Defold 1.14 adds Xbox support, and a few things that break
The free engine now reaches all three console families at no extra cost. Who gets Xbox access, what changed and what to check before you upgrade.
Defold 1.14.0 came out on 12 October, and the headline is Xbox. The free, source-available engine now supports Microsoft’s console at no extra cost for approved developers, so Defold covers all three console families: Xbox, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Nintendo Switch. There are two catches. You need Microsoft’s approval before you can get the Xbox tools, and the release brings a handful of breaking changes worth checking before you upgrade.
Who actually gets Xbox access
The public download doesn’t include an Xbox build target. Getting one takes two approvals.
First, Microsoft has to approve your organisation as an Xbox developer. For most indies, that means ID@Xbox, Microsoft’s self-publishing programme. According to its onboarding docs, you register as an Xbox partner, sign an NDA and Microsoft’s developer agreements, then submit at least one game concept. Microsoft says a decision on the concept takes up to three weeks, typically 10 to 15 business days. The hard requirements are short: you must be 18 or older (or have a parent or guardian sign up for you), sign the NDA, and be in a country Microsoft does business with. The form also asks for a registered business number, such as a tax ID.
Second, once you’re approved, you sign in to Microsoft’s Xbox middleware page with an account linked to your organisation, find Defold and request access. The Defold Foundation verifies the request, then sends the Xbox extension, details of the tools and build workflow you need, and Xbox-specific support. Some of those tools fall under Microsoft’s NDA, which is why they can’t ship in the public download. Defold’s Xbox manual says the extension covers user management and game saves.
Plan for two more things. Microsoft’s docs mention development kit hardware but don’t say whether kits are bought or loaned, so budget for one until Microsoft tells you otherwise. And expect to be early. In a long-running forum thread, one studio said in January that it had ID@Xbox approval but no way to release its Defold games, and we couldn’t find a Defold game that has shipped on Xbox yet.
Defold doesn’t say which Xbox hardware the extension targets. Its Switch support also covers the original Switch only, with no mention of Switch 2.
What else is new
The release notes are long. These are the changes most developers will notice.
| Change | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Cubemap render targets | Render into all six faces of a cubemap, for reflections, environment capture and point-light shadows. |
| Redesigned Material Editor | Section headers, a table of entries and a proper editing form make complex materials easier to read. |
| Up to 1,048,576 game objects per collection | Large scenes fit in one collection. Generational handles stop code reaching an object that has been deleted, even if its memory is reused. |
| Lower editor CPU use | In Defold’s tests, about 34% less work while resizing the window, and about 25% less CPU in one idle GUI test. |
| Text shaping | Proper support for complex scripts, emoji and right-to-left text. |
| Metal by default on macOS | OpenGL and Vulkan are still selectable in the App Manifest. |
| iPhone Duo fixes | App lifecycle, link and safe-area fixes for Apple’s foldable iPhone, which goes on sale on 23 October. |
Smaller additions include wildcards in .defignore files, Android R8 resource shrinking and configurable tab shortcuts.
Before you upgrade
Commit your project to version control first, then test on every platform you ship to. These are the changes that can break things:
- Native extensions need rebuilding. This is a native ABI change, so rebuild any precompiled dmSDK libraries, and don’t assume handles are pointer-sized. Lua code isn’t affected.
- Shared Lua state is always on. Game object, GUI and render scripts now share one Lua state. Only projects that had switched this off need changes.
- Accelerometer input is off by default. If your game uses it, enable it in
game.project. - 32-bit Windows is gone. Change any build scripts that target
x86-win32tox86_64-win32. - Editor plugins that register resource types need the new reader and loader signatures.
- Custom render code in C++ needs updating, because the old
SetRenderTarget()overload has gone. Lua render scripts using ordinary render targets aren’t affected. - iOS links: if you use custom URL schemes or universal links, update the IAC extension and test links both when the app launches and while it’s already running.
How it compares on cost
If you want a 2D-friendly engine with a route to console, Defold’s offer is unusual: the engine and its console support cost nothing. GameMaker requires its Enterprise subscription for console export, which cost US$799.99 a year after its November 2023 pricing change, the latest figure we could confirm. Godot can’t offer official console support because of its open-source licence, so you use a porting company or middleware such as W4 Consoles, which starts at US$800 per platform per year on its smallest tier. Whichever engine you choose, you still need approval and development hardware from the platform holder.
Should you care?
| You are | Our verdict |
|---|---|
| On Defold, shipping to desktop or mobile only | Upgrade after working through the checklist above. |
| On Defold with console plans | Start your ID@Xbox application now. Microsoft’s approval comes before Defold can send you anything. |
| Using native extensions | Rebuild and retest them on a branch before you upgrade the whole project. |
| Choosing a 2D engine with a console path | On paper, Defold is now the cheapest route to all three consoles. Factor in that we couldn’t find a Defold game that has shipped on Xbox yet. |
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