Exciting news! The release of v0.2.0 with working GPU pass-through is here.
Please read through this post for critical information on how to setup and enjoy working GPU pass-through with vm-curator.
What is GPU Pass-through?
GPU pass-through is a means to enable full GPU performance for 3D gaming and demanding GPU-based applications in guest VMs. It works by passing through the entire GPU so that it is available for use as a raw hardware device within the guest GM. On modern systems (i.e., AMD systems with IOMMU support,) near-native performance is achieved.
What Types of 3D Acceleration Does vm-curator Support?
With the release of v0.2.0, vm-curator supports three types of 3D acceleration:
1. Para-virtualized 3D acceleration: This uses the virtio driver to emulate 3D acceleration in supported guests. In QEMU/KVM, this works well for Linux VMs and is suitable for light gaming. For high end gaming, and for all use-cases in Windows VMs, a pass-through method should be used instead.
2. Multi-GPU Pass-Through: This method only works with host systems with multiple GPUs. vm-curator passes-through one or more GPUs to the guest while retaining one GPU for exclusive use with the host. The user can toggle displays between the VM guest and host either by using a physical KVM switch (requires discrete monitor connections to all GPUs in use) or via looking-glass (downloaded separately,) which creates a shared 0-latency display for the guest VM. vm-curator will guide the user through setup.
3. Single-GPU Pass-Through: This method works when there is only one GPU in the host system. vm-curator creates a script which will first automatically disconnect the GPU from the host display and attach it to the VM (while starting the VM at the same time.) When the user shuts-down the VM, the script will perform these steps in reverse, restoring the host display.
What should I use when and where?
Para-virtualization is useful for basic 3D desktop acceleration and light gaming. However, it is not generally suitable for demanding GPU tasks (i.e., video editing and AI work) or heavy gaming (Windows support is also very poor as of January 2026.) Single GPU Pass-Through provides maximum performance suitable for all demanding GPU tasks and high end gaming, and works great with Windows, but requires the VM to take over the GPU, mouse, and keyboard from the host. (When running in Single GPU Pass-through, you can't access the host until you shut the VM down, although you can SSH into your host from another PC while running the guest VM.) Multi-GPU pass-through is the happy medium. You get near native GPU performance in the guest and you can still interact with the host with your display and peripherals while the guest is running at the same-time. The only catch is that you need--as the name suggests--multiple GPUs.
What are the prerequisites for GPU pass-through?
For both single and multi-GPU pass-through, a modern system with Intel VT-D or AMD IOMMU support is required. Single GPU pass-through technically doesn't need anything else, although it is highly recommended that you have a second computer you can use to SSH into your host in case something goes wrong with the launch and handover. (Rebooting also works, but then troubleshooting is harder.)
Multi-GPU pass-through is a bit more involved, as you'll need a means to display the output from your GPUs simultaneously. This can be accomplished with hardware (discrete cables and a KVM switch) or software (looking-glass, downloaded separately.) vm-curator is designed to work with looking-glass out of the box. If using looking-glass, you will also need an HDMI or Display-Port dummy plug to insert into the GPU you pass to your host.
What considerations do I need to make GPU pass-through work well?
For single GPU pass-through, you must be comfortable running scripts from the command line. vm-curator can't launch single GPU pass-through internally, because the moment your GPU is disconnected from your host session, vm-curator will exit. Instead, vm-curator will write a script for you to launch either from an SSH session via another PC, or from a TTY outside your running X-Windows or Wayland Session (accessible via CTRL+ALT+F3.) When the VM shuts down, the script will automatically reattach the GPU to your host and restore your X-Windows or Wayland session.
For single GPU pass-through, you will also need to pass through your mouse, keyboard, audio connection, and other peripherals using the USB pass-through feature. (You'll likely want to do this in any regard, as this will give you the ability to run your peripherals with all features running as expected, using native drivers on your guest.)
For multi GPU p[ass-through using looking-glass, you'll need to download the host software to your guest VM and the client software to your host. You'll also need to install and configure the host software to your guest VM and set a shared memory pool between your host and guest for running the 0-latency display bridge (vm-curator will help with this.) looking-glass is open source software available at looking-glass.io
How do I setup GPU pass-through?
- In
vm-curatorfirst go to the settings screen (pressskey.) - Select either Multi-GPU or Single-GPU Pass through
- Check the readiness validation results in the right hand information display. (Note: they are different for each pass-through type.)
- If running single-GPU, be sure to launch the setup script, which will make sure IOMMU/VT-D are configured properly in your boot loader.
- Once ready, select the VM you want to run go to the manage screen (press
mkey.) - Select Single or Multi-GPU Pass-through (based on your selection in the setup screen.)
- Follow all on-screen instructions. Note: single-gpu pass-through will generate scripts for you to run outside of
vm-curator.
What if I have problems?
Please post to this discussion board so that I can review and investigate. In providing GPU-pass-through, vm-curator seeks to take a well-tested but very complex setup and make it digestible for more people to run and enjoy. However, pre-release testing is limited to the developer's own hardware. If you run into a hung display and/or black screen, do not despair--this may take some time to get working on a wide range of hardware. Reboot and post details of your experience here. Please be sure to include technical details of your computer's hardware configuration.
If you are running single-gpu-pass-through and you have access to a second computer on the same network, be sure to setup your host so that you can SSH into it from your second computer. Then, instead of running the launch script from a TTY on your main display, run it via SSH from your second computer. If you run into trouble, be sure to retain and post to this thread the script's output to your SSH terminal.