The Steam Deck features snowballed in vogue to the point where gamers excitedly wait for its successor, the Steam Deck 2. If you wish to enjoy AAA games on the go, movable handheld comforts, such as the ASU ROG Ally and the Steam Deck, are the best options. Pairing these portable consoles with the Xbox Game Pass subscription looks logical, providing gamers access to a rotating catalog of plenty of games without the cost of owning them. In this guide, you will learn how to get an Xbox Game Pass on the Steam Deck and play the latest games at a fraction of their cost.
Is It Possible to Play Xbox Game Pass Games on the Steam Deck?
Valve’s Steam Deck runs the Steam storefront and provides a few of the best games. That makes Xbox Game Pass the best product from its rival, Microsoft. While Steam doesn’t offer a gaming subscription service, it is still a general question to ask if Xbox Game Pass operates on the Steam Deck.
The brief answer is it does, but the procedure is difficult. You can enjoy Xbox Game Pass games on the Steam Deck in two ways.
First, install Windows on the Steam Deck in a multi-boot configuration parallel to the Linux-based SteamOS. This is not simple and might seem daunting to gamers who wish to play a game via their current Xbox Game Pass subscription.
Fortunately, the second method is less complex and doesn’t include immense tinkering, but the caution is that players must stream the game via Microsoft’s servers from Xbox Cloud Gaming. Adding a Microsoft Edge shortcut to the Steam Library allows players to enjoy Xbox Game Pass on their Steam Deck via Cloud Gaming. The method is from Microsoft, so you are not breaking anything essential on your desktop in any way.
Steps to Play Xbox Game Pass Games Using Xbox Cloud Gaming on the Steam Deck
These steps are for gamers comfortable with tinkering on the Steam Deck. These instructions are from Microsoft and depend on Xbox Cloud Gaming. Players will be streaming this game via Microsoft’s servers and not playing them straight on their Steam Deck, so remember that you will require a strong internet connection for a smooth experience, even for offline games.
Pre-Requisites
Connecting an external keyboard and mouse to the Steam Deck is important. You can utilize a touch keyboard (Steam button plus X) parallel to the touch trackpad and display, but it can make the procedure notably simpler to execute if you utilize a hardware keyboard and mouse.
Installing Microsoft Edge on the Steam Deck
The foremost part of this procedure is downloading Microsoft Edge onto the portable console. The procedure is very simple:
- First, Boot the Steam Deck.
- Then, input Desktop Mode. Hit the Steam button to show the Steam Menu, choose the Power option, and tap the Switch to Desktop tab.
- Move to the Applications tab and select Internet > Web Browsers in the app.
- Navigate to the Microsoft Edge tab in the apps menu and hit the Install tab.
- Once done, close the Discover Software Center.
Adding Microsoft Edge to Steam
After installing the Microsoft Edge, you must add it to Steam:
- First, go back to your Desktop on the Steam Deck.
- Next, tap the Application Launcher icon.
- Then, choose the Internet tab, right-tap on the Microsoft Edge button, and choose Add to Steam.
- In the Add a Game screen, tap the Microsoft Edge tab. Choose the Add Selected Programs option.
Give Microsoft Edge Access to the Steam Deck Controls
After adding Edge to Steam, you should allow it to access the Steam Deck controls. In this part, a hardware keyboard will be best. Follow the institutions below:
- Go back to Desktop on the Steam Deck.
- Then, hit the Application Launcher tab.
- Next, hit System > Konsole to launch a terminal window.
- Input the below command into Konsole: flatpak –user override – -filesystem= /run/undev: ro com.microsoft.Edge.
- After this, tap on the Enter key on the keyboard.
- Lastly, exit Konsole by writing exit and tapping the Enter button on the keyboard.
Now, you can plug in the Xbox controller or utilize the preset layouts of the Steam Deck in Microsoft Edge.
Change the Launch Properties of Microsoft Edge to Open the Xbox Game Pass
Next, you should change how the Microsoft Edge browser functions after launching. We need it to launch the Xbox Game Pass website once we launch it.
- Launch Steam by hitting the Steam tab on the desktop.
- Next, choose the Library option.
- Then, navigate to the Microsoft Edge option in the list. Right-tap on it and choose Properties.
- In the Launch Options, you must add the following after @@u @@, which is already visible there. – -window – size= 1024,640 – -force – device – scale – factor=1.25 – -device – scale – factor=1.25 – -kiosk “https://www.xbox.com/play”
- Remember that you must give space between @@ and -window-size.
- Also, you can alter the controller layout (optional):
- Right-tap on the Microsoft Edge tab in the Steam Library, choose the Manage option, hit Controller layout > Browse configs, and select the desired layout.
- Then, choose Apply Configuration > Done.
- You can also change the app’s name to Xbox Cloud Gaming (optional).
That’s it; you can now change again to Gaming mode through the icon on your desktop, choose the Microsoft Edge option in the Steam library, and sign in with the Microsoft account to enjoy the game catalog on Xbox Game Pass.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Ques: Can I use Xbox Game Pass on the computer?
Ans: Yes! You can use Xbox Game Pass on your computer and smartphone.
Ques: How can I add Xbox games to Steam?
Ans: Sadly, no direct method exists to add Xbox games to the Steam Deck. But you can try that by using a third-party software such as UWPHook.
Ques: Does Game Pass function on Steam Deck?
Ans: Yes, of course! Players can add Game Pass cloud gaming on the Steam Deck to enjoy Xbox games on their Steam Deck device.
Ques: Can I play the Xbox games on my Steam Deck?
And: Yes! Players can add the Microsoft Edge browser as a Game Pass and enjoy their Xbox games on Steam Deck.
Ques: Which cloud gaming platform is best for Steam Deck?
Ans: Right now, the Microsoft Edge browser, a.k.a. Xbox Game Pass or Xbox Cloud Gaming, is one of the popular gaming services for Steam Deck.
