elementary / elementary/gala

Bioshock Infinite game window is only visible on the multitasking view

Open
#2,689 13 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
Confirmed
Dominant language
Vala
Stars
302
Forks
83
Avg merge
1d 1h
Merged PRs (30d)
7

Description

### What Happened?

I've made a [screen recording](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MW0orhVQTMCz2Whj6M55BmVi0tLJFNV8/view?usp=sharing) launching Bioshock Infinite from Steam. It's on Google Drive due to its size.

This is a bit complicated, so bear with me.

When the game is launched, Gala appears to be sending the fullscreen game window into a new workspace, judging by the animation it executes. I can now hear the sound of the game intro playing in the background, but I cannot see the game window.

Looking at the dock workspace switcher, it tells me that I am still in workspace 1, while the workspace 2 (where the game is supposed to be) is empty. On the other hand, the multitasking view shows a different picture: it tells me that I am in workspace 2.

By switching workspaces to the left, it became clear that I was really in workspace 2, which was empty. Gala switched me to that workspace, but the game window stayed in workspace 1.

The game window can be seen on the multitasking view (in workspace 1), but it disappears as soon as you leave it; and there is no way to get to it through that screen.

Screenshot of the multitasking view showing the Bioshock window there

By pressing Alt+Tab, I was finally able to focus on the game and make it visible. **It's the only way to do that**.

Screenshot of the keyboard-driven task switcher selecting Bioshock Infinite

But if I ever go back to the multitasking view, the game window will disappear again. Alt+Tab will always fix it, though.

### Steps to Reproduce

1. Start Bioshock Infinite and wait. You should be able to hear the game intro playing, but you won't see the game window.
2. **Enter multitasking view** to get a sense of where you are. Without leaving it, **switch back to the previous workspace**, and you should be able to see the game window there.
3. **Activate the game window** to exit the multitasking view and focus on it. It should then disappear.
4. Use Alt+Tab to switch to the game window, and it should work.

### Expected Behavior

All other games I've tested behave as expected on elementary. However, this issue does not exist on GNOME or KDE.

I think this might be a recent regression. I don't remember having this problem before Gala 8.3.0.

### OS Version

8.x (Circe)

### OS Architecture

amd64 (on most hardwares)

### Session Type

Secure Session (Wayland, This is the default)

### Software Version

Latest release (I have run all updates)

- Gala 8.4.0

### Log Output

```shell

```

### Hardware Info

- GPU: AMD® Radeon RX 6600
- Monitor resolution: 2560x1080 (ultrawide)

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Assessment

This issue has not been assessed yet.

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.