Announcing the Xbox PC Remote Iteration API Public Preview

Modern game development rarely happens on a single machine. Whether you’re testing across a fleet of Windows‑powered handhelds, validating performance on lab desktops, or accelerating iteration in CI pipelines, remote devices are now a core part of PC game development. 

Today, we’re excited to announce the public preview of the Xbox PC Remote Iteration API—a new C‑based API that lets you programmatically deploy, launch, and manage PC game builds on remote Windows devices as part of your development workflow. This API is a foundational component of the Xbox PC Remote Tools and is designed to give studios fine‑grained control over remote iteration at scale. For more information, read the artcle Building for the Future: Simplifying Development with Xbox PC Remote Tools.

Why Remote Iteration Needs an API 

As development targets expand beyond a single dev PC, studios are increasingly investing in custom tooling and automation to support rapid iteration on remote hardware. Until now, many of these workflows required a mix of bespoke scripts, manual file transfers, and direct device management. 

The Xbox PC Remote Iteration API addresses this gap by providing a supported, secure, and efficient way to shorten the build–deploy–test loop across remote Windows devices. 

What the Xbox PC Remote Iteration API Provides 

The Xbox PC Remote Iteration API enables PC‑based development workflows that target remote Windows devices while keeping iteration fast and predictable. 

Key capabilities include:

• Copying game files between a local development PC and a remote Windows device
• Incremental (delta) file transfer to reduce iteration time
• Launching, suspending, resuming, and terminating remote game processes
• Registering games for remote execution
• Integration into custom studio tools and CI pipelines 

When to Use This API 

The Remote Iteration API is intended for development and testing scenarios, including:

• Deploying PC game builds to remote Windows devices during active development
• Iterating quickly by copying only changed assets or binaries
• Automating deploy–launch–test workflows
• Supporting lab or rack‑based test hardware without physical access 

The API is not intended for retail or production distribution scenarios, or for file transfer between two remote devices. One endpoint must always be the local development PC. 

Secure by Design 

The Xbox PC Remote Iteration API operates within the secure infrastructure provided by the Xbox PC Remote Tools. Devices are paired using the Xbox PC Toolbox app, communication is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS, and trust is established via certificates exchanged during pairing. 

Getting Started 

To get started with the public preview, you will need:

• Microsoft.GDK.RemoteIterationClientApi NuGet package (public preview)
• A development PC and a remote Windows device paired via Xbox PC Toolbox
• wdEndpoint running on the remote device
• WdRemoteIteration.h and the corresponding import library 

Looking Ahead 

The Xbox PC Remote Iteration API public preview is a step toward fully scriptable, automation‑friendly remote development workflows for PC games. We look forward to developer feedback as we continue to evolve the API alongside the broader Xbox PC Remote Tools ecosystem. 

Related Links

For the API NuGet, head here: NuGet Gallery | Microsoft.GDK.RemoteIterationClientApi 0.1.1-preview.26.3.27002

To explore API documentation, go to: Xbox PC Remote Iteration API - Microsoft Game Development Kit | Microsoft Learn

For a closer look at the API Sample, visit: Xbox-GDK-Samples/Samples/Tools/RemoteIterationToolsSample at main · microsoft/Xbox-GDK-Samples