New Creator onboarding

Before you can begin to develop and release games for Xbox consoles and Xbox on PC, you'll need to register as a new Creator. Whether you're a solo developer or a large publishing studio, Xbox has the right programs to help you launch your game, reach millions of players and collaborate with the Xbox developer community.

Join ID@Xbox

The ID@Xbox Program enables Creators of all sizes to publish games on Xbox consoles and Windows PCs, with the tools and support needed to maximize their success. There are no fees to apply to ID@Xbox. Follow the steps below to begin your registration. You can also watch our video tutorial to learn how to complete the process.

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Visit the Xbox Developer Program registration page

1. Navigate to xbox.com/publish and select Become a partner.
2. Sign in your Microsoft Account (MSA). We strongly recommend creating a new Personal MSA for ID@Xbox registration. Don't use your existing personal MSA that you might use for other Microsoft services. You can create an account on the Microsoft Accounts page.
3. On the Choose a program page, select Select ID@Xbox.

Provide your business introduction

Provide your business introduction to tell us more about your studio.

1. Check that ID@Xbox is the selected program on the Welcome page. If not, select Change program and select the ID@Xbox program to continue.
2. Select Get started to provide your contact details.
   • This includes your name, business title, and shipping address for Xbox Dev Kits.
   • If you'll be releasing your products in European markets, you'll also need to provide public contact information for your business.
3. Continue by providing your studio information.
   • This includes your studio name, which might be your doing business as or trading name, your legally registered business name, links to your studio presence, like trailers or a studio website, and the middleware you're using (if applicable).
   • You'll also need to specify whether you want to join ID@Xbox as a developer, or as a publisher.
   • If you have a Company Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS) Number, we strongly recommend you provide this for faster business verification. If you don't provide this, you'll need to provide additional identification information later.
4. When you're finished, select Submit your introduction.

After you submit your introduction, you'll receive a welcome email from the ID@Xbox team, and an email with our mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). The NDA is typically received within 20 minutes but might take up to 3 business days. You'll need to sign the NDA before you can continue your ID@Xbox registration and tell us about your game.

Provide information about your game

After your NDA is signed, you'll be ready to provide information about the game you're creating.

1. Navigate to xbox.com/publish, sign in to your MSA, and continue your application to ID@Xbox.
2. In the My Game Concepts section, and select New application.
3. Complete the Game Concept form in full.
   • You'll provide information about who is developing and publishing your game, the game's key features, target release date and availability, pricing, Xbox network functionality, User Generated Content (UGC) capabilities, and other information that will support your application.
   • You'll also need to provide a link to a game build, or keys to acquire a build.
4. Submit the Concept Form. The ID@Xbox team will review the submission and provide an application decision. This typically takes 10-15 business days.

Complete your application and sign agreements

If your application is successful and your Game Concept is approved, you'll receive an email confirming the approval decision, and additional agreements to sign. These agreements include a Title Licensing Agreement (TLA) for your game, and a Game Development Kit (GDK) License for development hardware and software.

Register for Microsoft Partner Center

After fully executing your agreements with Microsoft, you'll be ready to open your Partner Center account. Microsoft Partner Center is the portal you'll use to create and manage your Xbox games.

1. Navigate to xbox.com/publish, sign in to your MSA, and continue your application to ID@Xbox.
2. On the Welcome page, review the App Developer Agreement (ADA) guidance and agreement in full.
3. When you're ready to proceed with enrollment, select the checkbox to accept the ADA, and then select Start enrollment.
4. On the next screen, you'll see the Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS) Number you provided during ID@Xbox registration. If you didn't provide a DUNS Number, you'll need to select and upload a type of business document for business identity verification. When you're ready to proceed, select Send information.
5. If we're able to create a Partner Center account for you automatically using the information provided, your Seller ID will be displayed. You're now ready to proceed to Partner Center and create a new Game product.
6. If we're unable to create an account for you automatically, a 5x5 code, also known as a promo code, will be displayed. Select Go to Microsoft Partner Center to continue with enrollment.
   • When prompted for program selection, choose the Windows and Xbox program.
   • Use the 5x5 code provided when prompted for a payment method for the one-time registration fee.
7. After you've successfully enrolled in the Windows and Xbox program in Partner Center, you'll need to email your Seller ID to the ID@Xbox team. This enables us to provide your account with the appropriate permissions for Xbox game development. You can find your Seller ID in Partner Center under Account Settings > Legal info > Developer.
8. The ID@Xbox team will confirm that your account has been onboarded successfully. You're now ready to create a new Game product in Partner Center.

For more information about the Partner Center enrollment process, watch the tutorial video below, refer to your ID@Xbox welcome email, or see Enroll as a developer for Microsoft Store.

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Additional onboarding steps

After you've successfully registered for ID@Xbox and created an account in Partner Center, look out for emails from the ID@Xbox team to complete setup of your Microsoft Vendor profile, and to enable access for the Entertainment Developer Store (EDS) you'll use to order Xbox Dev Kit hardware.

Next steps

If you're ready to begin development, take a look at the Game Development Kit documentation or get started downloading the latest GDK Tools for Managed Creators.

If you're already a registered Creator and want to submit a new game concept, review the Game Concepts topic.

If you're looking to understand how to start configuring your product, review Create a new product.