Microsoft Game Development Kit Unity package overview

Note

The GDK Unity package will be deprecated by December 31, 2024. It is superseded by the Microsoft GDK Packages for Unity, see this forum post for more information.

The Microsoft Game Development Kit Unity package is a custom package that's built for the Unity game engine that enables PC Unity developers to efficiently develop their titles for the Microsoft Game Development Kit. The package is imported to your Unity project. Its primary features show up as a "GDK" menu option within Unity.

The GDK Unity package was built to improve your development workflow directly in Unity. Within Unity, you can edit the MicrosoftGame.config, build an MSIXVC package, configure your PC sandbox environment, and use platform APIs.

Note

The package doesn't support Xbox console development. For more information about Xbox console development support within Unity, see Unity for Game Core package.

GDK Unity package compatibility

The GDK Unity package is compatible with any version of Unity that is 2017 or newer.

Each release, Microsoft tests the GDK Unity package with LTS versions of Unity, going back to Unity 2017 LTS.

As newer versions of the package become available, you can upgrade the GDK Unity package to your Unity project for additional functionality. The GDK Unity package is dependent on the Microsoft Game Development Kit (GDK) to properly work. Many components of the GDK Unity package work as integrations or wrappers of GDK components.

It's important to keep your GDK Unity package version aligned with the current GDK that you're using.

Unity and Xbox compatibility

The Unity GDK support for console is 2019.4+. If you cannot upgrade to 2019.4+, then we recommend using XDK for your console build and the GDK for your PC build.

Note: If are interested in using the XDK, it is a good idea to discuss with your Microsoft representative the feasibility of using the XDK for your console build.