diff --git a/src/backends/native/meta-renderer-native.c b/src/backends/native/meta-renderer-native.c
index 086e8e43c..87cf3d010 100644
--- a/src/backends/native/meta-renderer-native.c
+++ b/src/backends/native/meta-renderer-native.c
@@ -3787,16 +3787,13 @@ gpu_kms_is_hardware_rendering (MetaRendererNative *renderer_native,
   return data->secondary.is_hardware_rendering;
 }
 
-static MetaRendererNativeGpuData *
-create_renderer_gpu_data_gbm (MetaRendererNative  *renderer_native,
-                              MetaGpuKms          *gpu_kms,
-                              GError             **error)
+static EGLDisplay
+init_gbm_egl_display (MetaRendererNative  *renderer_native,
+                      struct gbm_device   *gbm_device,
+                      GError             **error)
 {
   MetaEgl *egl = meta_renderer_native_get_egl (renderer_native);
-  struct gbm_device *gbm_device;
   EGLDisplay egl_display;
-  int kms_fd;
-  MetaRendererNativeGpuData *renderer_gpu_data;
 
   if (!meta_egl_has_extensions (egl, EGL_NO_DISPLAY, NULL,
                                 "EGL_MESA_platform_gbm",
@@ -3808,9 +3805,31 @@ create_renderer_gpu_data_gbm (MetaRendererNative  *renderer_native,
       g_set_error (error, G_IO_ERROR,
                    G_IO_ERROR_FAILED,
                    "Missing extension for GBM renderer: EGL_KHR_platform_gbm");
-      return NULL;
+      return EGL_NO_DISPLAY;
     }
 
+  egl_display = meta_egl_get_platform_display (egl,
+                                               EGL_PLATFORM_GBM_KHR,
+                                               gbm_device, NULL, error);
+  if (egl_display == EGL_NO_DISPLAY)
+    return EGL_NO_DISPLAY;
+
+  if (!meta_egl_initialize (egl, egl_display, error))
+    return EGL_NO_DISPLAY;
+
+  return egl_display;
+}
+
+static MetaRendererNativeGpuData *
+create_renderer_gpu_data_gbm (MetaRendererNative  *renderer_native,
+                              MetaGpuKms          *gpu_kms,
+                              GError             **error)
+{
+  struct gbm_device *gbm_device;
+  int kms_fd;
+  MetaRendererNativeGpuData *renderer_gpu_data;
+  g_autoptr (GError) local_error = NULL;
+
   kms_fd = meta_gpu_kms_get_fd (gpu_kms);
 
   gbm_device = gbm_create_device (kms_fd);
@@ -3822,26 +3841,25 @@ create_renderer_gpu_data_gbm (MetaRendererNative  *renderer_native,
       return NULL;
     }
 
-  egl_display = meta_egl_get_platform_display (egl,
-                                               EGL_PLATFORM_GBM_KHR,
-                                               gbm_device, NULL, error);
-  if (egl_display == EGL_NO_DISPLAY)
-    {
-      gbm_device_destroy (gbm_device);
-      return NULL;
-    }
-
-  if (!meta_egl_initialize (egl, egl_display, error))
-    return NULL;
-
   renderer_gpu_data = meta_create_renderer_native_gpu_data (gpu_kms);
   renderer_gpu_data->renderer_native = renderer_native;
   renderer_gpu_data->gbm.device = gbm_device;
   renderer_gpu_data->mode = META_RENDERER_NATIVE_MODE_GBM;
-  renderer_gpu_data->egl_display = egl_display;
+
+  renderer_gpu_data->egl_display = init_gbm_egl_display (renderer_native,
+                                                         gbm_device,
+                                                         &local_error);
+  if (renderer_gpu_data->egl_display == EGL_NO_DISPLAY)
+    {
+      g_debug ("GBM EGL init for %s failed: %s",
+               meta_gpu_kms_get_file_path (gpu_kms),
+               local_error->message);
+
+      init_secondary_gpu_data_cpu (renderer_gpu_data);
+      return renderer_gpu_data;
+    }
 
   init_secondary_gpu_data (renderer_gpu_data);
-
   return renderer_gpu_data;
 }