Xodus Nexus brings PC Game Pass to Steam Deck, no Windows

On October 10, this repository did not exist. Nine days later, it holds 32 published releases, 258 commits and 337 stars on GitHub, all signed by a single developer, Dominik Svoboda. The launcher, Xodus Nexus, does something Microsoft has never offered: it installs PC Game Pass and Microsoft Store games on Linux, and therefore on Steam Deck, so you can play them locally, without Windows and without streaming.

We have not installed Xodus Nexus ourselves yet. What follows brings together what the project repository, its release notes and its compatibility list show, along with the first hands-on reports from the specialist press, published on October 19.

A launcher built on Xodus and its reverse engineering

None of this starts from scratch. The launcher relies on Xodus, a reverse engineering effort (understanding closed software by watching how it behaves) that surfaced in August. According to the recap by NerdZap, Xodus could already sign in to an Xbox account, check licences and download games at that point. It could not launch them yet.

Dominik Svoboda’s project adds the missing piece. Its README describes three layers: the app itself (store, library, download queue), a patched Xodus backend that handles sign-in and licences, and a runtime built on Proton, the Valve compatibility layer that runs Windows games on Linux. Every game goes through that same runtime.

It does not unlock any game. You need a Microsoft account and a valid licence for each title, bought or included in a subscription. Cloud saves work in supported games, so you can pick up on a Steam Deck a session started on a Windows PC or an Xbox. Only recent games in the MSIXVC format, the package format of current Xbox PC games, are targeted: older UWP games such as Gears of War 4 are not planned, according to NerdZap. The launcher is MIT licensed, while the backend keeps the GPLv3 licence of the Xodus project.

Thirty-two releases in nine days

The release notes on GitHub read like a logbook. On October 16, version 0.3.2 made it possible to sign in on SteamOS without modifying the system partition. On the 17th, 0.3.5 added games to Steam with their artwork, including in Game Mode, the console interface of the Steam Deck. Only the native version of Steam is supported, not the Flatpak one.

On the 18th, 0.3.6 made the whole launcher navigable with a controller. The same day, a runtime update fixed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle crashing after the opening logos, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II crashing at startup, and PowerWash Simulator 2 getting stuck on its loading screen. On the 19th at 17:20 UTC, 0.3.8 added Xbox achievements and time played, and now warns on first launch that this is an unofficial project.

In practice, the articles published on October 19 describe version 0.3.6. By that evening, they were two releases behind.

What Xodus Nexus runs, and what breaks

The wiki compatibility list draws on the developer’s own tests and on player reports. NerdZap counted 65 games there as of October 18: 46 playable, 4 partially, 2 unverified and 13 that do not work. Playable online games include Gears of War E-Day, Forza Horizon 6, Sea of Thieves, Palworld, Deep Rock Galactic and Minecraft Dungeons II. Hogwarts Legacy and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II are reported playable, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle works through its first mission.

The failures follow a pattern. The Witcher 3 crashes on launch. ARC Raiders starts but cannot connect to its servers. Hell Let Loose stops after Easy Anti-Cheat initialises. Dragon Quest XI S crashes after the first loading screen, and Soul Hackers 2 never gets past its menu. Anti-cheat software and online services are the most common sticking points.

A community spreadsheet complements the wiki. NerdZap found 98 reports in it: 63 working, 33 failing and 2 partial. These reports are self-submitted by players, often without hardware or version details. A green tick means a game started on someone’s machine, not that it will run on yours. That holds even for Gears of War E-Day, rated 87 by critics at launch.

On Steam Deck, « playable » does not mean smooth

The developer of Xodus Nexus does not own a Steam Deck, as the latest release notes state: « I’m currently testing and debugging on virtualized SteamOS ». The same notes ask for a second-hand Deck to buy for testing. Notebookcheck also pointed this out on October 19, and NerdZap notes that only 2 wiki entries mention Valve’s handheld.

At Steam Deck HQ, Noah Kupetsky installed the launcher on a Steam Deck. The verdict on controller navigation: « It is a little clunky in its current state, but it does work ». The test also warns that performance can fall below that of a Steam game, because there is no shared shader cache. Steam precompiles that cache and distributes it to avoid stutter on first launch.

NerdZap draws the distinction that compatibility lists miss. The launcher answers « can I install and launch this game? », not « can my machine run it? ». Gears of War E-Day is on the working list, yet it regularly drops below 30 frames per second on Steam Deck, even at minimum settings. On a Steam Machine, the same game holds 30 frames per second at 1440p on high settings. On the handheld, the realistic targets are lighter games such as Hollow Knight: Silksong or Minecraft Dungeons II.

The real risk is your Microsoft account

The Xodus Nexus repository says it plainly: « Independent project, not affiliated with Microsoft or Xbox ». NerdZap found no statement from Microsoft in the press. According to the discussions the site tracked, the project says it bypasses no DRM, the copy protection built into games, but nobody has verified that independently. And everything rests on a Microsoft runtime that could change overnight.

Ash Lockett’s advice at NerdZap fits in one line: owners should « think twice before signing in with an account they cannot afford to lose ». A Microsoft account holds your purchases, your saves and sometimes your email. The risk stays theoretical as long as Microsoft does not react, but it weighs more than a game that crashes.

Money explains the excitement. Until now, playing Game Pass on a Steam Deck meant streaming, which only comes with the Ultimate tier. Since April 21, 2026, Ultimate has cost €20.99 a month in France and PC Game Pass €12.99, according to Next Stage. The gap comes to €96 a year, after a 50% price hike in October 2025 (French article). Streaming itself is about to tighten, with fifteen hours of Xbox Cloud per month starting in November.

Those savings assume your games actually run locally. The launcher is nine days old. Microsoft has not said a word yet.