Arch Linux quietly rolled a change with consequences for a lot of older gaming rigs: the distribution's main NVIDIA driver packages have switched to using NVIDIA's open kernel modules by default, and the packaged driver series that made the switch (the R590 series) no longer supports Pascal (GeForce GTX 10xx) and older GPUs.
The short version
If your machine has a GTX 10-series card (Pascal), a Maxwell card, or anything older, a standard Arch upgrade that pulls in the new NVIDIA driver will leave you without the proprietary kernel driver and likely a broken graphical session. Users running Turing (RTX 20-series, GTX 1650 family) or newer will transition automatically to the new open kernel modules and should see no manual work required.
Why this matters: NVIDIA's modern open kernel module stack — which the vendor now publishes in source form alongside the binary components — only supports GPUs that work with the company's GPU System Processor (GSP). That hardware requirement effectively blocks Pascal and older cards from the R590+ driver family.
What changed in Arch packages
Arch maintainers have renamed and replaced the old packages as part of the move:
- `nvidia` → `nvidia-open`
- `nvidia-dkms` → `nvidia-open-dkms`
- `nvidia-lts` → `nvidia-lts-open`
- sudo pacman -Rns nvidia nvidia-lts nvidia-dkms
- Build and install `nvidia-580xx-dkms` from the AUR (tooling like an AUR helper or manual makepkg)
- Back up your configuration before upgrading the NVIDIA packages. If you rely on proprietary drivers, hold off on a big system upgrade until you confirm what driver branch your card will end up on.
- If the upgrade already left you with a broken graphical environment, boot into a console or a recovery kernel and remove the new `nvidia` packages so you can install the legacy DKMS driver from the AUR.
- Consider testing Nouveau in a live environment first if you want to avoid AUR builds, but be prepared for lower frame rates and possible driver quirks.
On upgrade, machines with unsupported cards will fail to load the new driver. Arch's announcement makes clear the intention: legacy hardware is being pushed to the older proprietary driver branch and the newer official driver packages will default to the open kernel modules.
If you have a Pascal or older card: options and steps
You have three practical paths:
1) Stay on the legacy proprietary driver (recommended for continued support of those older cards). On Arch this means removing the new `nvidia` packages and installing the `nvidia-580xx-dkms` (or similar) legacy package from the AUR. Typical steps look like:
2) Switch to the in-kernel Nouveau driver. Nouveau is included in the kernel and can run older GPUs without NVIDIA's blobs, but expect lower performance and incomplete feature parity for things like power management, hardware-accelerated video, and some modern OpenGL/GL/Vulkan paths. The NVK Mesa stack is also evolving, but results vary by GPU.
3) Upgrade hardware. If gaming or GPU-accelerated workflows matter, moving to a Turing or newer GPU will return you to full support with the officially packaged driver on Arch. If you'd rather avoid PC upgrades entirely and still want modern gaming, some users look to console options instead — for example, the PlayStation 5 Pro is a practical alternative for those after new-game performance without a GPU swap.
Why NVIDIA is doing this (briefly)
NVIDIA's open kernel modules have matured over the last few years but they were designed with newer GPU features and the GSP in mind. Maintaining full, in-tree support for decades of older architectures is costly and, for NVIDIA, the path forward is the open kernel module approach for modern architectures while keeping older architectures on legacy driver branches.
Practical tips for Arch users
For gamers on Linux, driver support often maps directly to what you can run and how well it performs. The move to open kernel modules simplifies packaging for modern GPUs and aligns with NVIDIA's engineering direction, but it also forces a reckoning for owners of older cards — either live with legacy packages, accept Nouveau's limits, or upgrade hardware.
If you're tracking how Linux handhelds and gaming platforms evolve — or just managing a Steam Deck or a PC that doubles as a living-room gaming box — changes like this matter. See what Valve recently added for handheld downloads in the Steam Deck's power modes in the Steam Deck display‑off mode, and keep in mind that modern PC titles leaning on the newest graphics features (and upscaling tech) can behave very differently depending on driver support — games like Arc Raiders highlight how new titles often target newer driver/feature sets.
Change like this will ripple: packagers, distro users, and anyone with hardware two or more generations old should take a look now rather than after an unattended upgrade leaves them staring at a blinking cursor.