Configure Pricing and availability for a game

Important

This topic describes features that are only available to Managed Creators with appropriate permissions. For details, speak to your Microsoft contacts.

Important

The product configuration described below can be accessible via “web scraping” (or data scraping) technology before the first scheduled date. If this isn't your intent, please utilize the Private Audience or Disable Store Presence options to protect your product’s listing up until the first scheduled date.

With Private Audience, your Product Details Page (PDP) is only visible to a user group of your choosing, and it offers the ability to schedule when the product’s availability transitions from private to public. See Visibility - Audiences for more information.

With Disable Store Presence, the product won't have a PDP, be testable, or be redeemable via token until your first scheduled date. See the Disable store presence section for more information.

This article describes how to complete the Pricing and availability module in Partner Center.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • Enrollment in a Managed Creator program. If you're not enrolled, see Onboarding as a new Creator.
  • An active Partner Center account. If you don't have one, contact your Xbox team.
  • An approved game concept. If you don't have concept approval, see Game Concepts.

Access the Pricing and availability module

  1. Sign in to Partner Center.
  2. On the Home page, select Apps and games.
  3. On the Apps and games | Overview page, select your title, or search for it.
  4. On the Game overview page, select Pricing and availability.

The instructions in this article assume you use the Main branch. For more information, see Branches.

Considerations for Xbox Play Anywhere games

If you configure Pricing and availability for an Xbox Play Anywhere game, the same settings apply to Xbox consoles and Xbox on PC. For example, the Release date and Price are shared across both device families. You can't configure these settings separately.

Markets

  1. In Markets, select from the following options:
    • All worldwide markets (selected by default).
    • Restrict to specific markets.
    • Select Show options to modify specific markets.
  2. Select or clear Make my product available in any future market at the base price and general availability date checkbox as needed.
  3. Select Save draft.

Visibility

The Visibility section controls how and when players can discover and acquire your game. It includes Audience, Discoverability, and Advanced discoverability.

Audience

  1. In Visibility, Enable private audience is deselected by default. If needed, select Enable private audience to restrict access to the product details page (PDP). Only users you specify can view the PDP.
  2. Select Save draft.
  3. Select Create a new group. Partner center opens the Create a new group page.
  4. Enter a Group name, select Known user group, and add the email address for each group member.
  5. Select Save.
  6. Return to the Pricing and availability page and select the new group in the Private audience configuration.
  7. Select Save draft.

For more information about private audience, see Visibility - Audiences.

Important

To make your game publicly visible, select End Private Audience Restrictions on and set a date and time. After this point, the PDP becomes public and can't be restricted again.

Discoverability

  1. In Discoverability, select Make this product available and discoverable in the Microsoft Store.
  2. Select Save draft.

After the game is published, players can discover it based on the configured Schedule.

Advanced discoverability

If your game doesn't use the Private audience setting, you can select Disable store presence (no promotional codes, no deeplink), prior to the first scheduled date to hide the PDP until the first configured date in the Schedule. Nobody can access the PDP before this point.

Schedule and Display release date

The Schedule controls when your game is released and discoverable in the Microsoft Store.

Note

You can't configure Schedule dates if Make this product available but not discoverable in the Microsoft Store is selected in the Discoverability section.

Configure Schedule

  1. In Schedule, select Show options.
  2. Configure the following options:
    • Release: Select at and then set your game's release date and time.
      • UTC: The game is available in all markets at the same Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
      • Local: The game is available at the local time you configure for each market. Markets that have multiple time zones use a single time zone for product availability. For more information, see Global Time Zones.
    • Discoverable in the Microsoft Store: Select at Release.
      • The product is discoverable via search when the game is released.
    • Stop acquisition: Select never.
    • No longer discoverable in the Microsoft Store: Select never.
  3. Select Save draft.

To customize dates by market, select Customize for specific markets. Configure the schedule for each market as needed.

Display release date

To show a different release date on the PDP, select Show options, enable Display release date, and specify the date (UTC).

Pricing

Use the Pricing section to define your game's price.

Configure price

The Base price sets the suggested price across all markets. Partner Center automatically converts this price to local currencies. You can override pricing for specific markets if needed.

The price selected is the Suggested price. After selecting a price, review the corresponding wholesale price for the product. Microsoft reserves the right to change the retail price without notice.

  1. In Pricing, select Show options.
  2. Select the primary platform (Xbox or Desktop).
  3. Set the Base price and currency.

To override the base price for specific markets, select Create new market group, select the required markets, and configure the price. Create more market groups as needed.

Currency conversion rates

If you don't configure market-specific pricing, Partner Center converts the base price using currency exchange rates.

  • Conversion rates may change over time based on market conditions.
  • Existing wholesale and suggested retail prices don't update automatically. You must configure any required adjustments.
  • New price selections use the latest conversion rates.

Before publishing, select Review price per market to validate pricing for all markets.

Free trial

You can offer a free trial to attract players and allow them to try your game.

Different trial types are available:

  • Time-limited
  • Usage-limited
  • Unlimited

For more information, see Trials overview.

  1. In Free trial, select Show options.
  2. Select a trial type.
  3. Configure trial settings, including Starts on and Ends on dates.
  4. If needed, select Customize for specific markets.
  5. Select Save draft.

Sale pricing and Free to use

Only Microsoft can configure Sale pricing and Free to use scenarios for game products. For more information, see Availability - markets, pricing, release schedule.

Next steps

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