How to play Game Pass version on Steam

Something i was tinkering about.

You can actually use the Game Pass version on Steam to launch it.

1. Download TEW via Steam. Delete the Contents of the Game Folder within or Delete the Whole Folder, but don't uninstall it.
2. Then Download the Game Pass version on the SAME Partition, you need to make a custom folder, do not by any means download it in the default folder Game Pass uses.
3. Launch it to Sync the game via the Xbox APP, and Create a Save File. Login Into Bethseda.ID Login.
4. Go to your Game Pass folder. It should be named The Evil Within (PC)/Content
4. CUT and Paste the files from your Content Folder into SteamApps/Common/TheEvilWithin where the Steam Version was Installed.
DO NOT Copy Paste, CUT PASTE.
You can then either Uninstall the Game Pass version just to remove the installer, or cancel your subscription.
Keep in mind you will have to do this every time you want to Install TEW anew. After you do it one time with the installation, you can play it to your hearts content.

The game won't launch via Game Pass launcher anymore, but via Steam, no copy protection since Steam handles it.

Save Files are separate, however. Steam Cloud Does not work, Save Files are in a different folder, don't know if they match or not, but my guess is, they don't.
Steam achievements DO NOT work if you play like that, even if you delete the Game Pass version, you will get Game Pass Achievements. So use SAM to unlock them manually.

Benefits:
First Person View
Pre-Order Content
Better Framerate and Faster Loading Times on a regular HDD. Way Faster.
Steam Logs how many Hours you played, Community Hub, etc.

However there are some catches to TEW Game Pass version. Console commands might, or might not work. From my testing, they work. You can skip the movie files. Use the Console, etc. Flaweless Widescreen DOES NOT work.

If you are having stuttering issues with camera, or so, Disable Free-Sync/G-Sync from your Control Panel of your GPU and set the FrameRate Limiter to 60 for "EvilWithin.exe" only. If you don't, the game runs uncapped and you can enjoy the benefits of more frame rates, however enemy attack and some events might not be consistent. But nothing game breaking will happen.

If you don't do the above, the game and camera MIGHT be stuttering/jerky, that's how Game Pass version works. And obviously you can't uninstall/reinstall the game via Steam since it will download the old version.

The first time you launch the game via Game Pass, it will synchronize the files. After that, everything is handled via Steam.
That has to be done before you do any of the steps above.

You can get Game Pass for 1$ for one month. That should give you access to the game. Or if you prefer, you can buy it with a discount with all the DLC already in it. So you can do that any time you want to play the game. Not the best method, but it works.
So you will have to keep the game installed. Or do the above every time you install/uninstall it.

You can cancel the subscribtion too, and you can still play the game/login. For Achievements and Bethesda.ID you just have to be logged in into your Xbox Game APP in Win10/11. It auto loads when you boot up your system, so no reason to turn it off.

1. So, why this works?
While Microsoft locks the game .exe to a higher role than your admin role, having total control over the thing, you can't copy it anywhere.
However the loophole here is, that you can CUT and PASTE the files on the Same Partition, even rename them.
There are no added benefits for other games to play Game Pass over Steam. The Evil Withing is an exception to this rule, because it was updated, and assets are loading in packages, along with that, the game has been optimized a bit better, plus you have pre-order content and First Person, etc.

2. So why the Game Pass version over Steam then?
Like i said above, there are benefits from faster loading, better framerate, exclusive content, however keep in mind that not everything works like Steam Version, there are pros and cons.

3. Why wasn't the game Game Pass version updated to Steam, while NieR:Automata was?
We don't know. They DID update the game on a separate branch on Steam that you can't access. So in theory, the game is actually sitting on the servers, ready to be updated to the Game Pass Version. But they won't push the button.

Trying to contanct them, and e-mail them won't help. You will receive a reply, but they don't really care. Shame, really.

[Desano]

How do you fix reboot problem? When i reboot pc and try to enter evil within 1 it says "Different application" and can't enter game unless i have to cut and paste files back to window store version (I bought game as window store) and cut and paste it back to steam file again.

[Sticky White Stuff]

However the structure of the files is different. Game Pass uses better packages for faster loading.
TEW1 is the only game on Game Pass that is different to Steam, so it's the only game that this is worth doing.

My game still works after reboot, i only had to reinstall it when i was reinstalling Win11.
I don't know what the actual problem is on your end. Unless Game Pass changed their structure and encryption recently. I personally don't use Game Pass apart from TEW1.

[Sticky White Stuff]

All files are protected by higher admin standards than even the highest admin standard you can have, AKA Microsoft. Once you make a folder on a partition, or anywhere else, you will not be able to delete the default "GamePass" folder yourself even if you reinstall Windows, unless you actually wipe the partition or use third party software to brute force delete files.
So always use a custom folder, and install the game where Steam is, or where your Steam TEW installation is, since this is the only way to move files.

If you set up the game correctly, and obviously keep the Game Pass App, Store and Game Bar installed, the game will always properly sync, unlock Game Pass achievements and sync Game Pass trophies. Steam is only used to start the game, since it has leftover DRM startup information from the old version. It's a similar executable file, so this is why Steam can actually launch it from left over data.

[SkacikPL]

Not sure is it me or gamepass games are now "decrypted" until reboot, since after rebooting the machine i have to move files back to gamepass and boot the game through Xbox app then i can move it back to steam and launch through it until next reboot.

So since i uninstalled the gamepass version, i can't "decrypt" it any longer.

[Sticky White Stuff]

Here you go. I think everyone should understand how it works now

[Kazserah]

Okay thanks!

[Sticky White Stuff]

@Kazserah i will do it now. But just like Chicken Paste said, that's what you have to do.

[chicken paste]

You can also just rename the original TheEvilWithin folder instead of deleting it to keep the files as a backup if you want

[chicken paste]

The important thing is that you install the game pass version on the same drive as your steam game installation. Game pass version needs to install into a custom folder (call it whatever you want) so that it can make a folder called Content. when the whole game is finished downloading you simply delete the TheEvilWithin folder in your steamapps/common directory, move the Content folder from the game pass installation there instead and then rename Content to TheEvilWithin and it SHOULD work.

[Kazserah]

Did you update it? Does it work now?