- Players didn’t know the game launch status until the game window became visible.
- You had to ensure that the installed game was up to date.
- Cloud saves didn’t sync until the game process launched.
- You had to prevent multiple instances of your game from launching.
- Showing a splash screen immediately after the player tries to launch the game to communicate that the process has started.
- Ensuring the installed game is updated to the latest version available in Partner Center before the game process starts. You can optionally check for and apply updates manually by following the steps in checking for updates.
- Syncing cloud saves automatically before the game process starts.
- Preventing multiple launches of an installed game by automatically restricting it to a single instance.
What it is
The PC Bootstrapper is a Gaming Runtime utility (GamingServicesUI.exe) that helps ensure an MSIXVC packaged PC game is in a healthy state before the game process starts. Whenever a player launches an installed MSIXVC packaged PC game (through the XBOX app, Start menu, Desktop shortcut, or command line tools), the Gaming Runtime Services (GRTS) first invokes the PC Bootstrapper. After the PC Bootstrapper confirms that the pre-launch requirements are met, the PC Bootstrapper process launches the game. The PC Bootstrapper is part of the game launch flow for all MSIXVC packaged PC games acquired through the XBOX App or Microsoft Store starting with the May 2022 GRTS release. For developer packages sideloaded with wdapp.exe install, include the /bootstrapper flag. When you debug an MSIXVC packaged title with the PC Bootstrapper enabled, the game process is a child of another helper process.How it works
Here’s a summary of how the PC Bootstrapper works:- When a player launches an MSIXVC packaged PC game, the PC Bootstrapper first checks to see if the game is already running. If the game is running, the PC Bootstrapper attempts to bring the game window to the foreground and then exits the PC Bootstrapper process. (In this case, it doesn’t start a new instance of the game.)
- If no other instances of the game are running, the PC Bootstrapper shows the SplashScreenImage (specified in the MicrosoftGame.config file) immediately on launch to give feedback that the game is trying to start.
- After the splash screen is visible, it starts the game process. The PC Bootstrapper continues to run until the game window is visible.
- After the game window is visible, the PC Bootstrapper’s job is complete and the PC Bootstrapper process exits.
Benefits
Here’s a summary of benefits of the PC Bootstrapper:- Sets the current working directory for the game process to be the root of the game’s install location.
- Ensures only one executable process in the installed game directory is running at a time.
- If an instance is already running, it brings that executable’s window to the foreground.
- Adds a launch experience, so there’s more clarity that progress is happening between launching the game and the game’s primary window becoming visible.
Gaming Runtime Services (GRTS) dependency
The PC Bootstrapper depends on the Gaming Runtime Service (GRTS), which distributes automatically to all Windows 10/11 PCs. If GRTS is out of date on your development PC, it can generate an error (E_FAIL) when you attempt 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’s current and doesn’t indicate that it needs updating.
- Also, go to the Library view in the Microsoft Store app to update all apps and components.