diff --git a/app/streaming/session.cpp b/app/streaming/session.cpp
index 947acd3e..c0062ec3 100644
--- a/app/streaming/session.cpp
+++ b/app/streaming/session.cpp
@@ -35,6 +35,14 @@
 
 #define CONN_TEST_SERVER "qt.conntest.moonlight-stream.org"
 
+// Running the connection process asynchronously seems to reliably
+// cause a crash in QSGRenderThread on Wayland and strange crashes
+// elsewhere. Until these are figured out, avoid the async connect
+// thread on Linux and BSDs.
+#if !defined(Q_OS_UNIX) || defined(Q_OS_DARWIN)
+#define USE_ASYNC_CONNECT_THREAD 1
+#endif
+
 CONNECTION_LISTENER_CALLBACKS Session::k_ConnCallbacks = {
     Session::clStageStarting,
     nullptr,
@@ -55,6 +63,11 @@ void Session::clStageStarting(int stage)
     // which happens to be the main thread, so it's cool to interact
     // with the GUI in these callbacks.
     emit s_ActiveSession->stageStarting(QString::fromLocal8Bit(LiGetStageName(stage)));
+
+#ifndef USE_ASYNC_CONNECT_THREAD
+    QCoreApplication::processEvents(QEventLoop::ExcludeUserInputEvents);
+    QCoreApplication::sendPostedEvents();
+#endif
 }
 
 void Session::clStageFailed(int stage, int errorCode)
@@ -63,6 +76,11 @@ void Session::clStageFailed(int stage, int errorCode)
     s_ActiveSession->m_PortTestResults = LiTestClientConnectivity(CONN_TEST_SERVER, 443, LiGetPortFlagsFromStage(stage));
 
     emit s_ActiveSession->stageFailed(QString::fromLocal8Bit(LiGetStageName(stage)), errorCode);
+
+#ifndef USE_ASYNC_CONNECT_THREAD
+    QCoreApplication::processEvents(QEventLoop::ExcludeUserInputEvents);
+    QCoreApplication::sendPostedEvents();
+#endif
 }
 
 void Session::clConnectionTerminated(int errorCode)
@@ -938,7 +956,6 @@ public:
         QThread(nullptr),
         m_Session(session) {}
 
-private:
     void run() override
     {
         m_Session->m_AsyncConnectionSuccess = m_Session->startConnectionAsync();
@@ -952,7 +969,17 @@ bool Session::startConnectionAsync()
 {
     // Wait 1.5 seconds before connecting to let the user
     // have time to read any messages present on the segue
+#ifdef USE_ASYNC_CONNECT_THREAD
     SDL_Delay(1500);
+#else
+    uint32_t start = SDL_GetTicks();
+    while (!SDL_TICKS_PASSED(SDL_GetTicks(), start + 1500)) {
+        // Pump the UI loop while we wait since we're not async
+        SDL_Delay(5);
+        QCoreApplication::processEvents(QEventLoop::ExcludeUserInputEvents);
+        QCoreApplication::sendPostedEvents();
+    }
+#endif
 
     // The UI should have ensured the old game was already quit
     // if we decide to stream a different game.
@@ -1077,11 +1104,15 @@ void Session::exec(int displayOriginX, int displayOriginY)
 
     // Kick off the async connection thread while we sit here and pump the event loop
     AsyncConnectionStartThread asyncConnThread(this);
+#ifdef USE_ASYNC_CONNECT_THREAD
     asyncConnThread.start();
     while (!asyncConnThread.wait(10)) {
         QCoreApplication::processEvents(QEventLoop::ExcludeUserInputEvents);
         QCoreApplication::sendPostedEvents();
     }
+#else
+    asyncConnThread.run();
+#endif
 
     // Pump the event loop one last time to ensure we pick up any events from
     // the thread that happened while it was in the final successful QThread::wait().