Linux game streaming

Posted Aug 19, 2026 Updated Aug 19, 2026

By Ravi Kilnake 6 min read

Streaming PC Games/Desktop from Linux Mint to an LG webOS TV (Sunshine + Moonlight)

A beginner-friendly guide to streaming your Linux Mint desktop to an LG webOS TV using Sunshine (the host, running on your PC) and Moonlight (the client, running on your TV).s

Time estimate: 45–75 minutes for first-time setup. You’ll need: A Linux Mint PC, an LG webOS TV, both on the same Wi-Fi/network, and a spare 15 minutes where you don’t mind your TV rebooting a couple of times.

How this works

Sunshine runs on your Linux Mint PC and shares your desktop/games over the network.
Moonlight runs on your LG TV and displays the stream.
Because LG doesn’t officially allow apps like Moonlight in its store, you’ll need to briefly put the TV into Developer Mode to sideload it. This is safe and reversible — it doesn’t wipe your TV or void anything permanently.

Part 1: Install Sunshine on Linux Mint

Install Sunshine. The easiest method is Flatpak:
1 flatpak install flathub dev.lizardbyte.sunshine
(A .deb package and AppImage are also available from the Sunshine GitHub releases page if you prefer.)
Launch Sunshine once so its background service starts running.
Open the Sunshine web dashboard in a browser:
1 https://localhost:47990
Your browser will warn you about a self-signed certificate — this is expected, click through it. Set an admin username and password when prompted.
Check your GPU encoder. In the web dashboard, confirm Sunshine detected your graphics card (AMD, Intel, and Nvidia are all supported for hardware encoding; software encoding works as a fallback if needed).
Open the firewall ports. This is the step people most often miss — Sunshine needs both TCP and UDP ports open:
1 2 sudo ufw allow 47984:48010/tcp sudo ufw allow 47998:48010/udp
Double-check both rules are active:
1 sudo ufw status verbose
💡 Why this matters: If you only open the TCP range, initial connections and pairing may work, but streaming itself will fail with errors like control stream establishment failed, error code 11 — because the actual video/control stream traffic runs over UDP.
Restart Sunshine after any firewall changes so it rebinds properly:
1 sudo systemctl restart sunshine
(Or just quit/relaunch it if you’re using the Flatpak version.)
Leave the default “Desktop” entry in Sunshine as-is for now — that’s what you’ll stream first to confirm everything works.

Part 2: Get Moonlight installed on the LG webOS TV

Because Moonlight isn’t in the official LG Content Store, you need a developer account and a sideloading tool.

Create a free LG developer account at webostv.developer.lge.com.
On the TV, open the LG Content Store and install the Developer Mode app.
Open the Developer Mode app, log in with your new developer account, and turn on:
- Developer Mode
- The Key Server toggle
⚠️ Developer Mode is not permanent — it can reset after a TV reboot or after a timeout. If Moonlight later disappears or won’t launch, this is the first thing to re-check.
On your PC, download and install Dev Manager Desktop from webosbrew.org (this is the tool that lets your computer talk to the TV).
In Dev Manager Desktop, connect to your TV using the IP address and passphrase shown in the TV’s Developer Mode app.
Once connected, use Dev Manager Desktop to install Moonlight (the community webOS build, distributed via the webOS Homebrew Channel). It installs like any other webOS app.

Part 3: Pair the TV with your PC

Confirm the TV and PC are on the same local network (same Wi-Fi/router, not a separate guest or IoT network — those often block device-to-device traffic).
Open Moonlight on the TV. Your Sunshine PC should appear automatically. If it doesn’t, tap Add, and enter the PC’s local IP address manually.
💡 If the IP keeps timing out, first confirm Sunshine is actually reachable by opening https://localhost:47990 directly on the Mint PC. If that works but the TV still can’t connect, it’s a network/firewall issue between the two devices — see the troubleshooting section below.
Moonlight will display a 4-digit PIN on the TV screen.
On the PC, open the Sunshine web dashboard → PIN tab, and enter that same PIN to complete pairing.
Back on the TV, select your PC, then select Desktop — you should now be streaming!

Part 4: Tune your stream quality

In the Sunshine web dashboard → Settings:

Resolution/frame rate: 1440p60 is a good starting point for most modern TVs; adjust up or down depending on your TV’s native resolution and your Wi-Fi/network strength.
If the stream looks choppy or laggy, lower the resolution or bitrate first before assuming it’s a hardware problem — most stutter issues are network bandwidth, not GPU power.
Wired Ethernet (on either the PC or a Powerline/adapter for the TV) will always be more reliable than Wi-Fi if you have persistent quality issues.

Since you’re using the TV’s original (non-Magic) remote rather than a game controller, here’s what works:

Navigate menus: Directional buttons + OK/Select should move around the Moonlight interface normally.
Bring up the in-stream overlay (to disconnect, check stats, or quit cleanly): long-press the Back button (or the Exit button, depending on your remote model). This is not always obvious — a quick tap on Back may just close the whole app instead of opening the overlay.
If Back/Exit doesn’t respond at all: try connecting a mouse (USB or Bluetooth) to the TV temporarily — some older Moonlight-tv versions have had bugs where the remote doesn’t register on first launch until a mouse click “wakes up” input handling. This is usually a one-time hiccup per session.
Emergency exit: If nothing else works, press the TV’s Home button — this force-exits to the TV’s main launcher. You can then reopen Moonlight and manually end the session from there if it’s still shown as active in Sunshine.

💡 Since you’re on the original remote (not the Magic Remote), stick to Back/Exit for the overlay — pointer-based gestures don’t apply to you.

Troubleshooting quick reference

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
`curl error: timeout has reached` when adding PC by IP	Firewall blocking Sunshine’s ports, or wrong/stale IP	Check `sudo ufw status`, confirm PC’s current IP, ensure TV isn’t on an isolated guest network
`control stream establishment failed, error code 11`	UDP ports not open in firewall	Run `sudo ufw allow 47998:48010/udp`, restart Sunshine
TV can’t find PC automatically	Different subnets / guest network isolation	Manually enter PC’s IP; move TV off any guest/IoT Wi-Fi
Moonlight app installed but disappears later	Developer Mode expired/reset	Reopen Developer Mode app on TV, re-enable, reinstall if needed
Remote doesn’t respond in Moonlight menus	Known input bug on first launch	Connect a USB/Bluetooth mouse briefly to “wake” input handling

Quick recap checklist

Sunshine installed and running on Linux Mint
ufw rules added for both TCP and UDP port ranges
LG developer account created
Developer Mode enabled on TV
Dev Manager Desktop installed on PC and connected to TV
Moonlight installed on TV via Dev Manager Desktop
PC and TV paired via PIN
Stream quality tuned to taste
Comfortable exiting the stream with Back/Exit long-press

Enjoy your couch gaming setup! 🎮

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