Nexus Launcher v0.5.0

Nexus Launcher 0.5.0

Xodus Nexus is now Nexus Launcher. This release introduces managed Standard and CachyOS runtime families, expanded account management and coordinated component updates, alongside improvements to game launching, authentication, licensing and cloud saves.

Runtime and component management

• Manage Standard and optional CachyOS runtimes independently in Settings.
• Select the runtime family per game. Standard remains the default.
• Allow changing a game's runtime selection while downloads or game updates are running.
• Add coordinated updates for the launcher, backend and installed runtime families, with clearer progress, individual results and recovery from partial failures.
• Show update notifications only when component updates are actually available.
• Improve handling of incomplete or damaged component packages.

Accounts and authentication

• Add optional management of multiple Store accounts and a separate Xbox player account.
• Keep the default single-account setup simple, with advanced account controls available when enabled.
• Preserve independent Xbox player sessions when switching Store accounts.
• Bind library access, licensing and launch preparation more accurately to the active account.
• Improve sign-in discovery for games with different executable layouts.
• Reduce duplicate authorization, token and signing-certificate requests.
• Improve cancellation and timeout handling for authentication and licensing operations.
• Improve compatibility with persisted Windows signing keys and certificates.
• Provide clearer Xbox authentication errors without exposing credentials.

Home, Library and Store

• Add Recently installed and official PC Game Pass additions sections to Home.
• Offer installation only when the active Store account has verified access.
• Fix duplicate featured offers and improve edition and bundle handling.
• Expand paid-game browsing and fix catalog pagination loops.
• Show available installation-space or download-size estimates on game details, without treating unknown sizes as zero.
• Keep size lookups scoped to the current account and ignore stale responses after account changes.
• Show Play instead of another installation action for games already installed.

DLC and licensing

• Fix content bundles being reported as license-only offers.
• Fix source and destination path mapping for add-on content, including SRC layout metadata.

Game launching and runtime compatibility

• Launch games through the runtime's Proton session so its game preparation, compatibility fixes and supported options are applied.
• Pass game paths and launch context more accurately.
• Preserve explicit user settings, including large-address-aware options and custom EAC runtime paths.
• Improve shader-cache handling without overriding custom environment settings.
• Bind Xbox playing activity more accurately to the authenticated game.
• Improve WinHTTP request cancellation and connection lifetime handling.

Cloud saves

• Fix initialization through the legacy GameSave interface when a game relies on the configuration ID declared in its manifest.
• Improve recoverable local save transactions and interrupted-operation handling.
• Preserve local save data when an index cannot be read, and reject malformed indexes before changing data.
• Prevent older operations from overwriting newer save state.
• Report failed writes and deletions instead of treating them as successful synchronization.

Interface, controls and performance

• Remove excessive empty scrolling space from Home, Settings, installation pages and game details.
• Simplify redundant informational text and make profile controls more compact.
• Improve controller navigation and focus recovery in search and player menus.
• Improve recovery of game artwork in Xbox profiles and handling of missing images.
• Load Social interface modules on demand.
• Reduce repeated Store requests and improve startup metadata loading and Library persistence.
• Fix log text containing terminal hyperlinks.

Translations

• Add Swedish, thanks @kimpoliini.
• Update existing community translations and newly added interface text.

Updating

Install the accompanying launcher, backend and runtime updates to receive the complete set of fixes. Existing games, accounts, settings, prefixes and saves are preserved.

Important

Users upgrading directly from 0.4.2 must update manually. Its in-app updater cannot download this release after the repository rename. Download the latest AppImage from Releases. Version 0.4.3 includes support for updates from the renamed repository.

Caution

Nexus Launcher is an independent, unofficial project built on Xodus. It is not an official project or release from the upstream Xodus developers.

Please report Nexus Launcher issues only in the Nexus Launcher repository. A problem in Nexus Launcher does not necessarily indicate a problem in upstream Xodus.

Steam Deck and similar handhelds

Steam Deck and similar handheld support is experimental. I'm currently testing and debugging on virtualized SteamOS and Bazzite, so I can't fully verify how everything behaves on real handheld hardware. Please report any issues you encounter.

I'm looking to buy an older Steam Deck or a similar handheld compatible with Bazzite or SteamOS for development and testing. If you have one you'd be willing to sell, please message me on Reddit at u/Embarrassed-Hall-617. Cosmetic damage and signs of wear don't matter, as long as the device's basic functions work.

Contributions

Special thanks to:

• @Juancafr for the foundation of separate Store and Xbox player accounts and saved Store-account management, adapted from #521.
• @thewalldao for the PlayFab Party cryptographic compatibility fixes, including NCrypt ECDSA keys, self-signed certificates and Schannel support, contributed in nexus-wine#9.
• @kimpoliini for adding Swedish translations in #525.

Thanks to everyone contributing translations, bug reports, logs and game compatibility testing.

Contributions are welcome:

• Report bugs or request features.
• Help translate Nexus Launcher on Tolgee.
• Contribute code or documentation.

Please include component versions and reproduction steps when reporting a problem.

Xodus Nexus launcher v0.4.3

Xodus Nexus 0.4.3

This is a small hotfix preparing the launcher for the upcoming 0.5.0 release. The existing repository will be renamed from xodus-nexus to nexus-launcher, and this update allows the launcher to continue downloading updates after that rename. No new features are included.

Launcher

• Support launcher updates from the renamed repository.
• Fix backend downloads when GitHub returns URLs using the renamed repository.

Please install 0.4.3 before the repository is renamed. Version 0.4.2 will not be able to download the upcoming 0.5.0 update through the launcher after the rename. If you remain on 0.4.2, you will need to update manually.

Caution

Xodus Nexus is an independent, unofficial project built on Xodus. It is not an official project or release from the upstream Xodus developers.

Please report Xodus Nexus issues only in the Xodus Nexus repository. A problem in Nexus does not necessarily indicate a problem in upstream Xodus.

Steam Deck and similar handhelds

Steam Deck and similar handheld support is experimental. I'm currently testing and debugging on virtualized SteamOS and Bazzite, so I can't fully verify how everything behaves on real handheld hardware. Please report any issues you encounter.

I'm looking to buy an older Steam Deck or a similar handheld compatible with Bazzite or SteamOS for development and testing. If you have one you'd be willing to sell, please message me on Reddit at u/Embarrassed-Hall-617. Cosmetic damage and signs of wear don't matter, as long as the device's basic functions work.

Xodus Nexus launcher v0.4.2

This update focuses primarily on runtime fixes to improve game compatibility. Most of the work went into the Microsoft APIs that games depend on, including authentication, Store licensing, DLC, media playback and cloud saves. The priority remains getting games and core functionality working reliably.

Game compatibility and runtime

• Fix intermittent Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Authentication 18/19 failures caused by fragmented network responses.
• Fix a Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 startup crash caused by missing Store metadata. Content installation and flight remain unverified.
• Fix false HDD/SSD AP702 warnings in Forza Motorsport and improve cryptographic API compatibility.
• Fix the startup warning and false Tampering detected state in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition through correct package registration and signature handling.
• Fix Age of Empires: Definitive Edition crashes, sign-in and local network address discovery needed to enable LAN.
• Fix the Store licensing startup path used by Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition.
• Improve intro playback, including ASF and Windows Media support, and supply missing codec dependencies for both 32-bit and 64-bit games.
• Improve networking callbacks, Store queries, add-on licensing and DLC mounting. Preserve verified installed DLC information when the catalog is unavailable and improve package metadata handling.
• Fix PlayFab SDK staging and launch failures on game disks with restricted permission support.

Cloud saves

• Add an explicit choice between local and cloud saves when a GDK save conflict occurs, with backups of both versions before applying the choice.
• Upload the selected local save when resolving a conflict and retain it for retry if synchronization fails.
• Protect local saves from incomplete cloud listings and avoid false conflicts after partially completed synchronization.
• Keep synchronization failures visible after the game exits, including games launched through Steam shortcuts.

These changes do not resolve every game-specific cloud issue. Forza PlayFab upload problems remain under investigation.

Launcher and controls

• Improve Steam shortcut startup and preserve Steam Input when launching through an already open Nexus.
• Improve controller navigation, focus and Steam keyboard support across the launcher, with small-screen layout and dialog fixes. Thanks @Philadner.
• Fix Last played history and incorrect game icons on the desktop taskbar.
• Keep game actions responsive during update checks and select the correct executable when packages also contain development tools. Thanks @MaxxJag.
• Add optional close-to-tray behavior and per-game DualShock 4 SDL compatibility.
• Add an uninstaller that preserves installed games and saves, and clearer runtime prerequisite messages.

Translations

• Add Spanish, thanks @OJambrina, and expand Brazilian Portuguese, thanks @Mrpac6689.
• Add partial German and Italian translations and update French, Polish and Simplified Chinese from reviewed Tolgee contributions.
• Improve plural-form support and translation completeness. Thanks to everyone contributing translations.

Install the accompanying launcher, backend and runtime updates to get the complete set of fixes.

Caution

Xodus Nexus is an independent, unofficial project built on Xodus. It is not an official project or release from the upstream Xodus developers.

Please report Xodus Nexus issues only in the Xodus Nexus repository. A problem in Nexus does not necessarily indicate a problem in upstream Xodus.

Steam Deck and similar handhelds

Steam Deck and similar handheld support is experimental. I'm currently testing and debugging on virtualized SteamOS and Bazzite, so I can't fully verify how everything behaves on real handheld hardware. Please report any issues you encounter.

I'm looking to buy an older Steam Deck or a similar handheld compatible with Bazzite or SteamOS for development and testing. If you have one you'd be willing to sell, please message me on Reddit at u/Embarrassed-Hall-617. Cosmetic damage and signs of wear don't matter, as long as the device's basic functions work.

Xodus Nexus backend 0.2.14

This update focuses primarily on runtime fixes to improve game compatibility. Most of the work went into the Microsoft APIs that games depend on, including authentication, Store licensing, DLC, media playback and cloud saves. The priority remains getting games and core functionality working reliably.

Game compatibility and runtime

• Fix intermittent Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Authentication 18/19 failures caused by fragmented network responses.
• Fix a Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 startup crash caused by missing Store metadata. Content installation and flight remain unverified.
• Fix false HDD/SSD AP702 warnings in Forza Motorsport and improve cryptographic API compatibility.
• Fix the startup warning and false Tampering detected state in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition through correct package registration and signature handling.
• Fix Age of Empires: Definitive Edition crashes, sign-in and local network address discovery needed to enable LAN.
• Fix the Store licensing startup path used by Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition.
• Improve intro playback, including ASF and Windows Media support, and supply missing codec dependencies for both 32-bit and 64-bit games.
• Improve networking callbacks, Store queries, add-on licensing and DLC mounting. Preserve verified installed DLC information when the catalog is unavailable and improve package metadata handling.
• Fix PlayFab SDK staging and launch failures on game disks with restricted permission support.

Cloud saves

• Add an explicit choice between local and cloud saves when a GDK save conflict occurs, with backups of both versions before applying the choice.
• Upload the selected local save when resolving a conflict and retain it for retry if synchronization fails.
• Protect local saves from incomplete cloud listings and avoid false conflicts after partially completed synchronization.
• Keep synchronization failures visible after the game exits, including games launched through Steam shortcuts.

These changes do not resolve every game-specific cloud issue. Forza PlayFab upload problems remain under investigation.

Launcher and controls

• Improve Steam shortcut startup and preserve Steam Input when launching through an already open Nexus.
• Improve controller navigation, focus and Steam keyboard support across the launcher, with small-screen layout and dialog fixes. Thanks @Philadner.
• Fix Last played history and incorrect game icons on the desktop taskbar.
• Keep game actions responsive during update checks and select the correct executable when packages also contain development tools. Thanks @MaxxJag.
• Add optional close-to-tray behavior and per-game DualShock 4 SDL compatibility.
• Add an uninstaller that preserves installed games and saves, and clearer runtime prerequisite messages.

Translations

• Add Spanish, thanks @OJambrina, and expand Brazilian Portuguese, thanks @Mrpac6689.
• Add partial German and Italian translations and update French, Polish and Simplified Chinese from reviewed Tolgee contributions.
• Improve plural-form support and translation completeness. Thanks to everyone contributing translations.

Install the accompanying launcher, backend and runtime updates to get the complete set of fixes.

Caution

Xodus Nexus is an independent, unofficial project built on Xodus. It is not an official project or release from the upstream Xodus developers.

Please report Xodus Nexus issues only in the Xodus Nexus repository. A problem in Nexus does not necessarily indicate a problem in upstream Xodus.

Steam Deck and similar handhelds

Steam Deck and similar handheld support is experimental. I'm currently testing and debugging on virtualized SteamOS and Bazzite, so I can't fully verify how everything behaves on real handheld hardware. Please report any issues you encounter.

I'm looking to buy an older Steam Deck or a similar handheld compatible with Bazzite or SteamOS for development and testing. If you have one you'd be willing to sell, please message me on Reddit at u/Embarrassed-Hall-617. Cosmetic damage and signs of wear don't matter, as long as the device's basic functions work.

Xodus Nexus launcher v0.4.1

Xodus Nexus 0.4.1

Launcher

• Redesign the Social panel with player profiles, friend management and separate chat windows.
• Add a notification bell for unread messages and game updates.
• Open conversations at the latest message and synchronize read state between chat windows.
• Add experimental Xbox voice parties and the optional Nexus Overlay, with a configurable keyboard shortcut and screen position.
• Improve download and update performance with parallel transfers, batched writes and faster processing of verified local data.
• Improve interrupted-update recovery and prevent launching games with incomplete updates.
• Add Microsoft offline-device management and license-checked offline launches. Offline play requires a compatible runtime, device designation and an initial online launch.
• Show game details, screenshots and achievements for games that are not installed.
• Fix Overlay shortcut changes reverting, unnecessary shortcut registration when disabled, and opening failures when game-window display information is unavailable.
• Fix sign-in failures affecting some Microsoft accounts and improve authentication response handling.
• Avoid unnecessary administrator password prompts on devices without an SMBIOS firmware table.

Xodus Nexus backend 0.2.13

• Add the APIs needed for the expanded Social panel, chat and experimental voice parties.
• Improve downloads and incremental updates while preserving verified data and recovery checkpoints.
• Support Microsoft-designated offline play with account-bound license validation.
• Fix Xbox authentication response handling and sign-in on devices without SMBIOS firmware information.

Nexus runtime

• Fix Age of Empires IV startup through Windows Store licensing support. Thanks @Anirudh09.
• Add license-checked offline sign-in with the compatible backend and launcher.

Update the Nexus backend to 0.2.13 and install the accompanying x86_64 Nexus runtime in Settings.

Voice parties and the Overlay are experimental. In-game invitation support varies by game.

Thanks @Rbanh, @indiesaudi, @burghr and @xerhab for their contributions.

Caution

Xodus Nexus is an independent, unofficial project built on Xodus. It is not an official project or release from the upstream Xodus developers.

Please report Xodus Nexus issues only in the Xodus Nexus repository. A problem in Nexus does not necessarily indicate a problem in upstream Xodus.

Steam Deck and similar handhelds

Steam Deck and similar handheld support is experimental. I'm currently testing and debugging on virtualized SteamOS and Bazzite, so I can't fully verify how everything behaves on real handheld hardware. Please report any issues you encounter.

I'm looking to buy an older Steam Deck or a similar handheld compatible with Bazzite or SteamOS for development and testing. If you have one you'd be willing to sell, please message me on Reddit at u/Embarrassed-Hall-617. Cosmetic damage and signs of wear don't matter, as long as the device's basic functions work.

Xodus Nexus backend 0.2.13

Xodus Nexus backend 0.2.13

• Add the APIs needed for the expanded Social panel, chat and experimental voice parties.
• Improve downloads and incremental updates while preserving verified data and recovery checkpoints.
• Support Microsoft-designated offline play with account-bound license validation.
• Fix Xbox authentication response handling and sign-in on devices without SMBIOS firmware information.

Xodus Nexus launcher v0.4.0

Xodus Nexus 0.4.0

• Add Xbox chat directly to the launcher.
• Show your playing status and current game to friends in the Xbox app. Clear the activity when the game closes.
• Add invitation handling for compatible games.
• Fix discovery of DLC included with owned editions and bundles.
• Fix installation of supported add-ons into the correct base game, and distinguish downloadable DLC from license-only content.
• Fix missing library entries and incorrect ownership labels for conditional and other active licenses.
• Install the backend automatically during first-time setup, before sign-in.
• Download runtime updates from the new Nexus runtime repository.
• Keep each game's shader cache between launches. Add a configurable cache limit with a 4 GiB default.
• Fix per-game language overrides and restoring the system-default language.
• Show download size and required disk space before installation.
• Fix cancellation and cleanup of resumed downloads.
• Add recently-added Game Pass sorting.
• Fix window sizing and restoration on smaller displays.
• Preserve component selections when saving settings, and show clearer backend dependency and wallet errors.
• Add community UI translation support through Tolgee.

Thanks @btsouth and @burghr for their contributions.

Xodus Nexus backend 0.2.12

• Add Xbox friends and messaging support, including authenticated message sending and server-confirmed send results.
• Support downloadable add-ons associated with an installed base game.
• Preserve conditional license information used to display games correctly in the library.
• Explain Microsoft Store device-limit refusals instead of reporting an unexplained licensing failure.
• Support declared plaintext game executables and launching from filesystems without symbolic links.
• Provide package download and installation-size information.

Nexus runtime

• Move the shared runtime to the C++ XGameRuntime implementation.
• Fix Halo Infinite account matching and profile loading.
• Fix Ori and the Will of the Wisps returning to “Press any key” during sign-in.
• Fix Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth startup failures.
• Reduce repeated installation checks that caused long Gears startup delays, while preserving checks for missing or changed files.
• Add Xbox playing-status reporting and invitation handling for compatible games.
• Fix atomic save-file writes when paths contain non-ASCII characters.
• Fix game relaunches that could not find their executable beside the original launcher.
• Add missing P-256 signing support and correct signature-buffer handling.
• Implement package identity and application-data folders needed by games including Flight Simulator 2024. FS2024 authentication can still stall.

Xodus Nexus backend 0.2.12

Xodus Nexus backend 0.2.12

• Add Xbox friends and messaging support, including authenticated message sending and server-confirmed send results.
• Support downloadable add-ons associated with an installed base game.
• Preserve conditional license information used to display games correctly in the library.
• Explain Microsoft Store device-limit refusals instead of reporting an unexplained licensing failure.
• Support declared plaintext game executables and launching from filesystems without symbolic links.
• Provide package download and installation-size information.

Xodus Nexus launcher v0.3.11

Xodus Nexus 0.3.11

This is another technical update focused on licensing, sign-in and the overall functionality of the launcher.

I'm aware of the growing number of reports about games not working, and I'd like to focus on game compatibility and those reported issues in the next update.

What's changed

• Improve content-license requests for accounts using JWE tickets.
• Fix Microsoft sign-in getting stuck on Please wait.
• Improve bundle and edition resolution, including owned games missing from My Library.
• Keep owned games with unsupported packages visible with an Unsupported badge and installation disabled.
• Fully clear saved credentials and local device registration on Sign out. Sign in again keeps the existing device registration.
• Fix permissions that could prevent managed Proton prefixes from starting games.
• Support adding Nexus shortcuts to large Steam libraries without changing existing entries.
• Add an editable diagnostic report with versions, system information and selected logs, with automatic redaction and local saving. Review the report before sharing it.

Update the Nexus backend to 0.2.11 and install the new Nexus runtime in Settings for the accompanying licensing, bundle-resolution, audio and cloud-save fixes.

Thanks to @skeltavik for the bundle-resolution contribution and @Wyze3306 for the upstream sign-in fix adapted here.

Caution

Xodus Nexus is an independent, unofficial project built on Xodus. It is not an official project or release from the upstream Xodus developers.

Please report Xodus Nexus issues only in the Xodus Nexus repository. A problem in Nexus does not necessarily indicate a problem in upstream Xodus.

Steam Deck and similar handhelds

Steam Deck and similar handheld support is experimental. I'm currently testing and debugging on virtualized SteamOS and Bazzite, so I can't fully verify how everything behaves on real handheld hardware. Please report any issues you encounter.

I'm looking to buy an older Steam Deck or a similar handheld compatible with Bazzite or SteamOS for development and testing. If you have one you'd be willing to sell, please message me on Reddit at u/Embarrassed-Hall-617. Cosmetic damage and signs of wear don't matter, as long as the device's basic functions work.

Xodus Nexus runtime runtime-11.0-20261022-gf4adc821

Nexus runtime: audio, package progress and cloud saves

• Implement communication audio endpoint queries and change notifications requested by games such as Deep Rock Galactic.
• Correct installed-package byte totals and unknown-size reporting used by game progress queries.
• Preserve local saves when cloud transfers fail or conflict with pending local changes, and reject incomplete cloud metadata.
• Keep final save-upload notifications through session shutdown and report cloud-upload failures correctly.

Update the launcher to 0.3.11 and the backend to 0.2.11 in Settings. These fixes address specific runtime issues; they do not mean that all reported game-compatibility problems are resolved.