The Latest Features in the October 2024 Microsoft Game Development Kit (GDK) Release

The latest Microsoft Game Development Kit (GDK) update is here, and it’s packed with new features that promise to take your game development process to the next level. Whether you're building immersive multiplayer worlds, fine-tuning performance, or optimizing player engagement, the October 2024 release introduces tools and updates designed to streamline your work and unlock creative possibilities. Let’s break down the highlights of this release.

Smarter System Tools for a Better Player Experience

One of the most exciting updates this month is a major overhaul of the Xbox Services API (XSAPI), specifically enhancing how friends and followers are managed. Now, developers can seamlessly integrate Xbox’s updated social features into their games while preserving backward compatibility. Whether you’re working on a new title or maintaining an existing game, the new social APIs ensure smoother interactions, offering a more engaging experience for players without any extra hassle for developers.

If you’re leveraging PlayFab, good news! The Entity Stats and Leaderboards feature has entered public preview, offering powerful new ways to manage in-game statistics. By allowing developers to store multidimensional stats on players or teams, this new system opens up more ways to track performance, create leaderboards, and engage your community. Custom annotations for stats and leaderboards also let you take control of how data is displayed and interpreted, keeping everything tailored to your game’s needs.

Scaling Up Multiplayer with PlayFab Party

Is your game designed for large multiplayer sessions? The new PlayFab Party update increases the maximum number of connected devices from 32 to 128, opening the door for even bigger party-based experiences. Whether you're building large-scale battles or events with hundreds of players, this upgrade means you no longer have to juggle multiple network solutions—PlayFab Party can handle it all in one place.

Enhanced Developer Tools to Boost Productivity

If you frequently use Xbox Manager (XBOM), the October update offers a small but impactful change: you can now set and retain specific pixel sizes for video windows. This simple enhancement makes it easier to test and debug your game without wasting time reconfiguring your workspace every session.

Meanwhile, the Web Content Test Application has received several upgrades that will make testing game streaming much smoother. Developers can now enter developer mode directly from the retail environment, allowing easier access on devices like Smart TVs. You can also test in specific regions and override settings with query parameters—perfect for sharing custom test links with your team or other stakeholders.

Mac users working on touch controls can also benefit from the ARM-native build of the Touch Adaptation Kit Command Line Tool, now available for Apple’s M1 and newer devices. This update offers significant performance boosts, making it easier to create and package touch controls for Xbox Game Streaming.

For a detailed breakdown of the October 2024 GDK Update, check out the full announcement.

To learn more about how to use the GDK to develop games on Xbox and Windows, see our public GDK documentation at aka.ms/gamedevdocs or experiment with our public version of the GDK at aka.ms/gdk.

More reading:

Developer Home on the console (Dev Home)

Touch Adaptation Kit Command Line Tool (tak.exe)

Microsoft GDK on GitHub

Game Development Kit (GDK) documentation