The June Game Development Kit (GDK) is Available Now

Before creating the Microsoft Game Development Kit (GDK), the Gaming team at Microsoft asked you, our game development partners, about how we could do better, how we could empower you to do more, and how we could help you delight the gamers of today and tomorrow. The key features and fixes that are highlighted here are just a handful out of dozens—a mix of improvements for both PC and Xbox development—that speed up iteration times or give developers more powerful tools to optimize their game experiences. Most importantly, many of these features are the direct result of developer requests. We're incredibly thankful for the time, energy, and knowledge you've shared with us.

With every release of the GDK, we take a step closer to a world where developing games for Xbox or PC Game Pass on Windows 10 and Windows 11 is faster and easier, no matter where you started your development.  The June GDK release is an exciting one, with something for every type of game developer. One of the biggest features that we've added is making additional memory available for Xbox Series S consoles. Hundreds of additional megabytes of memory are now available to Xbox Series S developers, giving them more control over memory, which can improve graphics performance in memory- constrained conditions.

What the "What's new in the June 2022 GDK" video here.

We've also implemented numerous features that make it easier for developers to develop GDK games on PC and improve the behavior of GDK games for players. The new Xbox console and PC Game Pass games are built on a common toolset, the GDK. The improvements to developing and playing PC Game Pass games help titles bridge development between the platforms. At the same time, these improvements provide optimizations specifically needed for the Windows 10 and Windows 11 developer experience.  For developers porting games from other marketplaces, these improvements help shorten the time and increase the number of critical features they have access to right out-of-the-box.

For an in-depth look at everything developers can expect, check the June GDK release notes here or watch the video above. Want samples? Head over to GitHub to download the latest GDK samples.