There are multiple reasons to play Starfield or any other game through the Xbox Cloud Gaming on Steam Deck. You might not have enough storage space in your Steam Deck or you just want to give the game a try before downloading the entire thing.
Whatever the reason, if you have a strong enough network connection, you can play Bethesda’s latest RPG on your Steam Deck via Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Note that this service is currently in beta so things might not go as smoothly as they should. But overall, in my experience, the game streams very well on Steam Deck.
Having 20 Mbps to 30 Mbps yields the best results on mobile, console, tablet, and PC. Although Microsoft says 10 Mbps works great on mobile but in practice I found that at least 20 Mbps is needed for a smooth, lag free experience.
Remember, you NEED a Xbox Game Pass subscription to play games via Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Anyways, let’s start by installing Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Install Microsoft Edge Because It Won’t Work On Chrome
Switch to Desktop mode on your Steam Deck before installing Edge. To enter Desktop mode, you must hold down the power button to open up the menu that lets you select Desktop mode.
Once you’re in Desktop mode, open the Discover Store by clicking on the blue bag icon. Now search for Microsoft Edge in the Discover Store and hit install when it pops up.
Step 2: Add Microsoft Edge To Steam Library
Now that we have the browser installed, it’s time to add it to your library. Open Steam and hit the Games tab on the top left. A drop down menu will open where you need to scroll down to find “Add a non-Steam Game to My Library.”
A new menu will open where you can find your newly installed Microsoft Edge browser. Select Edge and press “Add Selected Programs” button.
Step 3: Tweak Microsoft Edge To Work As Your Xbox App
To do this, we need to make sure that when you press buttons on the Steam Deck, Microsoft Edge understands what you’re trying to do.
First, you’ll need to find a little program on the Steam Deck. You go to the main menu, which looks like a blue and white icon, and look through all the apps until you find one called Konsole. It’s listed under “K.” You click on it to start it up.
Next, there’s a bit of computer code we need to use to make everything work right. Instead of typing it out by hand, which can be a big hassle, you can copy it directly on the Steam Deck. It’s like when you copy a friend’s homework but in a totally okay way. You use the buttons and touchpad on the Steam Deck to highlight the code, then copy it.
The code looks like this: flatpak –user override –filesystem=/run/udev:ro com.microsoft.Edge
After copying, you go back to Konsole, paste the code in there, and then use an on-screen keyboard to finish the job. It might seem like nothing happened, but if a new line shows up after you enter the code, that means it worked. Now, Microsoft Edge on your Steam Deck will understand when you press buttons, making it act like a special app for playing Xbox games with the Steam Deck’s controls.
Step 4: Turn Microsoft Edge Into An Unofficial Xbox App
Now, let’s make some tweaks to Microsoft Edge so it can really act like an Xbox Cloud Gaming app on the Steam Deck.
First, head over to your Steam library. Look for Microsoft Edge listed under “M.” Use the left trigger on your Steam Deck to click on it, and then select “properties” from the menu that pops up.
Inside properties, there’s a section called “shortcut.” That’s where we’re going to work. Here, you can change the name of the app to something like “Xbox Cloud Gaming” or “Xbox App” to make it clearer what it’s for.
Now, we’re going to add some special computer code in the “launch options” area. This code will adjust the app so it fits the Steam Deck’s screen perfectly and automatically goes to the Xbox Cloud Gaming website.
In the launch options, you’ll see a line of code that looks like this:
“run” “–branch=stable” “–arch=x86_64” “–command=/app/bin/edge” “–file-forwarding” “com.microsoft.Edge” “@@u” “@@”
After the last part – the “@@” – you need to add a space and then paste this next piece of code:
–window-size=1024,640 –force-device-scale-factor=1.25 –device-scale-factor=1.25 –kiosk “https://www.xbox.com/play”
So, the whole updated line of code will look like this:
“run” “–branch=stable” “–arch=x86_64” “–command=/app/bin/edge” “–file-forwarding” “com.microsoft.Edge” “@@u” “@@” –window-size=1024,640 –force-device-scale-factor=1.25 –device-scale-factor=1.25 –kiosk “https://www.xbox.com/play”
Remember, putting a single space after the last quotation mark is super important. If your Xbox Cloud Gaming app doesn’t start right, it might be because there’s no space between the two parts of the code, or there are too many spaces.
Step 5: The Final Few Steps Before Starfield
After you’ve made the changes to Microsoft Edge to turn it into a better Xbox Cloud Gaming app, you’ll need to save your work and get back to playing your games.
To make sure all your changes are saved, look for a little “X” at the top right corner of the window you’re working in. Clicking this “X” will close the window and save all the changes you’ve made.
On your Steam Deck, there should be an icon on the desktop that lets you switch back to Gaming Mode. This is where you can access all your games and the new Xbox Cloud Gaming app. Click on this icon to switch back.
Head over to your library of games and apps. If you changed the name of Microsoft Edge to something like “Xbox Cloud Gaming,” it will now be listed under the first letter of whatever new name you gave it. Look for it there.
Once you find the app, click on it. You should see an option that looks like a little controller icon. Click on this, and a menu will pop up. Microsoft suggests setting your controller to “Gamepad with Mouse Trackpad” for the best experience. However, if you prefer, you can choose “Gamepad with Joystick Trackpad” instead. Both options will let you control your games well, so it’s up to you which one you use.
Once you’ve got everything set up with Microsoft Edge on your Steam Deck for Xbox Cloud Gaming, there’s just one more step before you can start playing your games.
Look for the “Play” button and click it to open up your new Xbox Cloud Gaming app.
The first thing you’ll see is a prompt asking you to sign into your Microsoft or Xbox account. This is necessary because it checks if you have access to Xbox Cloud Gaming and lets you save your game progress under your account.
After signing in, you’ll find yourself in what’s essentially the Xbox app but on your Steam Deck. This is your gateway to all the Xbox Cloud Gaming content.
Now it’s time to find the game you want to play. If you’re looking to play “Starfield,” you can either use the search function to find it quickly or scroll through the available games until you see it. Once you find “Starfield,” just hit the “Play” button next to it.
After clicking “Play,” give it a bit of time to load up. It might take a few minutes, but soon enough, you’ll be ready to Starfield.
Steam Deck can do a lot more then play Starfield. You can install and mod Fallout 4 and Skyrim, and even play PS1 and PS2 games on it.
