domsvoboda/xodus-nexus

Worth trying if you have a Microsoft Store or Game Pass library and run Linux, especially on a Steam Deck or gamescope setup. It is an unofficial wrapper, not a Microsoft product, so treat compatibility as game-by-game.

The problem

If you bought PC games through the Microsoft Store or have a Game Pass subscription, your Linux desktop has no natural way to see that library, install titles, or launch them alongside the rest of your games. You would otherwise juggle the Microsoft sign-in, package downloads, and Wine/Proton compatibility pieces manually, and keep track of which game needs which fix. Xodus Nexus puts store browsing, an owned/installed library, a download queue and a launch path into one desktop app. The result is a library screen showing access and play state, with installation and launching handled from the same place.

What's different

Under the hood the launcher is only the front end. A separately installed Nexus backend is a patched build of upstream Xodus, handling account sign-in, license checks, package downloads and launch preparation. A Nexus runtime, built on Xodus Proton and Xodus XGameRuntime plus additional patches, provides the compatibility layer. The README states that every game uses the same launch path and shared runtime; that is the project's architecture claim, not evaluated here. The practical trade-off is that your wallet, your Microsoft account and your game licenses all meet in one independent stack you must keep in sync manually. The backend and runtime are installed from inside Settings, which means the launcher is not self-contained: if you stop after installing the AppImage, you have a shell without the parts that make games run.

The README publishes a manually tested compatibility table with mixed states. Some titles are reported fully playable online, while others have documented ownership or login failures on some setups, and certain games need VC++ prerequisites or gamescope. That table is user-report and manual-test based, not a guarantee; it is the most useful thing on the page for deciding whether your particular game is likely to work.

Who should try it

Good fit: Linux gamers who already own Microsoft Store titles, particularly Steam Deck users who want those games in a launcher with store browsing and a queue. The compatibility table and setup guide give you a concrete way to check your titles first. Poor fit: someone who wants a curated, console-like experience without account sign-in, or who is not comfortable managing separate backend and runtime components. If passkey sign-in stalls, the documented fallback is "Continue in browser," which requires Google Chrome (native or Flatpak) and explicitly does not support other browsers. That requirement alone may rule it out on systems without Chrome.

Requirements and limitations

This is x86_64 Linux only: the install path is an AppImage or an installer script, and the SteamOS setup guide is the place to check distribution-specific requirements. A Microsoft account plus a valid game purchase or subscription is mandatory, and Xbox-specific data such as achievements depends on the account and the game. The wallet is a setup step of its own: if it has a password, its native unlock window asks for the wallet password, not necessarily your Microsoft password. Manual resume after restarting is supported, which tells you the queue expects imperfect sessions.

The compatibility table is the main ongoing worry. Entries carry caveats and linked issue reports, so expect to check per-title behavior before committing to a game. The backend and runtime are separate installs, and the README does not spell out an upgrade story for them; keeping those components aligned with launcher releases is a maintenance task worth planning for. The caution that this is independent and unofficial also matters: report problems in this repository's issues, not upstream.

HotRepo's take

HotRepo tracked this repository from 2026-10-24 to 2026-10-25, and the only comparable observation is a NEW-REPOSITORY board (新项目榜, not the overall board) placement at #13 for TypeScript with 940 total stars on 2026-10-25. With no daily-board history, persistence cannot yet be judged; the repository was 13 days old at that snapshot. Before spending an evening on setup, check the compatibility entry and linked issue for your specific title, since the mixed playable/reported-failure rows are the clearest evidence of what to expect.