How to play Game Pass games on the Steam Deck

It’s possible, with Xbox Cloud Gaming

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Learning how to play Game Pass games on your Steam Deck will both demonstrate the handheld’s compatibility limits, and show you how flexible it can be in bending them. See, while it’s not actually possible to install PC Game Pass games onto your Steam Deck’s SSD , Xbox Cloud Gaming – a streaming service included with Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions – can be unlocked on the Deck, making the all-you-can-eat library available to play. Here, we’ll show you how.

First, though, let’s get an awkward question out of the way: Why can’t the Steam Deck just play Game Pass games locally? It can, after all, be Shanghaied into running rival game platforms like the Epic Games Launcher and Battle.net , so why not the Xbox launcher that Game Pass uses on Windows desktops?

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Steam Deck Academy brings together all our guides and explainers on getting the most out of your Steam Deck, no student loans or sweaty dormitories required.

The answer lies in how Microsoft specifically locks down the Xbox app, and the games, within Windows; it’s not like how Steam lets you freely tinker with its files. The app also lacks a readily available installer executable, a common component that allows for the Windows versions of rival launchers to run on SteamOS, and it’s not compatible with compatibility aids like Lutris or the Heroic Games Launcher either. This is unlikely to change unless Microsoft completely flips how it approaches key, built-in Windows apps – which is extra-unlikely – so that leaves game streaming as the only viable solution.

The good news is that Xbox Cloud Gaming can, once you’ve set it up, work rather well on the Steam Deck. Visually, games rarely look worse than if they were running locally, and because they’re not reliant on the Deck’s own, shall we say modest hardware, they might even look and perform significantly better. Palworld , for example, can tick along at nearly 60fps, at much more detail-rich settings than the Steam Deck would need to resort to just for 30fps. Cloud saves are supported as well, so you can play a Game Pass game on your main PC, switch to streaming on the Steam Deck, and still pick up where you left off.

The guide below will begin with the assumption that you’ve already got a Game Pass Ultimate account ready to go, and I’d also recommend that you set your Steam Deck up with a docking station /USB hub, mouse, and keyboard before getting underway. As with many tricks that involve a visit to the Steam Deck’s Desktop Mode , you’ll have a far easier time with proper peripherals than the trackpads and onscreen keyboard. That said, they’re not compulsory either; just be prepared to summon the keyboard with Steam button + X when the time for typing comes.

How to play Game Pass games on the Steam Deck

Step 1: Hold down your Steam Deck’s power button, then select “Switch to Desktop” once the menu appears.

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Step 2: You’ll find yourself in the pleasantly Windows-esque Desktop Mode. First, you’ll need to install Microsoft Edge, which Microsoft recommend (of course they do) for running Xbox Cloud Gaming. Start by opening the Discover app using the blue icon in the taskbar.

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Step 3: Search for Microsoft Edge and install it from the search results. No need to launch it just yet, though you can if you want to check it works.

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Step 4: Click the Steam Deck icon in the corner of the taskbar, and select “Internet”. This will bring up a list of installed browsers, which should now include Edge. Right-click on it, and select “Add to Steam” – this will add it to your Steam Library.

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Step 5: Now, while still in the SteamOS version of Windows’ Start menu, search for and launch an application called Konsole. With a K. It’s also listed in the “System” section, if you don’t feel like typing.

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Step 6: Hope you feel like typing! In Konsole, enter the following, keeping all spaces, punctuation, and cases as they are:

flatpak –user override –filesystem=/run/udev:ro com.microsoft.Edge

Then, press Enter, and close Konsole.

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Step 7: Open Steam – still in Desktop Mode – and find Microsoft Edge in your games list. Right-click it, and hit “Properties”.

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Step 8: In the Launch Options field, there should already a load of incomprehensble text. Leave this as it is, but scroll all the way to the end, and add a space. Then, enter the following:

–window-size=1024,640 –force-device-scale-factor=1.25 –device-scale-factor=1.25 –kiosk https://www.xbox.com/play

Assuming you didn’t accidentally delete any of the original text, close the Properties window.

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Step 9: We’re getting there, but next we need to make sure that the Steam Deck’s controls will work correctly in Edge. Either click the gamepad icon on the right of Edge’s Steam Library page, or right-click the name and select “Manage > Controller layout”.

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Both methods will take you to the Controller Settings page. Click the “Current Button Layout” selection at the top, which should currently say “Web Browser”.

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Step 10: Select the “Gamepad with Mouse Trackpad” option, then hit “Apply Layout”. You can close Controller Settings after this.

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Step 11: It’s not strictly necessary, but since you’ve essentially configured Edge to launch directly into the web page for Xbox Cloud Gaming, it makes sense to change how the application is named in Steam. Back in the Library view, right-click it and open Properties again, delete “Microsoft Edge” from the topmost field, and rename it to “Xbox Cloud Gaming”. Or “Game Pass games”. Or whatever, go nuts.

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Step 12: Restart your Steam Deck, and you’ll be back in the default Gaming Mode. Edge, or as I’ve now called it in that screenshot, Xbox Cloud Gaming, will be ready to launch in your Library, so hit Play.

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Step 13: Sure enough, you’ll land on the Xbox Cloud Gaming homepage. Log into your Game Pass Ultimate account using the “Sign In” button at the top (having your keyboard still connected is, for one last time, handy here) and ta daaa: your Game Pass games await. Provided you’ve got a sturdy internet connection, they’ll be playable immediately.

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

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Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

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Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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