Overview of prerelease testing options
You can test your product in your own sandboxes or in the RETAIL (production) sandbox. The following options are available.- Sideloading (Console)/Local Install (PC): Manually install your product on your PC or console in a development sandbox by using the Game Development Kit (GDK) development tools. You can install a package generated with makepkg or deploy loose files.
- Development sandbox download: Publish a package to your development sandbox using Partner Center. Make the package available for download from the Microsoft Store app using an XBOX development kit or a PC configured with user access to the sandbox.
- Closed beta: Publish your game to the RETAIL sandbox in a hidden state. It can only be acquired from the Microsoft Store by redeeming a promotional code.
- Open beta: Publish your game to the RETAIL sandbox in a discoverable state. It can be acquired for free and downloaded from the Microsoft Store.
- XBOX Insider Program: The XBOX Insider Program lets you distribute a beta product securely by using the XBOX Insider Hub app, and only to the audiences you define. By using the program, you can also gather feedback and bug reports that help you prepare for the full release of your game.
- Playtest: Playtest enables prerelease game content to run on XBOX endpoints for a controlled audience of real players without requiring certification or publishing your main game to the Microsoft Store. You choose who can install the build by using audience groups, share access with a deep link, and update the package, dates, or audience as you iterate. During Preview, Playtest supports XBOX on PC. For more information, see Playtest overview.
Sideloading (Console) and Local Install (PC)
Use sideloading (for XBOX console games) or local installation (for PC games) to immediately deploy XBOX packages that are created with an /LU or /LT flag. There’s no need to publish this package by using your Partner Center product because the package is deployed directly to your device. You can deploy your content by using the GDK Tools. Sideloading offers the fastest iteration time but might be less scalable than other options.Developer sandbox download
You can upload packaged builds to your product in Partner Center, and publish these builds to your development sandboxes. Published builds can be downloaded directly from the Microsoft Store app on your devkit or PC. This approach enables deployment to larger audiences, and it more accurately simulates the end-user experience compared to sideloading. To maintain a high level of security, you must have an XBOX test account that has permissions to access the sandbox you’re using, and you must have access to the title itself. Each Partner Center account has its own specific set of sandboxes and options for configuring access to these sandboxes. A sandbox name consists of a publisher’s moniker of four or six characters, followed by a number from .0 to .99 (for example, XDKS.1). You can choose from any of these sandboxes for your development and testing needs. For more information, see Sandboxes. For more information about publishing to your development sandbox, see Review and Publish.Playtest
Use Playtest for prerelease testing if:- You want to put a prerelease build in front of testers without publishing your main game, submitting for certification, or configuring a PDP in the Microsoft Store.
- You want to run multiple parallel tests for the same product.
- You want to iterate fast by updating builds without recreating a test program or inviting testers again.
- You want to test in the RETAIL sandbox, with testers using retail hardware against your game’s live XBOX services.
- Your audience has up to 10,000 players.
Testing of beta products in RETAIL
PC and Console games can be configured for two types of beta releases: closed to a curated audience, and open to the public. The audience type and size of your audience determines the limitations, distribution types, and XBOX Requirements (XRs) that apply. A beta should be a separate product from the full game release, with its own XBOX services, pricing and availability configuration, and Microsoft Store Product Details Page (PDP). In some scenarios, you might be able to use your full game product. For more information, speak to your XBOX contacts. The XBOX Insider Program complements your beta release and can be used as both a distribution and a feedback platform. More information about this program is provided in the following sections.Closed beta
A closed beta is available only to players you select.- Work with your XBOX contacts to entitle players based on ownership of another product (for example to offer access to a beta product as part of a pre-order).
- Create and distribute Promotional Codes, which can be generated directly through Partner Center or by the Microsoft Token Specialist. For more information, see Ordering promotional codes.
- Tokens must be distributed in accordance with the XBOX Games Store Policy, available for download from the XBOX Publisher Guide.
- XBOX Certification doesn’t test closed betas distributed to fewer than 10,000 players.
- XBOX Certification tests closed betas distributed to 10,000 or more players, except those betas distributed by using the XBOX Insider Program.
- Closed betas in the XBOX Insider Program can be distributed to up to 50,000 players before they require testing by XBOX Certification.
Open beta
An open beta is distributed as a free offer through the Microsoft Store, and must be available to everyone for download and play. All open betas are subject to testing of the Certification Requirements for Betas by XBOX Certification. The beta must pass Certification before it can be released to the public. Except for Free-to-Play games, an open beta must be created as a Game Demo in Partner Center and be separate from your full game product. For information about the policies that apply to an open beta, including those policies for monetization and availability of the beta product, refer to the XBOX Games Store Policy in the XBOX Publisher Guide.XBOX Insider Program: Testing in RETAIL
You can start using the XBOX Insider Program as soon as you have a package that can be published to the RETAIL sandbox. This process is referred to as flighting. The packages you use don’t need to pass Certification before they can be used with the XBOX Insider Program unless you exceed the thresholds described in the Certification Requirements for Betas. Flighting can be used for base game products or for Content Updates (CUs). It’s a convenient and secure way to test your product in the RETAIL sandbox. Some benefits of the XBOX Insider Program include:- Security: Make your product available only to select audiences. Grant access to the product using Promo Codes that are redeemed through the XBOX Insider Hub app such that the code is never shown to the user. You can also keep flights private using Private Audience.
- Flexibility: Target audiences as small as your development team or studio, or invite millions of XBOX Insiders to participate in your flight. With Partner Center, you can also flight multiple builds simultaneously, at any time and to anyone you choose. Scale or change your offering as you need to. For more information about publishing Content Updates and multiple builds, see Updating your title in the RETAIL sandbox later in this topic.
- Custom reporting: Gather feedback and bugs from XBOX Insiders by using Surveys and Report a Problem options available in the XBOX Insider Hub app, and receive summary reports regularly.
- Contact your XBOX representative or the XBOX Insider Program team.
- View the steps to get started at XBOX Insider Program flighting.
Comparing beta distribution options
This table shows the differences between the various methods of testing and distributing your beta title.Securing the visibility and distribution of your title
The following sections explain how you can use features in Partner Center to ensure that your title is only discoverable and accessible by the players you choose. For more information about security and confidentiality when flighting with the XBOX Insider Program, see XBOX Insider Program flighting.Private Audience
The Pricing and Availability module in Partner Center enables you to specify either a Public or Private Audience for your product. With Private Audience, your Microsoft Store Product Details Page (PDP) is only visible to user groups of your choosing. If you’re flighting with the XBOX Insider Program, the groups are managed automatically. For more information about Private and Public audience, see Visibility - Audiences.Hiding XBOX services information on the XBOX network
For any closed beta products you publish to the RETAIL sandbox, consider configuring XBOX Embargo. XBOX Embargo prevents elements of your XBOX services Gameplay Settings, such as achievements and presence, from access and display outside the game. For example, achievements aren’t displayed in the XBOX shell UI or your XBOX user profile. For more information, see Configuring XBOX services.Creating and distributing promotional codes
Promotional codes are also known as promo codes or tokens. They’re a 25-character sequence that’s used to redeem content in the Store. To provide access to a closed beta product, you must distribute tokens to your intended audience.- If you’re testing or flighting without the XBOX Insider Program, you distribute promo codes directly to your intended audience. The downside to this method is that the promo codes are visible to the user, who might publicly display or redistribute them.
- If you’re flighting with the XBOX Insider Program, promo codes can be systematically and securely distributed through the XBOX Insider Hub. This system grants the entitlement to users without ever displaying the promo code and eliminates the risk of the code being displayed or redistributed.
If you don’t need your product to be hidden, for example, if you’re distributing an open beta, you can offer it to all players for free. Configure this setup by using your product’s Pricing and availability in Partner Center. For more information, see Create and release products that are visible and purchasable in the Microsoft Store.
Updating your title in the RETAIL sandbox
After you release your game in the RETAIL sandbox, you update it using Content Updates (CUs). You can test these updates in RETAIL before you make them available to the General Audience (GA).All CUs require certification approval before they can be published to GA. Speak to your XBOX contacts about the certification requirements for your product.
Standard Content Update (CU) publishing
After your update receives certification approval, proceed with publishing the update to RETAIL when you’re ready. Publishing the update makes it available to all players that have access to your product. Any players with the previous package installed can update to the new package. Anyone who installs the product for the first time downloads the updated package.Package flights
Use package flights to deliver specific packages to selected users or devices without affecting the experience for other customers. Only the packages are different; the Microsoft Store PDP is the same for all players. If you’re creating a package flight for a console game, you can publish it to a Known Device Group. If you’re creating a package flight for a PC game, you can publish it to a Known User Group. You can manage these groups via the Engage > Customer Groups UI, accessible from the Apps and Games dashboard. If you’re flighting with the XBOX Insider Program, the XBOX Insider Program team works with you to populate these groups systematically through the XBOX Insider Hub.A considerable benefit of package flighting is that you can flight different packages to different groups of players simultaneously. If you’re participating in the XBOX Insider Program, players receive the package that’s available to their group, and can provide build-specific feedback.