Fix X-Plane 12’s “Vulkan 1.3 required, only 1.2 supported” error by checking the active GPU, drivers, Linux ICDs and hardware compatibility.
X-Plane 12’s “Vulkan 1.3 is required, but only 1.2 is supported by device” error means the active graphics driver is not exposing Vulkan 1.3. Install the correct driver, make X-Plane use the compatible dedicated GPU, and verify the reported API version. If it remains 1.2, compatible hardware or a supported driver is required.
Fix the “Vulkan 1.3 required, but only 1.2 is supported by device” error
The reliable fix is to identify the graphics adapter X-Plane actually selected, then update or repair that adapter’s Vulkan driver.
Preserve and inspect
Log.txt. After the failed launch, openLog.txtin the main X-Plane 12 folder before starting the simulator again. The file is rewritten on each launch.Search for
Vulkan, the detected device name, driver information and the reported API version. If the log names an integrated Intel or AMD adapter instead of the NVIDIA or AMD card you expected, X-Plane is using the wrong GPU.Check the device version, not just general Vulkan support. A card advertised as supporting Vulkan may expose only Vulkan 1.0, 1.1 or 1.2 through its active driver. X-Plane 12 needs the selected device and driver to expose Vulkan 1.3.
Seeing Vulkan 1.3 for one installed GPU does not help if X-Plane selects another device limited to 1.2. On multi-GPU systems, record the device name alongside the version.
Install the driver for the exact GPU. Use the supported driver package provided for that NVIDIA, AMD or Intel model rather than relying solely on a generic operating-system display driver. Choose the installer’s clean or reset option if one is available, then restart the computer so the Vulkan components are reloaded.
A mistake we see constantly is updating the integrated adapter while the dedicated GPU remains on an old or incomplete driver. Hybrid-graphics laptops may need both drivers, and some models require the laptop manufacturer’s graphics package for switching to work correctly.
Force Windows to use the high-performance GPU. Add
X-Plane.exeto Windows Graphics settings and assign the high-performance adapter. Laptop users should connect mains power and check that an economy mode, MUX setting or manufacturer utility has not disabled the dedicated card.On a desktop, make sure the monitor is connected to the dedicated card rather than a motherboard video output. NVIDIA users can also follow our X-Plane-specific NVIDIA GPU selection and control-panel guidance.
Verify the Linux Vulkan ICD. Run
vulkaninfo --summary, orvulkaninfoapiVersion of 1.3 or newer.Do not confuse the Vulkan loader or instance version with the physical device’s API version. A 1.3-capable loader can still list a GPU limited to 1.2. If the result shows
lavapipe,llvmpipeor another software renderer, the hardware ICD is missing, broken or not being selected.Our Linux installation and Vulkan detection walkthrough explains the driver checks and hybrid-GPU considerations in more detail.
Remove conflicting wrappers and repair the installation. Temporarily disable graphics injectors, overlays, custom Vulkan layers and environment variables that deliberately force a particular ICD. On Linux, manually set variables such as
VK_ICD_FILENAMESorVK_DRIVER_FILEScan point the loader at a stale or incorrect driver.Verify X-Plane’s files through Steam, or use the X-Plane installer/updater to repair a direct installation. Do not download a replacement
vulkan-1.dll, copy driver DLLs into the X-Plane folder or install the Vulkan SDK as a repair; none of these makes an incompatible display driver support Vulkan 1.3.Decide whether the hardware-driver combination is compatible. If the correct physical GPU still reports a maximum device version of 1.2 after installing the newest supported driver for that GPU and operating system, there is no X-Plane setting that can change it.
The card may be on a legacy driver branch, or the operating system may be too old for a newer supported driver. If no suitable Vulkan 1.3 driver exists for that combination, use a compatible graphics card or another computer.
What does each X-Plane Vulkan device error mean?
The wording identifies whether X-Plane found an unsuitable device, could not load its driver correctly, or lost an already initialised GPU.
| Message or result | What it usually means | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| “Vulkan 1.3 is required, but only 1.2 is supported by device” | The selected physical GPU and active driver expose no more than Vulkan 1.2 | Update that GPU’s driver, select a different installed GPU, or replace unsupported hardware |
| “A Vulkan 1.3 capable setup is required” | X-Plane could not find a usable Vulkan 1.3 device | Check the detected adapter, driver installation and hardware compatibility |
| “Your video card drivers seem not to support the required Vulkan version” | The driver is old, generic, incomplete or limited by the GPU’s legacy driver branch | Install the proper manufacturer driver and recheck the device API version |
| “Broken Vulkan installation detected” | The Vulkan loader, vendor driver, ICD manifest or an injected layer is missing or inconsistent | Reinstall the display driver or matching Linux Vulkan packages and remove custom layers |
| “Incompatible GPU driver detected” | X-Plane rejected the loaded driver or found that it lacks required Vulkan capabilities | Cleanly reinstall a supported driver; if a driver change caused it, use another supported release that still exposes Vulkan 1.3 |
lavapipe, llvmpipe or software device | The system is rendering in software instead of using the physical GPU | Install or select the correct hardware Vulkan ICD |
| Vulkan device loss after the menu or flight loads | Vulkan initialisation succeeded, but the driver later reset or lost the GPU | Troubleshoot device loss rather than the Vulkan 1.3 requirement |
Does a relatively modern dedicated graphics card with Vulkan support meet the requirement?
Not necessarily: “Vulkan support required” does not confirm Vulkan 1.3 support. Many older dedicated cards can run Vulkan applications but expose only an earlier API version through their final available driver.
The decisive result is the device API version reported by the active driver. An integrated GPU that reports 1.3 may pass this particular check, but that does not guarantee it meets X-Plane 12’s wider graphics-memory, performance or support requirements; use the suitable dedicated adapter where one is installed.
Why does the Vulkan 1.3 error remain after updating the driver?
The error remains when the wrong adapter was updated, the new package did not replace the active driver, or the GPU’s newest available driver still exposes only Vulkan 1.2.
- Wrong GPU updated: check the device name in
Log.txtrather than assuming X-Plane selected the dedicated card. - Legacy driver branch: “latest driver” only means the newest package available for that card; it does not guarantee Vulkan 1.3.
- Generic or basic display driver: an operating-system update may substitute a limited driver. Reinstall the proper GPU package and restart.
- Hybrid graphics disabled: battery-saving modes, firmware settings and laptop utilities can hide the dedicated GPU.
- Remote or virtual session: remote-desktop software and virtual machines may expose a virtual or software adapter. Test from the computer’s local desktop.
- Stale Linux ICD: mismatched package versions or an old ICD manifest can make the loader select the wrong vendor library.
What does mesa-vulkan-icd-wrapper mean?
A reference to mesa-vulkan-icd-wrapper in a Linux log or crash report is a clue that the failure occurred while a Mesa Vulkan ICD was being selected or tested; it is not a file to obtain from an unrelated download site.
Confirm which device vulkaninfo selects, then reinstall the matching 64-bit Vulkan driver and loader components through the distribution’s package manager. If the intended device is an NVIDIA card using its proprietary driver but X-Plane reaches only a Mesa software or integrated device, correct the GPU-offload or ICD selection instead of adding more wrappers.
Can I bypass X-Plane 12’s Vulkan 1.3 requirement?
No. X-Plane 12 has no supported OpenGL fallback on Windows or Linux, and lower graphics settings, deleted preferences, shader-cache changes or launch parameters cannot add Vulkan 1.3 capability.
The Vulkan SDK is a developer toolkit, not a replacement graphics driver. Likewise, copying Vulkan DLLs from another computer can create a broken Vulkan installation without changing what the GPU supports.
Native X-Plane 12 on macOS uses Metal rather than Vulkan. A Vulkan warning seen through a compatibility layer or virtual machine therefore concerns that non-native graphics environment, not X-Plane’s native macOS renderer.
What if X-Plane 12 starts but then has a GPU crash?
A Vulkan device-loss crash after the renderer, menu or flight has loaded is a different fault because Vulkan 1.3 initialisation has already succeeded.
For messages mentioning a lost or removed device, use our Vulkan device-loss troubleshooting process. If the Vulkan warning has disappeared but X-Plane still closes during startup, preserve the new Log.txt and follow the broader startup-crash checks for plug-ins, preferences and damaged files.