Xbox Requirements for PC, Mobile & Creators Program

Steps (100)

• Base Requirements

  General rules for standards of coding, behaviour, and submission of titles.

  • XR-001 ★ · Title Stability

    Titles must start promptly, remain responsive to user input, shut down gracefully, and not close unexpectedly. Must handle exceptions raised by managed or native system APIs and remain responsive after the exception is handled.

    • Title starts without crash or hang on cold launch

      ~3m

    • Title remains responsive during at least 30 minutes of normal gameplay

      ~30m

    • Title shuts down / exits gracefully — no unexpected closures

      ~3m

    • Exceptions from system APIs are handled without freezing or crashing

      ~5m

  • XR-003 ★ · Title Quality for Submission

    Xbox games must meet Xbox quality standards and be fully functional and testable. Submission Validator must pass with no failures; logs must be included.

    • All client code, artifacts, and DLC are fully functional and testable

      ~5m

    • Title is packaged cleanly — Submission Validator passes with no failures

      ~5m

    • Submission Validator logs included with submission

      ~2m

    • No crashes, freezes, or unplayable frame rates across all game modes

      ~15m

    • Game settings, options, and controls apply correctly and respect defaults

      ~5m

    • No dead ends or inaccessible menus — navigation is seamless

      ~5m

    • Save game compatibility verified after content updates — no permanent data loss

      ~5m

  • XR-007 · Cross-Network Data Usage

    Governs use of Xbox user data, in-game items, and Microsoft Store managed entitlements across platforms. Titles may sync game progress and VC-managed items across networks; Microsoft Store managed digital content (map packs, PDLC) may not be shared across gaming networks.

    • Game progress and VC-managed items sync correctly across platforms (if implemented)

      ~5m

    • Microsoft Store managed PDLC (map packs, etc.) is NOT shared/roamed across gaming networks

      ~5m

    • Microsoft Store content offer is equal to or better than other platform offers (timing, market, features, content)

      ~5m

    • Title does not intentionally direct purchases away from the Microsoft Store

      ~3m

  • XR-022 ★ · Official Naming Standards

    Titles must use the naming standards defined in the Xbox network terminology list for PC and mobile.

    • All Xbox network terminology matches the PC and Mobile terminology list

      ~5m

  • XR-074 ★ · Loss of Connectivity to Xbox and Partner Services

    Titles must gracefully handle errors with Xbox and partner service connectivity, honour retry policies, manage user messaging appropriately, and must not crash or hang if network services are slow or intermittently available.

    • Title handles Xbox service connectivity errors gracefully — no crash or hang

      ~5m

    • Xbox retry policies are honoured when retrying after a failed service request

      ~5m

    • User messaging when services are unavailable is appropriate and does not blame Xbox network for partner service failures

      ~5m

    • Title remains playable (or fails gracefully) under intermittent network conditions

      ~5m

  • XR-132 ★ · Service Access Limitations

    Titles must stay within Xbox network title and user rate limits and adhere to retry policies. Exceeding limits may result in rate limiting, service suspension, or title removal.

    • Title call volumes stay within Xbox network fine-grained rate limits under peak load

      ~5m

    • Xbox network service retry policies (back-off, jitter) are correctly implemented

      ~5m

• Player Data and Privacy

  Rules governing the use of personal data provided through Xbox network services. Non-compliance risks revocation of Xbox network access.

  • Xbox network data used only to deliver the game to players

    XUIDs, gamertags, friends lists, and usage data must not be sold, licensed, or shared with third parties. Social graph data (friends lists) may not be stored except account identifiers of friends who have linked their own Xbox accounts.

    ~5m

  • No data sharing with ad networks, data brokers, or monetisation services

    Even anonymous, aggregate, or derived data from Xbox network services must not be shared with any ad network, data broker, or advertising/monetisation-related service.

    ~3m

  • Player data deletion request process implemented

    When Microsoft provides a list of player identifiers to delete, the list must be checked at least every 30 days. Account identifiers must be deleted when the game is removed from the service or a user de-links their Xbox account.

    ~5m

  • Data Processing Addendum reviewed and signed

    Access and use of personal data is governed by the Xbox Network Services Data Processing Addendum for PC & Mobile Games.

    ~5m

• User Profiles

  Requirements for how a game interacts with the Xbox user models, profiles, and saving user data.

  • XR-045 ★ · Xbox Network and Account Privileges

    Titles must check the Xbox network service for the relevant privilege before allowing the corresponding action. Parental controls and player choices must be respected.

    • Privilege 254 (Multiplayer) checked before allowing online multiplayer with real-world players

      ~5m

    • Privilege 185 (CrossNetworkPlay) checked before cross-network multiplayer sessions

      ~5m

    • Privilege 252 (Communications) checked before enabling voice or text chat with other Xbox users

      ~5m

    • Privilege 247 (UGC) checked before showing, downloading, or sharing user-generated content online

      ~5m

    • Privilege 189 (Sessions) checked if used — requires platform approval

      ~3m

    • Free-to-play / demo / beta titles continue to check privilege 254 to respect parental controls

      ~3m

  • XR-046 ★ · Display Name and Gamerpic

    On Xbox consoles the gamertag must be the primary display name. On non-console platforms (PC, mobile) this is recommended but not required. Modern gamertags must display all 16 characters including suffix; classic gamertags all 15 characters.

    • Gamertag is displayed correctly in all relevant in-game locations

      ~5m

    • Modern gamertag: up to 12 chars + # + suffix displayed, full Unicode range supported

      ~5m

    • Classic gamertag: all 15 ASCII characters displayed correctly

      ~3m

  • XR-048 ★ · Profile Settings Usage

    Titles must not persistently store Xbox user profile data (gamertags, preferences, etc.) beyond a local offline cache. Caches must be refreshed on the next available connection to the service.

    • No permanent server-side storage of Xbox profile data beyond what's needed to deliver the game

      ~5m

    • Offline cache of profile data is updated on next connection to Xbox network services

      ~5m

  • XR-052 ★ · User State and Title-Save Location, Roaming and Dependencies

    Progress, saves, preferences, achievements, and rewards must be associated with the correct user. For titles using the same TitleID across platforms, save data must roam within the same platform (e.g., between two PCs).

    • User-change notifications handled correctly — state is not saved for signed-out users

      ~5m

    • Game save data has no dependencies on shared content or local storage paths

      ~5m

    • Save roaming works between PCs in the Windows platform (same TitleID)

      ~5m

    • Cross-platform save roaming (PC ↔ Xbox console) tested if implemented (recommended, not required)

      ~5m

• Online Safety and Privacy

  Requirements pertaining to the online safety and privacy of Xbox users.

  • XR-013 ★ · Linking Microsoft Accounts with Publisher Accounts

    On Xbox consoles, publisher account linking must be supported for all Xbox users. On non-console platforms (PC, mobile), account linking is optional. If publisher account sign-in is enabled, the rules below apply.

    • Publisher account sign-in supports all user types, ages, and regions where the feature is offered (if required for gameplay features)

      ~5m

    • Graceful handling and messaging if a region or age group cannot create a publisher account

      ~5m

    • User consent obtained before auto-populating sign-up/creation with Microsoft account data

      ~5m

    • Terms of use and privacy policy linked or shown during publisher account creation

      ~3m

    • Publisher account requirement disclosed in product description and packaging

      ~3m

    • XSTS tokens used for authentication when linking publisher account to Microsoft account

      ~5m

    • User notified of account linking and given the option to opt-out and de-link

      ~5m

  • XR-015 ★ · Managing Player Communication

    Titles must not allow communication over Xbox network when the user's privacy settings prohibit it. Privacy permissions must be checked at session start, when a new user joins, or before displaying/performing communication actions.

    • CommunicateUsingText permission checked before enabling text chat or message to another user

      ~5m

    • CommunicateUsingVoice permission checked before enabling voice communication with another user

      ~5m

    • Ability to mute non-Xbox network players available during cross-network sessions

      ~5m

  • XR-018 ★ · User-Generated Content

    If the title includes UGC visible or accessible to other players online, the following must be in place.

    • In-product UGC reporting mechanism available for players to flag inappropriate content

      ~5m

    • Content guidelines / terms of use for UGC published in-product or on the title's website

      ~3m

    • Process in place to remove/disable illegal or harmful UGC at Microsoft's request

      ~3m

    • Player UGC privilege settings respected — users without UGC access are handled gracefully

      ~5m

    • If using a third-party mod platform: report/complaint API integrated; disclaimer shown for non-developer content

      ~5m

• Achievements and Awards

  Requirements for titles that offer achievements and awards on the Xbox network.

  • XR-055 ★ · Achievements and Gamerscore

    Minimum 10, maximum 100 achievements at launch. Max 1000G at launch. Semi-annual additions up to 100 achievements and 1000G. Lifetime limit: 500 achievements, 5000G. No single achievement may exceed 200G. All achievements must be achievable.

    • Launch achievement count is between 10 and 100

      ~3m

    • Launch Gamerscore is exactly 1000G

      ~3m

    • No single achievement exceeds 200G

      ~3m

    • All defined achievements are obtainable in the shipped build

      ~5m

    • Achievements represent thorough exploration of or engagement with game content

      ~5m

  • XR-057 ★ · Unlocking Achievements

    All achievements in the base title must be earnable without purchasing additional content. Achievements must be unlocked through in-game actions and gameplay — not via real-money purchases, cheat codes, or menu options that bypass gameplay.

    • Every achievement is earnable in the base game without additional purchase

      ~5m

    • No achievements unlockable via real-money purchase, cheat codes, or menu bypass

      ~5m

  • XR-058 · Achievements Across Multiple Titles or Platforms

    Achievements must not be shared across different title IDs. When the same TitleID spans platforms, the same achievement set must be used (platform-specific achievements are permitted at discretion).

    • Achievements are not shared or duplicated across different title IDs

      ~3m

    • Same TitleID across platforms shares the same achievement set (platform-specific extras are acceptable)

      ~3m

  • XR-060 · Modifying Active Achievements

    Once published to users, achievements cannot be removed. Unlock rules and rewards cannot be changed. Text strings (name, description) and artwork may be updated.

    • No published achievements have been removed

      ~2m

    • Unlock rules and rewards for published achievements are unchanged

      ~2m

  • XR-062 · Achievement Names and Descriptions

    Achievement names and descriptions must be appropriate for a PEGI 12 / ESRB EVERYONE 10+ rating or lower. No profanity in clear text or redacted form.

    • All achievement names and descriptions are within PEGI 12 / ESRB E10+ content rating

      ~5m

    • No profanity — clear or redacted — in any achievement name or description

      ~3m

• Multiplayer Sessions

  Requirements for titles that provide multiplayer sessions on Xbox network.

  • XR-064 ★ · Joinable Game Sessions and Online Play

    On Xbox consoles, joinable sessions must be enabled through the Xbox shell interface. On PC, titles offering cross-platform multiplayer with Xbox consoles must also enable joins via the Game Bar experience.

    • Joinable sessions exposed through Xbox shell interface (console builds)

      ~5m

    • Join via Game Bar experience enabled for PC builds with cross-platform multiplayer against Xbox consoles

      ~5m

  • XR-067 ★ · Maintaining Multiplayer Session State

    On devices other than Xbox consoles, titles offering cross-platform multiplayer with Xbox consoles must maintain session-state in MPSD or record player interactions using the Multiplayer Activity Recent Player feature.

    • Session state maintained in MPSD for cross-platform multiplayer sessions with Xbox consoles

      ~5m

    • Alternatively: player interactions recorded using Multiplayer Activity Recent Player feature

      ~5m

    • Session state correctly updates on player join, leave, and disconnect

      ~5m