Hey all!
So I switched to linux this summer and have been really enjoying it! Pretty much everything I want to play on Steam works with no issue. Everything else seems to get solved with protondb.com.
But I do miss the PC side of my Gamepass Ultimate sub. Is there any way to take advantage of that on linux? I know on Windows you need to use the Xbox app to install things and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to add them to Steam after that as a non Steam game (couldn’t find the executables or whatever).
Anyways, is there some lutris workaround or something for installing and playing Gamepass Ultimate games on linux? Or am I SOL?
Thanks!
None that I’ve heard of. I believe part of it is the file format of these games that is not your typical .exe or .msi file which further causes issues and there is likely some extra online DRM that gets in the way to further complicate things.
The only method we have is to use GamePass in the cloud through an internet browser.
I don’t think Microsoft will ever truly bring GamePass to Linux or macOS because it’s just one more thing that keeps Windows on top of the market share.
Pretty sure they take the normal game files and cram them in a locked folder that only their app can access. Like an OS-specific DRM.
I have seen that. There is a locked folder containing encrypted folders on the root of whatever storage device you install Windows apps/games to from the Microsoft Store.
Unfortunately no, game pass games are packaged and installed similarly to Windows Store apps and games and heavily relies on Windows Store APIs. Proton nor wine will likely be able to replicate it for a long time (if ever)
You only have 3 options
A dedicated machine with Windows for gaming
A Windows VM with GPU passthrough (Some games’ anti-cheat systems will trigger if it detects a VM, there are ways to harden a VM against it, but it’s tedious and another cat and mouse game.)
Dual boot Windows and Linux
Technically, I am still setup to dual boot to Windows. But now that I’ve been off it for months, I really don’t want to go back even for “free” games. It feels like a triumph to be off it and every day I don’t go back into it when I can easily dual boot feels like a big middle finger to MS. I’ve been finding different ways to do that since the 80’s when I used DR-DOS instead of MS-DOS. :-D
Pretty sure the only way is cloud gaming via Edge (which, yes, has a Linux version)
I didn’t realize there was a cloud gaming option. I have Edge installed for work stuff (Teams and Outlook web) so I’ll look into that option. Thanks!
EDIT - Looked into it, works surprisingly well! EXCEPT it requires a controller. Kinda the whole reason I want to play on my computer is to use KBM, otherwise I’ll just use the ol Xbox. Oh well, maybe they’ll improve it in the future. It’s still a beta in theory.
I’m not sure if this is an answer but there is the Cloud Based Gaming Beta that you get with Ultimate. I don’t know if it works with Firefox or Linux or such.
I didn’t realize there was a cloud gaming option. I’ll look into that option. Thanks!
Looking into it slightly more and it seems like I assumed wrongly that it was web-based but instead requires the Xbox app and thus Windows 10 or later. Let me know if you find another way though.
I have Edge installed via Flatpak and the cloud gaming worked perfectly. Shockingly well, really. Unfortunately, it requires a controller and doesn’t support KBM, which is kinda counterproductive for me since I can just use my Xbox to play with controller.
Oh well, it’s a step in the right direction. Maybe they’ll get KBM support going in the future. I’ll keep an eye on it. Thx again!
Oh, that’s a bummer but thanks for the update. I was thinking of buying the ultimate pass just so I could play Minecraft bedrock but I am not going to be playing that with a controller.
There’s a flatpak (I think it’s a flatpak) that runs the android version of bedrock on Linux. It’d save you a carp ton as well!
Eh yeah I know that but I don’t know if I really want the android version. My son has it and I assume it’d be pretty clunky on desktop.
You kidding? Runs SEAMLESS on my 3yo acer laptop. Haven’t tried any major lagging but so far regular gameplay never slowed down on me.
Kbm support has been “coming soon” for a while now, I think MS Flight Sim is the only one to support it but hopefully more title follow.
