How To Set Up Xbox Cloud Gaming and Link Your Game Pass to the Steam Deck

So, you finally received your Steam Deck. Next to the convenience of PC gaming on the go with your Steam account, many wondered, How can I link my Game Pass account? There are a few convoluted YouTube videos that I sifted through during the painful hours figuring this out, and my goal to differentiate this How To from the others is to break it down and simplify the process as best I can.

So, is it possible to connect to your Game Pass account on the Steam Deck?

Yes, but it’s through Xbox Cloud Gaming, which needs to be installed manually.

Steps:

Hit the STEAM button on the left lower side of the device and select POWER.
Under the POWER menu, select Switch to Desktop.

3. You will now enter Desktop mode. It’s a little unsettling, and I HIGHLY recommend a bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Technically, you can access the virtual on-screen keyboard by pressing STEAM + X and utilize the tracking pads as the mouse. It is up to user preference.

This is Desktop mode. You will utilize the toolbar at the bottom left.

4. On the taskbar at the bottom left of the screen, click Discover Software Center (Looks like a blue shopping bag, below).

5. Click on APPLICATIONS, then INTERNET, then WEB BROWSERS. You will find Microsoft Edge.

6. Click INSTALL

7. After it has installed, return to the task bar and click on the Application Launcher (looks like the Steam Deck logo, below).

8. Find Microsoft Edge, right click (friendly reminder, this is the LEFT track pad if you are not using a mouse), and select ADD TO STEAM.

NOTE: When I did this, Edge is automatically added to the Non-Steam section of my Library. Some resources state an ADD A GAME window may pop up. If so, scroll to find and check the box for Microsoft Edge and select Add Selected Programs.

9. Return to the Application Launcher. Click on SYSTEM, then KONSOLE.

10. Enter the following and hit ENTER:

flatpak –user override –filesystem=/run/udev:ro com.microsoft.Edge

NOTE: Some sources state that you must enter “Exit” then hit ENTER. After several failures, I simply added the code above and hit ENTER. The important key is confirming that an ERROR message did not pop up.

11. Exit out of your windows and click on the STEAM icon on the desktop OR return to Steam Mode. Either have worked, and I prefer the latter because it is one less “click”.

12. Get into your LIBRARY tab and right click on Microsoft Edge.

13. Select Properties.

14. Many resources list this as a step, and I also did the same and recommend it: update the shortcut name to Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta)

15. Scroll down to LAUNCH OPTIONS. Enter the below AFTER the string of letters/symbols. DO NOT DELETE what is already there:
–window-size=1024,640 –force-device-scale-factor=1.25 –device-scale-factor=1.25 –kiosk “https://www.xbox.com/play”

16. From there, you can RUN/PLAY the program, and if everything was done correctly, you will be brought to your Microsoft Log-in! Presto! You did it!

I hope that at some point in the future, there will be an easier install process. Until then, best wishes, and please feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or comments. Even better, please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.

Stephanie, aka the Madpharmacist, is a pharmacist by day and award-winning author at night! She is a copy editor for the Boss Rush website, co-host of the Boss Rush Podcast, and a regular contributor for After Dark, Standard Definition (Disney), and the EXP Cast. If that isn’t enough, Stephanie also writes for Another Zelda Podcast. She is an avid gamer when she finds the time–with Zelda, Ghost of Tsushima, and indie games as her go-tos.

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