sunshine and a supported host GPU. Gamepads with force feedback and motion controls are supported for up to 16 players, and the mouse can be captured for games or used directly for remote desktop.

The project is built with Qt and SDL2 and is distributed as installers, Snap, Flatpak, AppImage, and packages for Raspberry Pi, ARM boards, and Steam Link. It also includes an embedded build option for single-purpose devices.

Key features

  • 01Hardware-accelerated video decoding on Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • 02Supports H.264, HEVC, and AV1 codecs, plus HDR streaming
  • 037.1 surround sound audio
  • 04Gamepad support with force feedback and motion controls for up to 16 players
  • 05Pointer capture for games or direct mouse control for remote desktop

Use cases

  • Playing PC games on a laptop or TV from a gaming PC elsewhere on the local network
  • Accessing a remote desktop from a Linux, Mac, or Windows machine through Sunshine
  • Running a streaming client on a Raspberry Pi, ARM board, or Steam Link device

Quick start

  1. 1

    Download the app from the releases page or a package channel

  2. 2

    Clone the repository and fetch submodules

    git submodule update --init --recursive
  3. 3

    Build from the command line with qmake6 and make

    qmake6 moonlight-qt.pro
  4. 4

    Run make release to produce the binary in app/moonlight

    make release

Things to know

  • Requires an NVIDIA GameStream or Sunshine host to stream from.
  • Building from source needs Qt, FFmpeg and platform-specific dependencies, and Windows and macOS also need a setup-deps script.

Topics

#game-streaming#remote-desktop#qt#cpp#sdl2#gamestream#sunshine#hardware-acceleration#linux-app#macos-app

FAQ

What is moonlight-qt?
Open source PC client for streaming games from an NVIDIA GameStream or Sunshine host to Windows, macOS, Linux, and Steam Link. Moonlight PC is a desktop client for remote game streaming. It connects to a host PC running NVIDIA GameStream or Sunshine and displays the host's games and desktop on a local machine, with hardware-accelerated video decoding on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Is moonlight-qt free to use? What license does it have?
moonlight-qt is open source under the GPL-3.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is moonlight-qt still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to moonlight-qt was on Nov 6, 2026.
What can I use moonlight-qt for?
Playing PC games on a laptop or TV from a gaming PC elsewhere on the local network Accessing a remote desktop from a Linux, Mac, or Windows machine through Sunshine Running a streaming client on a Raspberry Pi, ARM board, or Steam Link device
How do I install moonlight-qt?
Download the app from the releases page or a package channel Clone the repository and fetch submodules: git submodule update --init --recursive Build from the command line with qmake6 and make: qmake6 moonlight-qt.pro Run make release to produce the binary in app/moonlight: make release
Where can I get moonlight-qt?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/moonlight-stream/moonlight-qt

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