Develop Amazing Games with .NET

.NET provides a powerful, flexible, and productive ecosystem for game development, from indie projects to AAA titles.

Welcome to .NET Gaming Documentation

This documentation center is your comprehensive guide to building games using the .NET platform. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting, you'll find resources, APIs, and best practices to bring your game ideas to life.

Leverage the speed and versatility of C#, the extensive libraries of .NET, and a vibrant community to create engaging experiences across multiple platforms.

Getting Started

  1. Install .NET SDK: Ensure you have the latest .NET SDK installed. Download it from the official .NET website.
  2. Choose a Game Framework: Select a game development framework that suits your needs. Popular choices include:
    • MonoGame: A cross-platform, open-source game framework based on the XNA Framework.
    • Godot Engine (with C# support): A feature-rich, open-source 2D and 3D game engine.
    • Unity (with C# scripting): A widely-used, professional game development platform.
    • Stride (formerly Xenko): An open-source C# game engine with a strong focus on modern graphics.
  3. Create Your First Project: Follow the quickstart guides for your chosen framework to create a new game project.
  4. Explore Samples: Dive into sample projects to see common game development patterns in action.

Core Concepts in .NET Gaming

Understanding these fundamental concepts is key to building robust and performant games:

Graphics Rendering

.NET game frameworks provide powerful tools for rendering 2D and 3D graphics. Learn about sprite batching, shaders, lighting, and post-processing effects.

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Input Handling

Process player input from keyboards, mice, gamepads, and touchscreens. Implement responsive controls for a seamless player experience.

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Audio Management

Integrate sound effects and music into your game. Explore APIs for playing, managing, and mixing audio streams.

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Physics Engine

Simulate realistic physical interactions between game objects. Utilize built-in physics engines or integrate third-party solutions for collision detection and response.

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Networking

Develop multiplayer games by implementing network communication. Understand concepts like client-server architecture and peer-to-peer networking.

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API Reference

Detailed documentation for the core .NET gaming libraries and APIs. Browse by namespace or search for specific classes and methods.

Key Namespaces

Microsoft.Xna.Framework

The foundational namespace for many .NET game development tasks, including graphics, audio, input, and game loop management.

  • Game: The base class for all games.
  • SpriteBatch: For drawing 2D sprites efficiently.
  • Vector2, Vector3: For representing positions and directions.
  • Color: For managing colors.

System.Numerics

Provides high-performance, hardware-accelerated vector and matrix types for mathematical operations common in 3D graphics and physics.

  • Vector2, Vector3, Vector4
  • Matrix4x4
  • Quaternion

Framework-Specific APIs

Links to detailed API documentation for popular frameworks like MonoGame, Godot (C#), Unity, and Stride.

Tutorials and Guides

Step-by-step guides to help you learn specific game development techniques:

Community and Support

Join the vibrant .NET gaming community. Find help, share your work, and connect with other developers: