diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 52052d7600..5923b5be9d 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ app/release/output-metadata.json
 local.properties
 app/src/main/assets/recommendations.json
 
+# Locally built gamescope payloads: fetched at runtime unless one is present,
+# and never committed — a payload is an artefact of the branch that built it.
+app/src/main/assets/gamescope-gamenative-*.tzst
+
 # Proguard folder generated by Eclipse
 proguard/
 
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/PrefManager.kt b/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/PrefManager.kt
index 8f0b36c3e3..e69afa42ad 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/PrefManager.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/PrefManager.kt
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ object PrefManager {
 
     private val DISPLAY_SERVER = stringPreferencesKey("display_server")
     var displayServer: String
-        get() = getPref(DISPLAY_SERVER, Container.DEFAULT_DISPLAY_SERVER)
+        get() = getPref(DISPLAY_SERVER, DefaultVersion.DISPLAY_SERVER)
         set(value) {
             setPref(DISPLAY_SERVER, value)
         }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/display/GamescopePayload.kt b/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/display/GamescopePayload.kt
index 7504ea5d65..82b7b88f67 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/display/GamescopePayload.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/display/GamescopePayload.kt
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import java.io.File
 
 /** Versioned gamescope payload (gamescope, XWayland, scaling clients), fetched on the first gamescope launch. */
 object GamescopePayload {
-    const val VERSION = "20261022.13"
+    const val VERSION = "20261023.3"
     const val ARCHIVE = "gamescope-gamenative-$VERSION.tzst"
     private const val STAMP = ".payload.version"
 
@@ -29,16 +29,39 @@ object GamescopePayload {
         val archive = File(filesDir, ARCHIVE)
         if (!archive.isFile || archive.length() == 0L) {
             archive.delete()
-            try {
-                SteamService.fetchFileWithFallback(ARCHIVE, archive, context, onProgress)
-            } catch (e: Exception) {
-                archive.delete()
-                throw e
+            // A payload shipped inside the APK wins over the download: it is the
+            // build that was exercised with this app, and it needs no network.
+            // Only when the asset is absent does the published archive get
+            // fetched.
+            if (copyFromAssets(context, archive)) {
+                onProgress(1.0f)
+            } else {
+                try {
+                    SteamService.fetchFileWithFallback(ARCHIVE, archive, context, onProgress)
+                } catch (e: Exception) {
+                    archive.delete()
+                    throw e
+                }
             }
         }
         install(archive, filesDir)
     }
 
+    /** Whether this APK carries the payload, and if so, copy it out to [dest]. */
+    private fun copyFromAssets(context: Context, dest: File): Boolean {
+        val assets = context.assets
+        val present = runCatching { assets.open(ARCHIVE).close() }.isSuccess
+        if (!present) return false
+        return runCatching {
+            assets.open(ARCHIVE).use { input -> dest.outputStream().use { output -> input.copyTo(output) } }
+        }
+            .onFailure {
+                Timber.w(it, "Failed to copy $ARCHIVE from assets")
+                dest.delete()
+            }
+            .isSuccess
+    }
+
     @Synchronized
     internal fun install(archive: File, filesDir: File): File {
         val target = directory(filesDir)
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/ui/screen/xserver/XServerScreen.kt b/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/ui/screen/xserver/XServerScreen.kt
index 0579000af6..27e9e12fd9 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/ui/screen/xserver/XServerScreen.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/ui/screen/xserver/XServerScreen.kt
@@ -2423,6 +2423,7 @@ fun XServerScreen(
                                     envVars,
                                     contentsManager,
                                     onExtractFileListener,
+                                    gameSession = !bootToContainer,
                                 )
                             }
                             if (isGamescopeSession) {
@@ -5732,6 +5733,7 @@ private suspend fun setupWineSystemFiles(
     envVars: EnvVars,
     contentsManager: ContentsManager,
     onExtractFileListener: OnExtractFileListener?,
+    gameSession: Boolean,
 ) {
     val imageFs = ImageFs.find(context)
     val appVersion = AppUtils.getVersionCode(context).toString()
@@ -5866,10 +5868,11 @@ private suspend fun setupWineSystemFiles(
         cleanupBionicSteamAssets(imageFs)
     }
 
-    val desktopTheme = container.desktopTheme
-    if ((desktopTheme + "," + screenInfo) != container.getExtra("desktopTheme")) {
-        WineThemeManager.apply(context, WineThemeManager.ThemeInfo(desktopTheme), screenInfo)
-        container.putExtra("desktopTheme", desktopTheme + "," + screenInfo)
+    val desktopTheme = if (gameSession) WineThemeManager.gameSessionTheme(container.desktopTheme) else container.desktopTheme
+    val desktopThemeKey = desktopTheme + "," + screenInfo + if (gameSession) ",game" else ""
+    if (desktopThemeKey != container.getExtra("desktopTheme")) {
+        WineThemeManager.apply(context, WineThemeManager.ThemeInfo(desktopTheme), screenInfo, !gameSession)
+        container.putExtra("desktopTheme", desktopThemeKey)
         containerDataChanged = true
     }
 
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/utils/ContainerUtils.kt b/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/utils/ContainerUtils.kt
index e2d212697d..5d84946f1a 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/utils/ContainerUtils.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/app/gamenative/utils/ContainerUtils.kt
@@ -98,6 +98,9 @@ object ContainerUtils {
             DefaultVersion.STEAM_TYPE = Container.STEAM_TYPE_HEADLESS
             DefaultVersion.ASYNC_CACHE = "0"
         }
+        DefaultVersion.DISPLAY_SERVER = Container.defaultDisplayServer(
+            GPUInformation.getRenderer(context).orEmpty().contains("adreno", ignoreCase = true),
+        )
     }
 
     fun getGPUCards(context: Context): Map<Int, GpuInfo> {
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/container/Container.java b/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/container/Container.java
index 03c5e36201..8fda29fb66 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/container/Container.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/container/Container.java
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ public enum XrControllerMapping {
     public static final String DEFAULT_DISPLAY_RENDERER = "vulkan";
     public static final String DISPLAY_SERVER_X11 = "x11";
     public static final String DISPLAY_SERVER_GAMESCOPE = "gamescope";
-    public static final String DEFAULT_DISPLAY_SERVER = DISPLAY_SERVER_GAMESCOPE;
     public static final String DEFAULT_DDRAWRAPPER = "none";
     public static final String DEFAULT_DXWRAPPERCONFIG = "version=" + DefaultVersion.DXVK + ",framerate=0,maxDeviceMemory=0,async=" + DefaultVersion.ASYNC + ",asyncCache=" + DefaultVersion.ASYNC_CACHE + ",vkd3dVersion=" + DefaultVersion.VKD3D + ",vkd3dLevel=12_1" + ",ddrawrapper=" + Container.DEFAULT_DDRAWRAPPER + ",csmt=3" + ",gpuName=NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480" + ",videoMemorySize=2048" + ",strict_shader_math=1" + ",OffscreenRenderingMode=fbo" + ",renderer=gl";;
     public static final String DEFAULT_GRAPHICSDRIVERCONFIG = "vulkanVersion=1.3" + ",version=" + DefaultVersion.WRAPPER + ",blacklistedExtensions=" + ",maxDeviceMemory=0" + ",presentMode=mailbox" + ",syncFrame=0" + ",disablePresentWait=0" + ",resourceType=auto" + ",bcnEmulation=auto" + ",bcnEmulationType=compute" + ",bcnEmulationCache=0" + ",gpuName=Device";
@@ -87,7 +86,7 @@ public enum XrControllerMapping {
     private String graphicsDriverConfig = DEFAULT_GRAPHICSDRIVERCONFIG;
     private String rendererPresentMode = "fifo";
     private String displayRenderer = Container.DEFAULT_DISPLAY_RENDERER;
-    private String displayServer = Container.DEFAULT_DISPLAY_SERVER;
+    private String displayServer = DefaultVersion.DISPLAY_SERVER;
     private int xrRefreshRate = 72;
     private int xrRenderScale = 100;
     private boolean sfCompatMode = true;
@@ -309,6 +308,10 @@ public void setGraphicsDriverConfig(String graphicsDriverConfig) {
 
     public void setDisplayServer(String v) { this.displayServer = v; }
 
+    public static String defaultDisplayServer(boolean isAdreno) {
+        return isAdreno ? DISPLAY_SERVER_GAMESCOPE : DISPLAY_SERVER_X11;
+    }
+
     public static boolean isX11Display(String containerVariant, String displayServer) {
         return !BIONIC.equalsIgnoreCase(containerVariant) || !DISPLAY_SERVER_GAMESCOPE.equalsIgnoreCase(displayServer);
     }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/container/ContainerData.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/container/ContainerData.kt
index 8fdb4a64b0..c9f66306d3 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/container/ContainerData.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/container/ContainerData.kt
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ data class ContainerData(
     val graphicsDriverConfig: String = "",
     val rendererPresentMode: String = "fifo",
     val displayRenderer: String = Container.DEFAULT_DISPLAY_RENDERER,
-    val displayServer: String = Container.DEFAULT_DISPLAY_SERVER,
+    val displayServer: String = DefaultVersion.DISPLAY_SERVER,
     val xrRefreshRate: Int = 72,
     val xrRenderScale: Int = 100,
     val sfCompatMode: Boolean = true,
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ data class ContainerData(
                     graphicsDriverConfig = (savedMap["graphicsDriverConfig"] as? String) ?: "",
                     rendererPresentMode = (savedMap["rendererPresentMode"] as? String) ?: "fifo",
                     displayRenderer = (savedMap["displayRenderer"] as? String) ?: "vulkan",
-                    displayServer = (savedMap["displayServer"] as? String) ?: Container.DEFAULT_DISPLAY_SERVER,
+                    displayServer = (savedMap["displayServer"] as? String) ?: DefaultVersion.DISPLAY_SERVER,
                     xrRefreshRate = (savedMap["xrRefreshRate"] as? Int) ?: 72,
                     xrRenderScale = (savedMap["xrRenderScale"] as? Int) ?: 100,
                     sfCompatMode = (savedMap["sfCompatMode"] as? Boolean) ?: true,
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/core/DefaultVersion.java b/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/core/DefaultVersion.java
index e12b591870..150d770152 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/core/DefaultVersion.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/core/DefaultVersion.java
@@ -26,4 +26,5 @@ public abstract class DefaultVersion {
     public static String WINE_VERSION = com.winlator.core.WineInfo.MAIN_WINE_VERSION.identifier();
     public static String ASYNC = "1";
     public static String ASYNC_CACHE = "0";
+    public static String DISPLAY_SERVER = Container.DISPLAY_SERVER_X11;
 }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/core/WineThemeManager.java b/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/core/WineThemeManager.java
index ac18c3f437..de28f1fda9 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/core/WineThemeManager.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/core/WineThemeManager.java
@@ -41,7 +41,22 @@ public ThemeInfo(String value) {
         }
     }
 
+    // Game sessions get a black desktop: gamescope composites Wine's desktop
+    // surface, so the wallpaper would show through before the game's first frame
+    // and around its dialogs. The X11 renderers never draw explorer, so it is
+    // invisible there either way.
+    public static String gameSessionTheme(String value) {
+        ThemeInfo info = new ThemeInfo(value);
+        return info.theme + "," + BackgroundType.COLOR + ",#000000";
+    }
+
     public static void apply(Context context, ThemeInfo themeInfo, ScreenInfo screenInfo) {
+        apply(context, themeInfo, screenInfo, true);
+    }
+
+    // The desktop is named "shell", which makes explorer draw its taskbar and
+    // start menu; game sessions turn that off along with the standalone systray.
+    public static void apply(Context context, ThemeInfo themeInfo, ScreenInfo screenInfo, boolean enableShell) {
         File rootDir = ImageFs.find(context).getRootDir();
         File userRegFile = new File(rootDir, ImageFs.WINEPREFIX+"/user.reg");
         String background = Color.red(themeInfo.backgroundColor)+" "+Color.green(themeInfo.backgroundColor)+" "+Color.blue(themeInfo.backgroundColor);
@@ -54,6 +69,15 @@ public static void apply(Context context, ThemeInfo themeInfo, ScreenInfo screen
             }
             else registryEditor.removeValue("Control Panel\\Desktop", "Wallpaper");
 
+            if (enableShell) {
+                registryEditor.removeValue("Software\\Wine\\Explorer\\Desktops\\shell", "EnableShell");
+                registryEditor.removeValue("Software\\Wine\\Explorer\\Desktops\\shell", "ShowSystray");
+            }
+            else {
+                registryEditor.setDwordValue("Software\\Wine\\Explorer\\Desktops\\shell", "EnableShell", 0);
+                registryEditor.setDwordValue("Software\\Wine\\Explorer\\Desktops\\shell", "ShowSystray", 0);
+            }
+
             if (themeInfo.theme == Theme.LIGHT) {
                 registryEditor.setStringValue("Control Panel\\Colors", "ActiveBorder", "245 245 245");
                 registryEditor.setStringValue("Control Panel\\Colors", "ActiveTitle", "96 125 139");
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/xenvironment/components/BionicProgramLauncherComponent.java b/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/xenvironment/components/BionicProgramLauncherComponent.java
index 6f52281a68..e7e56c3d18 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/xenvironment/components/BionicProgramLauncherComponent.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/winlator/xenvironment/components/BionicProgramLauncherComponent.java
@@ -514,19 +514,7 @@ private void applyGamescopeEnv(Context context, EnvVars envVars, File rootDir) {
         envVars.put("LD_PRELOAD", preload.isEmpty()
                 ? gsDir + "/lib/libgndrm_shim.so"
                 : preload + ":" + gsDir + "/lib/libgndrm_shim.so");
-        // The shim pulls in libandroid.so, whose OEM deps must bind to system libs, not imagefs's same-named ones:
-        // Samsung's libsqlite.so needs the BoringSSL libcrypto.so, HyperOS's libjpeg-hyper.so needs libjpeg.so's jsimd_* exports.
         String gamescopeLibPath = gsDir + "/lib";
-        File systemLibDir = new File(context.getFilesDir(), "gamescope_system_libs");
-        boolean linkedSystemLib = false;
-        for (String lib : new String[]{"libcrypto.so", "libjpeg.so"}) {
-            File systemLib = new File("/system/lib64", lib);
-            if (!systemLib.exists()) continue;
-            systemLibDir.mkdirs();
-            FileUtils.symlink(systemLib, new File(systemLibDir, lib));
-            linkedSystemLib = true;
-        }
-        if (linkedSystemLib) gamescopeLibPath = systemLibDir.getPath() + ":" + gamescopeLibPath;
         String libPath = envVars.get("LD_LIBRARY_PATH");
         envVars.put("LD_LIBRARY_PATH", libPath.isEmpty() ? gamescopeLibPath : gamescopeLibPath + ":" + libPath);
         // gamescope execvp's gamescopereaper and wlroots spawns xkbcomp.
diff --git a/app/src/main/jniLibs/arm64-v8a/libgamenative_drm.so b/app/src/main/jniLibs/arm64-v8a/libgamenative_drm.so
index 9be0b341c4..03e27f6362 100755
Binary files a/app/src/main/jniLibs/arm64-v8a/libgamenative_drm.so and b/app/src/main/jniLibs/arm64-v8a/libgamenative_drm.so differ