Out of nowhere you just see a program installed on your system even if you haven’t manually installed it – and now you are worried about it! One such listing is the Vulkan Runtime libraries. Yes, it is a good practice to keep in check what you have and haven’t installed to monitor unauthorized activity on your system. But, it is also important to investigate properly before reaching a conclusion.
In this article, we’ll get to know what Vulkan is and why they silently get installed – and in some cases, why you won’t find them in your system.
So if you just came to know about Vulkan being installed on your system and looking for more information about Vulkan Runtime Library, then don’t worry as in this article you’ll find complete information about what Runtime Library is and why it is on your computer.
At the end of this article, you’ll have complete understanding of what is Vulkan Runtime Library and should you remove it? So let’s explore all your queries about Vulkan one by one.
Contents
Is Vulkan Runtime Libraries a malware?
If you find “Vulkan Runtime libraries” as one of the programs installed on your computer – then you have nothing to worry about. It is not a malware – I assure you that.
Nor it is something that will break your system. It’s just the files required for the new Vulkan API to work when you play a game. So, it was installed along with your GPU driver – when you tried to upgrade it or install it.
What Is Vulkan API?
Vulkan API is a low-level 3D graphics API which is essentially the successor of OpenGL – even though OpenGL still exists. Vulkan aims to provide an open API but with better capabilities than OpenGL and compete with Microsoft’s Direct X 12.
Nvidia’s dev blog also explains it as:
Vulkan is a modern cross-platform graphics and compute API currently in development by the Khronos consortium. The Khronos members span the computing industry and are jointly creating an explicit and predictable API that satisfies the needs of software vendors in fields as varied as a game, mobile and workstation development.
Vulkan’s conscious API design enables efficient implementations on platforms that span a wide range of mobile and desktop hardware as well as across operating systems.
Vulkan is based on Mantle – which was AMD’s low-level graphics API solution. Although, that wasn’t a success – Vulkan is utilizing the same characteristics to do better. In addition to this, we believe that it might give AMD GPUs an edge over Nvidia because it is largely based on AMD’s Mantle.
Technically, if you are wondering, an API is a set of tools or functions put together which makes it easy for the developers to build the software or the Game (in this case).
Why is Vulkan Runtime Library on my computer?
Vulkan Runtime libraries get installed on your computer when you have a supported GPU along with the latest drivers installed. No matter whether you have a Nvidia GPU or an AMD GPU – both support Vulkan.
You can also try installing it manually by opting for the developer beta versions of the driver for your GPU. It’s your call. I would wait for the official support – if it isn’t there yet.
Is Vulkan installed on my computer?
Unlike Nvidia’s control panel or Geforce Experience, there won’t be any separate option for Vulkan. You can only find it in the list of your installed programs and features.
So, to check that, simply head on to the Settings and then click on “Apps“. Now, scroll down or search for “Vulkan” to check whether you have it installed or not.
Does Vulkan API matter?
Yes, just like OpenGL helped developers port the games for different platforms, Vulkan aims to let the developers build games that are cross-platform while also being easy to port.
Games like Shadow of Tomb Raider utilizes DX 12 – but it still is not very convincing. While on the other hand, Vulkan proves to be better than Microsoft’s Direct X 12.
Also, Steam, AMD, and Qualcomm getting involved for Vulkan is definitely a good thing to be able to utilize it for cross-platform Gaming.
So, we definitely want Vulkan API to be successful over the Direct X 12 support for games and applications.
And, yes, it is definitely important if you already have it – or if you own a game that needs it – you should never uninstall it. For example, DOOM also utilizes the Vulkan API for better performance and it does a great job over Direct X 12.
If you do not have a game that requires Vulkan API – you can just ignore it but if you have a game that has Vulkan support – it would be a bad idea to not utilize it.
Vulkan API: All About Gaming
If you have Vulkan API installed on your system, you are definitely a PC Gamer. But, are you really aware of the games that support Vulkan? And, what advantage does it offer over Microsoft’s Direct X 12?
I wouldn’t really go into the technical details here – but what Vulkan aims is to make Gaming a better experience no matter what platform you’re on.
And, that’s what matters to me at the end of the day. I wouldn’t care whether I’m playing on Linux or Windows – as far as I’m enjoying it.
The reason Steam is supporting Vulkan is its SteamOS and Steam machines that target the consoles.
And, considering all the independent benchmark tests carried – Vulkan is easily going to help the PCMASTERRACE improve the gaming experience over consoles.
But, all that is good – what are some games that support Vulkan? Here are a few:
- Star Citizen
- DOOM
- F1 2017
- Escape from Tarkov
- Mad Max
- Wolfenstein II
You should definitely try out the games I’ve mentioned above if you have a GPU along with Vulkan Runtime libraries installed.
Wrapping Up
Vulkan runtime libraries is indeed a necessary program for your games. It’s not a malware nor anything suspicious – it just helps the graphics performance for the supported games.
Does your GPU support it? Do you have it installed already?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
