The XNA Framework can be used to create games that run on the Windows 8 desktop

With the release of Windows 8 and the new development platform for Windows Store applications, there has been some confusion about the level of support for games on Windows 8 that use the XNA Framework and that are built with XNA Game Studio.  I wanted to post something here to help clarify what is and isn’t supported:

  • You cannot use the XNA Framework in Windows Store applications for Windows 8.
  • You can use the XNA Framework in games that run on the Windows 8 desktop.

The process for creating and deploying XNA Framework-based games for the Windows 8 desktop is no different than the process for creating and deploying games for earlier versions of Windows.  In fact, the deployment process is simpler because Windows 8 includes the .NET Framework 4.5 as an OS component, so you do not need to worry about installing the .NET Framework before you install the XNA Framework 4.0 Redistributable on Windows 8.  If you are creating XNA Framework-based games for the Windows 8 desktop, you can use the information in this forum post to create an installer for your game.