Xodus, an ambitious open-source reverse-engineering initiative, is making strides towards running Xbox PC and Game Pass titles natively on Linux, Steam Deck, and macOS, challenging the current reliance on cloud gaming and Windows restrictions.
A new open-source project is attempting one of the more difficult tasks in PC gaming interoperability: making Xbox PC and Game Pass titles run natively on Linux, Steam Deck and macOS. The project, called Xodus, was launched on August 10, 2026 by developers associated with Heroic Games Launcher and independent contributors. Its focus is not on cloud streaming, but on local downloads that can run through compatibility layers already familiar to Linux users.
The technical challenge is substantial because Microsoft ties Game Pass titles to the Game Development Kit, or GDK, plus a proprietary Xbox Gaming Runtime. According to reporting from Tom’s Hardware and Windows Central, Xodus is trying to bridge the gaps created by Microsoft’s authentication checks, encrypted MSIXVC packaging and runtime dependencies. Those are the parts Wine and Valve’s Proton can not handle on their own, even when they can already translate Windows graphics calls and x86 instructions.
The project says it has already cleared two major hurdles: Xbox identity authentication and decryption of MSIXVC game packages. Its GitHub repositories describe a Rust-based core for login, downloads and licence acquisition, alongside separate components for authentication, package parsing and an open-source replacement for xgameruntime.dll. The code base is split across several GPL-3.0 repositories and is being developed in public, with work coordinated through Discord.
Pawel Lidwin, who previously worked on Heroic Games Launcher, is leading the effort. In a statement carried on the project’s GitHub organisation, Xodus describes itself as an open-source reverse-engineering project aimed at running Xbox PC games, including Game Pass titles, on Linux and Mac systems. Lidwin said the software can already log in to Xbox accounts, access Microsoft’s store and download games on non-Windows operating systems.
There is still a long way to go before a game actually launches. Xodus’s own documentation says the remaining work includes on-demand decryption of individual executables, support for the newer MSIXVC2 format and a fuller recreation of the Xbox Gaming Runtime so Wine can recognise it. The project also says its current interface is a developer-facing command-line tool, and no build yet completes the full path from installation to gameplay.
The effort matters because Linux and Steam Deck users currently reach PC Game Pass mainly through Xbox Cloud Gaming, which requires a Game Pass Ultimate subscription and depends on a stable internet connection. Xodus points towards a different model: local installation and native execution, similar to the way Steam Deck owners already run many Windows games through Proton. The project’s own roadmap also suggests broader ambitions, including support for Minecraft Bedrock Edition and backwards-compatible Xbox titles if the underlying GDK and packaging problems can be solved.
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