> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://devdocs.xbox.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # XBOX Rapid Updates > The XBOX Rapid Updates program is designed to help games that have a proven record of certification results. The XBOX Rapid Updates program is designed to help games that have a proven record of successful certification results. Games that qualify for Rapid Updates can ship updates to players faster, with more predictability, and at every stage of the game's lifecycle, including pre-release. After a base game passes Final Certification with zero Conditions for Resubmission (CFRs) identified, pre-release updates (including day-one updates) and post-release updates don't require XBOX Requirement (XR) testing during the XBOX certification process. ## How to qualify Your game qualifies for XBOX Rapid Updates as soon as it passes [Final Certification](certification-guide.md#final-submissions) with no CFRs identified. Games can qualify before or after their release date, and any Content Updates (CUs) you submit after qualifying bypass the XR testing portion of XBOX certification. This includes updates you submit before your game's release date, such as day-one updates. This means you can move quickly from your first clean submission all the way through launch and beyond, without waiting for a release milestone before you can qualify. > \[!NOTE] > We still test your base game's submission at Final Certification which is how a clean, CFR-free result is established. Only the CUs that follow it bypass XR testing. ### Betas, demos, and Game Preview Betas, demos, and Game Preview games are eligible for XBOX Rapid Updates and qualify the same way as a full release which is by passing Final Certification with no CFRs identified. In most cases, betas and demos release as a separate product from the full game. Each product then earns XBOX Rapid Updates eligibility separately. XBOX Rapid Updates eligibility doesn't carry forward when: * A Game Preview game graduates to its full release, which always happens under the same product. * A beta or demo graduates to a full release under the same product. In both cases, eligibility is restored once the full release passes Final Certification with no CFRs. ## Maintaining quality To support faster delivery of content updates, XBOX Rapid Updates expands the role of development partners in the update validation process. Partners verify that their content updates comply with XBOX Requirements (XRs) before submission, while Microsoft continues to establish and enforce the standards that help ensure a consistent, high-quality experience for players across the XBOX platform. To maintain quality, the XBOX Certification team conducts periodic audits of games that release CUs using the XBOX Rapid Updates program. If issues are found in your game, we'll work with you to ensure they're addressed in a future CU and verify that the issues are resolved. We also actively monitor the performance of games across various health metrics, such as a game's crashes-per-launch ratio and fine-grained rate limiting. If a game exhibits performance issues against any of these metrics, we'll provide the details to you in a Title Health report. In serious cases, we'll work with you to address the issues in a future CU. Failure to resolve these issues might result in a temporary change to your game's XBOX Rapid Updates status until the issues are resolved. Title health issues can be raised by XBOX Certification based on a game's performance. In such cases, the XBOX Certification team will be prescriptive about the health target your game must meet and the timeframe in which improvements must be made. We're always open to working with you to find the most suitable resolution. ## Critical Updates Along with the changes above, we are pleased to announce to ability for critical or security updates to request to go through XBOX Rapid Updates when necessary. Reach out to your XBOX contacts for more details. ## Frequently asked questions ### How do I know if my game is eligible for XBOX Rapid Updates? A game goes through either standard certification or XBOX Rapid Updates. If you're not sure whether you qualify for XBOX Rapid Updates, reach out to your XBOX contacts for confirmation. ### Can games with CFRs become eligible for XBOX Rapid Updates? Yes. Receiving a CFR never permanently disqualifies a game. A CFR on the base game's submission or on a CU simply means that submission wasn't clean. The game becomes eligible for XBOX Rapid Updates as soon as it reaches a clean submission with all CFRs resolved. For critical updates, the service will be available to you upon request and review. ### What if my game gets a CFR while eligible for XBOX Rapid Updates? If CFRs are found during the audit process, we'll work with you to resolve the issues in a future CU. The game remains eligible for XBOX Rapid Updates, and the XBOX Certification team will prescribe the timeframe in which the CFRs must be resolved. Failure to resolve these issues might result in a temporary change to the game's XBOX Rapid Updates status until the issues are resolved. ### What changes require standard certification even if my game is eligible for XBOX Rapid Updates? Some updates must be tested even when your game is eligible for XBOX Rapid Updates. This applies to prerelease updates, including day-one updates, as well as post-release ones. Updates that must be tested include, but aren't limited to, those that add functionality that didn't previously exist and requires standard certification. For example, updates that: * Add multiplayer to a formerly single-player game. * Add cross-network play. * Add mod support. Before you submit an update that introduces changes like these, reach out to your XBOX contacts to arrange full certification. This applies only to the affected submission; your game remains eligible for XBOX Rapid Updates unless new CFRs are identified during testing. If you anticipate changes like these, disclose them to your XBOX contacts early and often. Doing so reduces the urgency that often characterizes these updates. ### Can I release an urgent fix quickly if my game isn't eligible for XBOX Rapid Updates? Yes. We offer a critical-fix pathway for CUs that deliver urgent, customer-impacting fixes, even when that CU wouldn't otherwise qualify for XBOX Rapid Updates. For example, updates that resolve: * Severe crashes * Progression blockers * Save or data loss * Security or privacy issues * Online multiplayer issues To use this pathway, reach out to your XBOX contacts. We'll confirm the fix is genuinely critical and appropriately scoped, then allow it to bypass XR testing so it can reach your players quickly. The pathway covers the fix itself; if the same update also adds new functionality that requires testing, that part is handled separately, and using the pathway doesn't change your game's overall eligibility for XBOX Rapid Updates. ## See also * [Certification guide](certification-guide.md) * [Product changes and Content Updates](../../publishing-processes/managed-creators/publishing-processes-post-release-lifecycle.md)