Xbox Cloud Gaming comes to Steam Deck via Microsoft Edge for Linux Beta

Steam Deck Trackpad
Steam Deck Trackpad (Image credit: Windows Central / Miles Dompier)

What you need to know

  • Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available through Steam Deck.
  • Microsoft has a setup how-to available on its site as well as Reddit, which starts with the requirement that you use Microsoft Edge to get the whole operation underway.
  • This means Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is now available right on your Steam Deck with Microsoft's official backing.

People love Xbox Cloud Gaming. People love the best Xbox Game Pass games. And people love Steam Deck. So why not connect the dots between the three?

That's exactly what Valve and Microsoft did, working together to put Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) onto Steam Deck via Microsoft Edge for Linux Beta. By extension, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is also coming along for the ride.

Microsoft has a useful how-to article on its website (with pictures!) showing how you can get Xbox Cloud Gaming set up on your Deck. Important note from the company: It recommends that you "have a mouse and keyboard connected to your Steam Deck when following this article for setup. Alternatively, you can use STEAM+X to bring up the touch keyboard along with the touch display or trackpads."

You can also find a more condensed how-to over on Reddit, wherein Microsoft alerted everyone that the Edge browser is now a one-way ticket to Xbox Cloud Gaming on Deck.

Bit by bit, Steam Deck is becoming something of a one-stop-shop option for those who want something in between the worlds of console and PC gaming (as well as those who've given up on PC gaming due to current component costs and shortages). If you want to blur the lines between the PC and handheld console experience even further, check out Valve's Windows drivers for Steam Deck.

Robert Carnevale

Robert Carnevale is the News Editor for Windows Central. He's a big fan of Kinect (it lives on in his heart), Sonic the Hedgehog, and the legendary intersection of those two titans, Sonic Free Riders. He is the author of Cold War 2395. Have a useful tip? Send it to robert.carnevale@futurenet.com.