Our focus is clear: making Windows 11 the best place for game developers to create, experiment, ship and scale. Windows is an open, flexible platform that supports choice across engines, tools, hardware and distribution models. That commitment is rooted in close collaboration across our ecosystem, including partners like AMD, Intel, NVIDIA and Qualcomm, and strengthening our deep partnership with Xboxdriving innovation to shape the future of gaming with the development community.
This year at GDC, we’re introducing new Windows 11 platform updates and tools designed to deliver faster load times, smoother game play and a strong foundation for Windows ML-enhanced graphics.
What’s new at GDC:
Beginning in April, Xbox mode will be generally available on all Windows 11 PC form factors, rolling out to users in select markets
Faster load times and streaming performance enabled with Advanced Shader Delivery available to more games, including new self-enablement, and zStandard support in DirectStorage coming soon
Improved developer experience with DirectX Dump Files and additional PIX improvements, including Shader Explorer, and more
New linear algebra capabilities to accelerate inference in shaders, with a preview of WinML models in graphics workloads coming soon
Xbox mode available on all Windows 11 form factors in April
Starting in April, Xbox mode will start rolling out to users in select markets on all Windows 11 PC form factors, including laptops, desktops and tablets, bringing the experience to a broader set of devices. Xbox mode makes it easier for players to jump into a streamlined, full‑screen, dedicated gaming experience whenever they want to lean back and play.
Xbox mode delivers a controller-optimized experience to your Windows 11 device, letting players browse their library, launch games, use Game Bar and switch between apps. Designed to keep players immersed, the experience features a clean, distraction-free interface, while still giving them the flexibility to seamlessly switch back to the Windows desktop at any time.
Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD): Reducing shader stutter at scale
Last year, we introduced Advanced Shader Delivery support for the ROG Xbox Ally handheld, a new approach designed to enable faster startup times and smoother performance.
At GDC 2026, we’re expanding ASD to all game developers, allowing them to future-proof their titles and self-enable support through the Xbox Store. Testing is currently underway for the new workflow, with trials for third-party studios expected to begin in May.
With new API-level support now available in the DirectX Agility SDK, developers can deterministically collect and package shaders as part of their process. When games are uploaded for publication, the Xbox Partner Center can ingest these shader packages so that supported devices automatically detect and deliver the ASD experience to gamers.
This update represents a foundational shift in how PC games handle shaders at scale, bringing more predictable performance, faster startup times for players and reduced stutter on the first run of a game.
To learn more, join us for the Advanced Shader Delivery on Windows session at GDC on Thursday, March 12, from 3:40 p.m. – 4:40 p.m. in Room 2011, West Hall.
DirectStorage: Faster asset streaming and storage
We’re continuing to advance DirectStorage to help developers fully unlock modern NVMe hardware on Windows and build richer, more responsive worlds.
Today, we’re introducing support for Zstandard compression and a new tool, the Game Asset Conditioning Library, improving compression efficiency while simplifying asset conditioning across production pipelines. Expanded high‑throughput streaming scenarios reduce I/O latency and increase throughput for data‑heavy environments, without adding complexity to existing workflows.
Together, these improvements make it easier to stream larger assets faster, reduce load times and deliver more responsive gameplay at scale.
To learn more, join us for the DirectX State of the Union 2026: DirectStorage and Beyond session at GDC on Wednesday, March 11, from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in Room 3001, West Hall.
Evolving DirectX for the ML era
Machine learning is becoming a core part of real‑time graphics, and DirectX is evolving to support the next generation of ML‑driven rendering on Windows.
We’re introducing new capabilities that make it easier for developers to bring neural techniques into their graphics pipelines, starting with linear algebra support in HLSL to unlock hardware‑accelerated ML operations directly in shaders.
We will also give a preview of advances in Windows ML that will enable game developers to bring their own models directly into gameplay for a new paradigm of immersive experiences, reducing the need for hand‑authored shader logic.
Together, these investments lay the foundation for scalable, AI‑driven graphics pipelines, extending what’s possible on Windows 11 today while preserving the flexibility developers expect from DirectX.
To learn more, join us for the Evolving DirectX for the ML Era on Windows session at GDC on Thursday, March 12, from 12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. in Room 2024, West Hall.
New DirectX and PIX tooling updates
We’re bringing the best of console graphics debugging to PC with the largest wave of new DirectX and PIX tooling features in more than a decade.
DirectX Dump Files – A new standardized way to capture GPU crash and state data, with first‑class PIX support and programmatic access
DebugBreak() in HLSL – New shader‑level breakpoints that enable faster debugging and iteration
Shader Explorer – A new way to inspect, understand and debug compiled shaders, with deeper live analysis coming later this year
We’re also delivering additional PIX improvements, including a Tile Mappings Viewer and hardware-specific GPU counters in the System Monitor view, to make debugging and profiling DirectX applications easier.
Most of these features will be available in preview starting May 2026, with broader availability later in the year.
To learn more, join us for the DirectX: Bringing Console-Level GPU Tools to Windows session at GDC on Thursday, March 12, from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in Room 2020, West Hall.
See you at GDC
From faster asset streaming and smoother shader compilation to new debugging tools and streamlined publishing paths, these updates are shaped by direct feedback from studios building and shipping games at scale.
At GDC 2026, we are going deeper on how to put these capabilities to work in real production environments. Join our Windows and DirectX sessions to hear from teams adopting these technologies in shipping titles, connect with the engineers building them and get practical guidance you can apply today. Together, we’re shaping the future of PC game development on Windows.
We’re excited to share what’s next, and we look forward to seeing you at GDC.
Session
Date/Time (all times PDT)
Description
Xbox Developer Summit Keynote: Building for the Future with Xbox
Wednesday, March 11 — 10:10 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.; Room 3001/3003, West Hall
Join us for a conversation about the vision shaping the future of Xbox and how we’re building a more flexible, connected future for game creators and players everywhere.
DirectX State of the Union 2026: DirectStorage and Beyond
Wednesday, March 11 — 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; Room 3001/3003, West Hall
An update on the state of DirectX, including the latest advances in DirectStorage, compression, HLSL and the broader graphics roadmap on Windows.
Windows Game Development and Visual Studio 2026
Thursday, March 12 — 10:10 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.; Room 2009, West Hall
Explore what’s new for game development on Windows — from setting up repeatable dev environments to everyday productivity gains with PowerToys. Then dive into Visual Studio 2026 with faster C++ builds, agentic code editing and large-scale refactoring — all designed to help teams iterate faster and ship smarter.
DirectX: Bringing Console‑Level GPU Tools to Windows
Thursday, March 12 — 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; Room 2020/2022, West Hall
Join us for a deep dive into how PIX on Windows is getting closer to console‑parity GPU debugging through new unified crash analysis and other cross‑vendor tooling.
Evolving DirectX for the ML Era on Windows
Thursday, March 12 — 12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.; Room 2024, West Hall
Learn how DirectX is evolving to support neural rendering and AI‑powered graphics, including Linear Algebra in HLSL and early work toward model‑level ML integration in game engines.
Advanced Shader Delivery on Windows
Thursday, March 12 — 3:40 p.m. – 4:40 p.m.; Room 2011, West Hall
Discover a new approach to reducing shader compilation stutter on PC by distributing precompiled shaders through storefronts — improving startup times and in‑game performance.
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