Releases: microsoft/GDK
June 2022 GDK Public Release
June 2022 Microsoft Game Development Kit (GDK) public release notes
Introduction
- The public GDK release notes are a subset of information available to developers inside the Xbox developer program (e.g. ID@Xbox). The goal is to increase the amount of public information with every release, but some content remains specific and exclusive to developers with an active Microsoft Game Developer Kit w/ Xbox Extensions (GDKX) license agreement.
- GDK development samples are publicly available: https://github.com/microsoft/Xbox-GDK-Samples/!
- GDK public documentation available here: https://aka.ms/gamedevdocs
- For more information about the GDK and how to start developing games for Xbox consoles or Xbox Game Pass for PC on Windows 10/11, view the ReadMe.MD.
About this document
We have organized this document into the following sections.
- Release Notes Errata [late changes/additions submitted 1-7 days before GA]
- What’s new
- Breaking changes
- Issues fixed in this release
- Known issues in this release
- Development environment setup
Release Notes Errata
Topics highlighted in this section were added in close proximity to or after the general availability (GA) release date
(Breaking Change - Added 2022.06.07)
Direct3D 12 | DirectX header convergence across PC and Xbox
This article modifies the guidance provided in the What's New article of the same name "DirectX header convergence across PC and Xbox".
- Public D3D12 headers will look more similar between PC and Xbox. Any previously unsupported APIs between Xbox and PC are now explicitly noted as such in the debug layer.
- Note: Although some functionality is now included in the header (e.g. D3D12_BARRIER_ACCESS), the driver does not yet support all of the new additions.
- Note: If PC headers were previously being included in Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S toolchains to gain access to additional debug layer options that were not previously available in the console-specific headers, you may need to remove those includes (d3dcommon.h from the Windows Kit for instance), since those defines now exist within the headers update headers. Failure to do so may result in duplicate guid\interface defines.
(Known Issue – Added 2022.06.08)
Input | Minimum value required for manual title control of GameInput work queue (CreateDispatcher)
IGameInputDispatcher::Dispatch will not complete any work, when passing a value of 0 for the quotaInMicroseconds parameter per the API documentation. To work around this, pass a value of at least 100 us. This regression will be fixed in an upcoming QFE release.
([Known Issue] – Added [2022.06.10])
Developer Tools | PC projects that utilize Xbox Live, XStore and/or XUser must use <game configversion=”1”>
The June 2022 GDK allows developers to rapidly iterate on their games on PC without requiring registration of their game, therefore for titles using this GDK or newer that use one or more of the following features:
- Xbox Live
- XGameSave
- XStore
- XUser
It is strongly recommended to update to <game configversion="1"> in the Microsoftgame.config, which will require setting a Title ID and MSAAppId. Please see MicrosoftGame.config reference for more information.
Without this MicrosoftGame.config setting, launching these titles by Visual Studio Run/F5 or double-clicking on the exe will result the following error:
E_GAMEUSER_NO_PACKAGE_IDENTITY
APIs in the areas listed above can also fail with various error codes due to the missing package identity.
An alternate workaround (for remaining at <game configversion=”0”>) is to register and launch the build using the
wdappcommand line tool, as in the following example:
c:\temp> wdapp register Gaming.Desktop.x64\Debug
Game registered as an Application, if game specific OS features are needed, run as an Administrator to register as a Game.
Registered 41336MicrosoftATG.InGameStoreXS_2021.6.10.0_x64__dspnxghe87tn0
1336MicrosoftATG.InGameStoreXS_dspnxghe87tn0!Game
Copied temporary generated AppXManifest.xml file to C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\41336MicrosoftATG.InGameStoreXS_2021.6.10.0_x64__dspnxghe87tn0_AppXManifest.xml
The operation completed successfully.
c:\temp> wdapp launch 41336MicrosoftATG.InGameStoreXS_dspnxghe87tn0!Game
Application launched successfully.
Once launched, the title can be debugged by using the “Attach to process” feature of Visual Studio. If the title requires debugging as it is launching, a DebugBreak() call can be added to prompt for a debugger to be attached at that location. Please note that depending on the configuration of the PC, this may require adding the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AeDebug – add a DWORD named Auto with value of 1.
- Note the
wdapp registerstep is the operation that will make the title show up in the Start menu, which has been changed to not be done as part of Visual Studio deploy/F5—the same behaviour as generic win32 projects.This does not apply to console workflows, and is also not necessary for correct functioning of packaged builds, including builds installed from the Xbox App/Microsoft Store.
([Known Issue] – Added [2022.06.15])
[Development Tools] | [PC Game Pass titles may generate pop-up error message (E_FAIL) when attempting to sign in]
One of the newest features to improve the game launch experience for both developers and players, is the PC Bootstrapper.
Bootstrapper has a dependency on the Gaming RunTime Service (GRTS) that is distributed automatically to all Windows 10/11 PCs.
If GRTS is out of date on the development PC, it can generate an error (E_FAIL) when attempting to sign in.
To make sure you have the latest version of Gaming Services on your PC:
- Verify your Windows 10/11 developer environment is set to RETAIL mode and not in a developer sandbox.
- Close all other games and apps.
- Use this link to go to the Microsoft Store page for Microsoft Gaming Services (and select “More details” to expand the Store page if needed): https://www.microsoft.com/store/productId/9MWPM2CQNLHN
- Ensure it is current and does not tell you it needs updating.
- Also, go to the Library view in the Microsoft Store app to update all apps and components.
What's new in the June 2022 Microsoft Game Development Kit
The Microsoft Game Development Kit (GDK) is a complete set of tools, APIs, extensions, and programming models that can be used across current and future Microsoft Gaming platforms and initiatives. Microsoft Game Development Kit (GDK) design and features are driven by your feedback about how you like to develop games. For a complete introduction, see Welcome to the Microsoft Game Development Kit.
In addition to many bug fixes, this release includes the following new features.
Table of Contents
Graphics
System
Networking
Developer tools
Documentation
Samples
Graphics
DirectX header convergence across PC and Xbox
Public D3D12 headers will look more similar between PC and Xbox. Any previously unsupported APIs between Xbox and PC are now explicitly noted as such in the debug layer.
[!] Note: Although some functionality is now included in the header (e.g. D3D12_BARRIER_ACCESS), the driver does not yet support all of the new additions.
System
GRTS handle tracking
The June 2022 Microsoft Game Development Kit (GDK) introduces a way for developers to troubleshoot bugs involving incorrect handle
usage. Most of the GRTS APIs utilize handles which correspond to the lifetime of internal objects in
the platform implementation. Games often encounter problems caused by accidentally providing
invalid (NULL, previously freed, etc.) handles into these APIs leading to title crashes. Developers
may also inadvertently leak handles leading to excessive resource usage. Using the new
XSystemHandleTrack function can be used to help diagnose and fix these
issues.
DLC now supports age-restrictions
Prior to the June 2022 Microsoft Game Development Kit (GDK), age-restrictions were only getting enforced against the base package. Starting with the June 2022 Microsoft Game Development Kit (GDK), these same restrictions are enforced when mounting new DLC. Using the new XPackageMountWithUiAsync function, the platform will automatically check the restrictions on the DLC and compare that to the family settings on the console and the ages of who is signed in. If necessary, this new API will pop a dialog to collect parental consent. The platform takes care of all age-restriction requirements and enforcement. Titles that want to see what content might b...
October 2021 GDK Update 5 Public Release
(2022.05.12 @ 0411PDT - The VS2022 support files for this release have been added as attached binaries).
GDK development samples are now publicly available: https://github.com/microsoft/Xbox-GDK-Samples/!
GDK public documentation available here: https://aka.ms/gamedevdocs
2022.05.12 Release Notes
- As of the above date, the The March 2022 release is technically the latest (major) release.
- Only use the October 2021 GDK Update 5 if you are intentionally staying on the October branch vs. using the latest branch.
- For more information about the GDK and how to start developing games for Xbox consoles or Xbox Game Pass for PC on Windows 10/11, view the ReadMe.MD.
Resolved Issues
Common Components Between Windows 10/11 & Xbox Consoles
Developer Tools | [Visual Studio] Fixed an issue that caused GDK VSIX packages to be orphaned in Visual Studio on the PC when using the Change and choosing the Uninstall or Repair option button in Programs and Features.
Networking | [XSAPI] Fixed an issue where a web socket handle didn't close under certain circumstances, causing a time out on suspension.
Networking | [XSAPI] Fixed an issue that caused multiple Multiplayer Activity requests that were sent within the same second to be ignored.
Xbox (available in GDKX also known as the GDK w/ Xbox Extensions)
[6] Fix(es) in this release: Platform (memory manager): [1], Developer Tools (XBOM): [1], Graphics (PIX, DX12): [3], Audio: [1]
Note: Changes proprietary to Xbox console hardware, graphics, memory management, storage, and security features are only documented in the GDKX release notes published to the private/NDA-only Xbox Developer Forums. See ReadMe for more details about the GDKX.
Known Issues (PC Development / Common)
Issue #18 | [Developer Tools] Visual Studio 2019 Lifecycle update
Issue #17 | [Developer Tools] GDK Visual Studio 2022 Preview Support - See issue for resolution / use the attached VS2022 Support Assets.
Workarounds Available
Issue #14 | [Developer Tools] MicrosoftGame.config files added by using the item template in the GDK might not set the Item Type property correctly
Issue #13 | [Developer Tools] MicrosoftGame.config files added by using the item template in the GDK might have the file extension changed
Issue #12 | [Developer Tools] Newly added MicrosoftGame.config files don’t appear in Xbox Gaming Project Control
Issue #10 | [Developer Tools] Using version 20348 of the Windows10 SDK and version 22000 of the Windows 11 SDK with the GDK
Issue #8 | [Developer Tools] Gaming Services may be removed or fail to install during GDK installation
Issue #7 | [Developer Tools] .NET Core 2.1 updates delivered through Microsoft Update can block GDK installation
June 2021 GDK Update 9 Public Release
GDK development samples are now publicly available: https://github.com/microsoft/Xbox-GDK-Samples/!
GDK public documentation available here: https://aka.ms/gamedevdocs
2022.04.29 Release Notes
- This is an update to the June 2021 GDK branch. This standalone installer package replaces the June 2021 GDK release from 2022.03.22
- For more information about the GDK and how to start developing games for Xbox consoles or Xbox Game Pass for PC on Windows 10/11, view the ReadMe.MD.
Resolved Issues
Common Components Between Windows 10/11 & Xbox Consoles
This release is a synchronized w/ the GDKX and does not contain any specific new features or fixes for PC platform development.
Xbox (available in GDKX - GDK w/ Xbox Extensions)
[3] Additional fixes in this release: Graphics: [1], PIX: [1], Xbox One Manager (HEVC Codec Update): [1]
Note: Changes proprietary to Xbox console hardware, graphics, memory management, storage, and security features are only documented in the GDKX release notes published to the private Xbox Developer Forums. See ReadMe for more details about the GDKX.
Known Issues (PC Development / Common)
Workarounds Available
Issue #7 | .NET Core 2.1 updates delivered through Microsoft Update can block GDK installation
Issue #8 | Gaming Services may be removed or fail to install during GDK installation
June 2021 GDK Update 8 Public Release
GDK development samples are now publicly available: https://github.com/microsoft/Xbox-GDK-Samples/!
GDK public documentation available here: https://aka.ms/gamedevdocs
Important Note: The LATEST release is not always the version tagged by GitHub in this section. Look for the latest Month/Year for latest version or see the ReadMe in the Main Branch.
2022.03.22 Release Notes
- This is the eighth update to the June 2021 GDK. This standalone installer package replaces the June 2021 GDK Update 7 release from 2022.03.02
- For more information about the GDK and how to start developing games for Xbox consoles or Xbox Game Pass for PC on Windows 10/11, view the ReadMe.MD.
Resolved Issues
Common Components Between Windows 10/11 & Xbox Consoles
This release is a synchronized w/ the GDKX and does not contain any specific new features or fixes for PC platform development.
Xbox (available in GDKX - GDK w/ Xbox Extensions)
[2] Additional fixes in this release: PIX: [1], Graphics (Shader Compiler): [1]
Note: Changes proprietary to Xbox console hardware, graphics, memory management, storage, and security features are only documented in the GDKX release notes published to the private Xbox Developer Forums. See ReadMe for more details about the GDKX.
Known Issues (PC Development / Common)
Workarounds Available
Issue #7 | .NET Core 2.1 updates delivered through Microsoft Update can block GDK installation
Issue #8 | Gaming Services may be removed or fail to install during GDK installation
June 2021 GDK Update 7 Public Release
GDK development samples are now publicly available: https://github.com/microsoft/Xbox-GDK-Samples/!
GDK public documentation available here: https://aka.ms/gamedevdocs
2022.03.02 Release Notes
- This is the seventh update to the June 2021 GDK. This standalone installer package replaces the June 2021 GDK Update 6 release from 2021.11.18
- For more information about the GDK and how to start developing games for Xbox consoles or Xbox Game Pass for PC on Windows 10/11, view the ReadMe.MD.
Resolved Issues
Common Components Between Windows 10/11 & Xbox Consoles
Development Tools | [MakePkg] MakePkg, in GDK Tools, has been updated to ensure that package metadata uses the latest improvements to the PC installation process. If a title releases an update on PC without using
the newest version of MakePkg, and the title has more than about 20,000 files, PC gamers will see a slight increase in the time it takes to get and apply that update.
Development Tools | [Visual Studio] Fixed a crash when registering a PC title from Visual Studio when in non-admin mode if the PC was running certain preview versions of Windows 11
Networking | [XSAPI] Fixed a rare crash in Websocket::GetSharedThis where the web socket could be cleaned up before a callback was invoked
Networking | [XSAPI] Fixed a deadlock that could occur when calling XblMultiplayerSetSubscriptionsEnabled.
Xbox (available in GDKX - GDK w/ Xbox Extensions)
[3] Additional fixes in this release: Developer Tools: [1], Platform (GameInput): [2]
Note: Changes proprietary to Xbox console hardware, graphics, memory management, storage, and security features are only documented in the GDKX release notes published to the private Xbox Developer Forums. See ReadMe for more details about the GDKX.
Known Issues (PC Development / Common)
Workarounds Available
Issue #7 | .NET Core 2.1 updates delivered through Microsoft Update can block GDK installation
Issue #8 | Gaming Services may be removed or fail to install during GDK installation
October 2021 GDK Update 4 Public Release
GDK development samples are now publicly available: https://github.com/microsoft/Xbox-GDK-Samples/!
GDK public documentation available here: https://aka.ms/gamedevdocs
2022.03.14 Release Notes
- The March 2022 release is technically the latest (major) release, October 2021 Update 4 contains fixes for developers choosing to stay on the October 2021 branch.
- This is the fourth update to the October 2021 GDK major release. This standalone installer package replaces and includes fixes from up to the October 2021 GDK Update 3 and June 2021 GDK Update 6 release.
- For more information about the GDK and how to start developing games for Xbox consoles or Xbox Game Pass for PC on Windows 10/11, view the ReadMe.MD.
Resolved Issues
Common Components Between Windows 10/11 & Xbox Consoles
Networking | [XSAPI] This release fixes a suspension time-out during WinHttp cleanup
Xbox (available in GDKX - GDK w/ Xbox Extensions)
[1] Fixes in this release: Platform (memory manager): [1]
Note: Changes proprietary to Xbox console hardware, graphics, memory management, storage, and security features are only documented in the GDKX release notes published to the private/NDA-only Xbox Developer Forums. See ReadMe for more details about the GDKX.
Known Issues (PC Development / Common)
Issue #18 | [Developer Tools] Visual Studio 2019 Lifecycle update
Issue #17 | [Developer Tools] GDK Visual Studio 2022 Preview Support - See issue for resolution / use the attached VS2022 Support Assets.
Workarounds Available
Issue #14 | [Developer Tools] MicrosoftGame.config files added by using the item template in the GDK might not set the Item Type property correctly
Issue #13 | [Developer Tools] MicrosoftGame.config files added by using the item template in the GDK might have the file extension changed
Issue #12 | [Developer Tools] Newly added MicrosoftGame.config files don’t appear in Xbox Gaming Project Control
Issue #10 | [Developer Tools] Using version 20348 of the Windows10 SDK and version 22000 of the Windows 11 SDK with the GDK
Issue #8 | [Developer Tools] Gaming Services may be removed or fail to install during GDK installation
Issue #7 | [Developer Tools] .NET Core 2.1 updates delivered through Microsoft Update can block GDK installation
October 2021 GDK Update 3 Public Release
GDK development samples are now publicly available: https://github.com/microsoft/Xbox-GDK-Samples/!
GDK public documentation available here: https://aka.ms/gamedevdocs
2022.03.01 Release Notes
- This is the third update to the October 2021 GDK major release. This standalone installer package replaces and includes fixes from up to the October 2021 GDK Update 2 and June 2021 GDK Update 6 release.
- For more information about the GDK and how to start developing games for Xbox consoles or Xbox Game Pass for PC on Windows 10/11, view the ReadMe.MD.
Resolved Issues
Common Components Between Windows 10/11 & Xbox Consoles
Visual Studio | Fixed a crash when registering a PC title from Visual Studio when in non-admin mode if the PC was running certain preview versions of Windows 11.
XSAPI - Tools | Fixed an issue with XblDevAccount.exe where attempting to sign in resulted in an error.
XSAPI - Tools | The XSAPI compiler has been updated to versions 14.16.27023 and 14.27.29110 for Visual Studio 2017 and Visual Studio 2019, respectively.
XSAPI - Multiplayer | Fixed a deadlock that could occur when calling XblMultiplayerSetSubscriptionsEnabled
XSAPI - RTA | Fixed a crash in Real Time Activity connections that occurred when old subscriptions weren't cleaned up properly when they were removed from the connection.
Windows 10/11
This release was updated in response to common and Xbox-side components in the GDKX. A new GDK is released in parallel to keep the versions in sync.
Xbox (available in GDKX - GDK w/ Xbox Extensions)
[5] Fixes in this release: Platform (memory manager): [1], PIX: [2], Networking: [1], Audio: [1]
Note: Changes proprietary to Xbox console hardware, graphics, memory management, storage, and security features are only documented in the GDKX release notes published to the private/NDA-only Xbox Developer Forums. See ReadMe for more details about the GDKX.
Known Issues (PC Development / Common)
XSAPI PR #669 | [XSAPI] Fix Race condition in CurlProvider::CleanupAsync. If you are experiencing this XSAPI crash, please use the October 2021 GDK or the upcoming October 2021 GDK Update 4.
Issue #18 | [Developer Tools] Visual Studio 2019 Lifecycle update
Issue #17 | [Developer Tools] GDK Visual Studio 2022 Preview Support - See issue for resolution / use the attached VS2022 Support Assets.
Workarounds Available
Issue #16 | [Graphics] PIX Timing Capture file format change
Issue #15 | [Graphics] Instrumenting PC titles with PIX events requires the WinPixEventRuntime package
Issue #14 | [Developer Tools] MicrosoftGame.config files added by using the item template in the GDK might not set the Item Type property correctly
Issue #13 | [Developer Tools] MicrosoftGame.config files added by using the item template in the GDK might have the file extension changed
Issue #12 | [Developer Tools] Newly added MicrosoftGame.config files don’t appear in Xbox Gaming Project Control
Issue #10 | [Developer Tools] Using version 20348 of the Windows10 SDK and version 22000 of the Windows 11 SDK with the GDK
Issue #8 | [Developer Tools] Gaming Services may be removed or fail to install during GDK installation
Issue #7 | [Developer Tools] .NET Core 2.1 updates delivered through Microsoft Update can block GDK installation
October 2021 GDK Update 2 Public Release
Originally published on 2022.02.04 w/ an error in some file versions, which were removed. Re-releasing packages and updating the commit history in the correct order.
GDK development samples are now publicly available: https://github.com/microsoft/Xbox-GDK-Samples/!
GDK public documentation available here: https://aka.ms/gamedevdocs
2022.02.04 Release Notes
- This is the second update to the October 2021 GDK major release. This standalone installer package replaces and includes fixes from up to the October 2021 GDK Update 1 and June 2021 GDK Update 6 release.
- For more information about the GDK and how to start developing games for Xbox consoles or Xbox Game Pass for PC on Windows 10/11, view the ReadMe.MD.
Resolved Issues
Common Components Between Windows 10/11 & Xbox Consoles
Visual Studio 2022 | Fixed an issue that prevented debugging or attaching to a running title by using the Gaming Explorer window in Visual Studio 2022. Attempting to debug by using Gaming Explorer would result in a "cannot debug" error message
Windows 10/11
This release was updated in response to common and Xbox-side components in the GDKX. A new GDK is released in parallel to keep the versions in sync.
Xbox (available in GDKX - GDK w/ Xbox Extensions)
[10] Fixes in this release: Platform (memory manager, XTF, XBConnect): [3], PIX: [5], GameInput: [1], Video (hardware encoder): [1]
Note: Changes proprietary to Xbox console hardware, graphics, memory management, storage, and security features are only documented in the GDKX release notes published to the private/NDA-only Xbox Developer Forums. See ReadMe for more details about the GDKX.
Known Issues (PC Development / Common)
XSAPI PR #669 | [XSAPI] Fix Race condition in CurlProvider::CleanupAsync. If you are experiencing this XSAPI crash, please use the October 2021 GDK or the upcoming October 2021 GDK Update 4.
Issue #18 | [Developer Tools] Visual Studio 2019 Lifecycle update
Issue #17 | [Developer Tools] GDK Visual Studio 2022 Preview Support
Workarounds Available
Issue #16 | [Graphics] PIX Timing Capture file format change
Issue #15 | [Graphics] Instrumenting PC titles with PIX events requires the WinPixEventRuntime package
Issue #14 | [Developer Tools] MicrosoftGame.config files added by using the item template in the GDK might not set the Item Type property correctly
Issue #13 | [Developer Tools] MicrosoftGame.config files added by using the item template in the GDK might have the file extension changed
Issue #12 | [Developer Tools] Newly added MicrosoftGame.config files don’t appear in Xbox Gaming Project Control
Issue #10 | [Developer Tools] Using version 20348 of the Windows10 SDK and version 22000 of the Windows 11 SDK with the GDK
Issue #8 | [Developer Tools] Gaming Services may be removed or fail to install during GDK installation
Issue #7 | [Developer Tools] .NET Core 2.1 updates delivered through Microsoft Update can block GDK installation
March 2022 GDK Public Release
GDK development samples are now publicly available: https://github.com/microsoft/Xbox-GDK-Samples/!
GDK public documentation available here: https://aka.ms/gamedevdocs
2022.03.09 Release Notes
- This is the third update to the October 2021 GDK major release. This standalone installer package replaces and includes fixes from up to the October 2021 GDK Update 2 and June 2021 GDK Update 6 release.
- For more information about the GDK and how to start developing games for Xbox consoles or Xbox Game Pass for PC on Windows 10/11, view the ReadMe.MD.
What's New (For GDK PC development on Windows 10/11)
Note: this section normally only appears for major releases (Spring, Summer, and Fall) where new features are introduced. Minor updates between releases focus on fixes.
Developer Tools | [Visual Studio] Visual Studio 2022 support for GDK development is now out of Preview. All components needed to use Visual Studio 2022 with the GDK are now installed as part of GDK setup, for both console and PC. Visual Studio 2022 provides numerous benefits to game developers, including a 64-bit IDE, an improved servicing model and a more robust debugger architecture. October 2021 GDK users see Issue #17 for workaround to use VS2022.
Developer Tools (Breaking Change) | [Visual Studio] The Build Log Analyzer tool has been removed from the GDK. For alternatives for evaluating and improving MSBuild performance, see the C++ team blog post at https://devblogs.microsoft.com/cppblog/cpp-build-throughput-investigation-and-tune-up/.
Developer Tools (Breaking Change) | [Packaging] As part of a set of PC ecosystem updates, new MicrosoftGame.config requirements are now in place for new titles being created in the March 2022 GDK and beyond. These MicrosoftGame.config requirements do not impact titles porting from a previous GDK.
Platform | Flat File Install is a PC GDK install feature, which shipped in the March 2022 GDK, that helps streamline how MSIXVC files are laid out on disc after being installed. The goal of these changes is to reduce friction for developers by making the file system experience for GDK on PC more consistent across loose file and packaged workflows and to get closer to the traditional win32 file system experiences.
Documentation | Offline documentation for the March 2022 release of the GDK is installed on your development PC by the GDK Setup program. After running Setup, the Help file for the GDK (GDK.chm) is in C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft GDK\Documentation
Documentation | Details on PC ecosystem updates. For more information, see Overview of PC ecosystem updates.
Documentation | Details on all Submission Validator tests. For more information, see Submission Validator Messages.
Documentation | Improvements to PC install and launch information. For more information, see Utilizing Microsoft Game Development Kit tools to install and launch your PC title.
Documentation | Improvements to MicrosoftGame.config documentation. For more information, see MicrosoftGame.config.
Documentation | Improvements to Packaging documentation overviews. For more information, see Overview of packaging.
Resolved Issues
For GDK PC development on Windows 10/11
Issue #17 | [Developer Tools] GDK Visual Studio 2022 Preview Support
Networking | [XSAPI] Fixed a bug where XCurl would crash if curl_easy_perform was called without setting curl_write_callback.
Networking | [XSAPI] Fixed a bug where XCurl wouldn't correctly guard against NULL inputs at API entry points.
Networking | [XSAPI] Fixed a regression that was introduced in the October 2021 GDK where curl_read_callback was called, even when there was no data to upload.
Xbox (available in GDKX - GDK w/ Xbox Extensions)
[36] Xbox Fixes in this release: Shader Compiler (w/ 1 Breaking Change): [7], Graphics: [13], PIX: [2], Development Tools: [14]
Note: Changes proprietary to Xbox console hardware, graphics, memory management, storage, and security features are only documented in the GDKX release notes published to the private/NDA-only Xbox Developer Forums. See ReadMe for more details about the GDKX.
Known Issues (For GDK PC development on Windows 10/11)
Developer Tools | [Visual Studio] The options to select either the version 142(Visual Studio 2019) toolsets or the Clang toolsets by using the Platform Toolset property in Visual Studio isn’tavailable if the toolsets were installed by using the Individual Components section of the Visual Studio installation dialog. Selecting the version142and Clangcomponents from the Desktop Development with C++ workload at installation time causesthe toolsets to appear properly in the Platform Toolset property.
Networking PR #669 | [XSAPI] Fix Race condition in CurlProvider::CleanupAsync. If you are experiencing this XSAPI crash, please use the October 2021 GDK or the upcoming October 2021 GDK Update 4.
Issue #18 | [Developer Tools] Visual Studio 2019 Lifecycle update
Workarounds Available (For GDK PC development on Windows 10/11)
Issue #25 | [Visual Studio] Uninstall the October 2021 Visual Studio 2022 .vsix files before installing the March 2022 GDK
Issue #16 | [Graphics] PIX Timing Capture file format change
Issue #15 | [Graphics] Instrumenting PC titles with PIX events requires the WinPixEventRuntime package
Issue #14 | [Developer Tools] MicrosoftGame.config files added by using the item template in the GDK might not set the Item Type property correctly
Issue #13 | [Developer Tools] MicrosoftGame.config files added by using the item template in the GDK might have the file extension changed
Issue #12 | [Developer Tools] Newly added MicrosoftGame.config files don’t appear in Xbox Gaming Project Control
Issue #10 | [Developer Tools] Using version 20348 of the Windows10 SDK and version 22000 of the Windows 11 SDK with the GDK
Issue #8 | [Developer Tools] Gaming Services may be removed or fail to install during GDK installation
Issue #7 | [Developer Tools] .NET Core 2.1 updates delivered through Microsoft Update can block GDK installation
October 2021 GDK Update 1 Public Release
Originally published on 2022.01.14 w/ an error in some file versions, which were removed. Re-releasing packages and updating the commit history in the correct order.
GDK development samples are now publicly available: https://github.com/microsoft/Xbox-GDK-Samples/!
GDK public documentation available here: https://aka.ms/gamedevdocs
2022.01.14 Release Notes
- This is the first update to the October 2021 GDK major release. This standalone installer package replaces and includes fixes from up to the October 2021 GDK and June 2021 GDK Update 6 release.
- For more information about the GDK and how to start developing games for Xbox consoles or Xbox Game Pass for PC on Windows 10/11, view the ReadMe.MD.
Resolved Issues
Common Components Between Windows 10/11 & Xbox Consoles
XSAPI | Fixed a crash in XSAPI (Websocket::GetSharedThis ) and libHttpClient when cleaning up web requests handled via libHttpClient's XCurl implementation. Recommend staying on the October 2021 GDK or upgrading to the October 2021 GDK Update 4 when available.
Windows 10/11
XBLPCSandbox | Fixed a crash in XblPCSandbox when the Xbox Live registry key was missing. (XblPCSandbox
now removes the Sandbox value from the Xbox Live registry key when switching the sandbox to
RETAIL.)
Xbox (available in GDKX - GDK w/ Xbox Extensions)
[17] Fixes in this release: Platform (memory manager, run from PC): [2], Xbox Tools Framework: [1], GameInput: [1], Graphics (Frame Buffer, Swap Chain, Resource Barrier, H.264 Decoder):[4], PIX [9]
Note: Changes proprietary to Xbox console hardware, graphics, memory management, storage, and security features are only documented in the GDKX release notes published to the private/NDA-only Xbox Developer Forums. See ReadMe for more details about the GDKX.
Known Issues (PC Development / Common)
XSAPI PR #669 | [XSAPI] Fix Race condition in urlProvider::CleanupAsync
Issue #18 | [Developer Tools] Visual Studio 2019 Lifecycle update
Issue #17 | [Developer Tools] GDK Visual Studio 2022 Preview Support
Workarounds Available
Issue #16 | [Graphics] PIX Timing Capture file format change
Issue #15 | [Graphics] Instrumenting PC titles with PIX events requires the WinPixEventRuntime package
Issue #14 | [Developer Tools] MicrosoftGame.config files added by using the item template in the GDK might not set the Item Type property correctly
Issue #13 | [Developer Tools] MicrosoftGame.config files added by using the item template in the GDK might have the file extension changed
Issue #12 | [Developer Tools] Newly added MicrosoftGame.config files don’t appear in Xbox Gaming Project Control
Issue #10 | [Developer Tools] Using version 20348 of the Windows10 SDK and version 22000 of the Windows 11 SDK with the GDK
Issue #8 | [Developer Tools] Gaming Services may be removed or fail to install during GDK installation
Issue #7 | [Developer Tools] .NET Core 2.1 updates delivered through Microsoft Update can block GDK installation