Discord Launches Free Social SDK Tool for Game Developers

Discord has released a new Social SDK, giving game developers a free tool to add Discord's popular social features directly into their games.

Announced at the Game Developers Conference, in San Francisco, this new toolkit helps developers of all sizes enhance how players connect with each other. The SDK works with games built using C++, Unreal Engine, and Unity on Windows 11+ and macOS systems. According to Discord, support for consoles and mobile devices will come in future updates.

The Social SDK offers several key features that make multiplayer gaming more seamless. Players can now see all their friends in one place thanks to a unified friends list that combines Discord contacts with in-game connections. The deeplink game invite system lets players send direct invitations to their Discord friends, making it easier to join parties, lobbies, and gaming sessions.

Another helpful feature is rich presence, which shows what a player is doing in-game on their Discord profile. This increases visibility for games and allows for one-click joining. Players don't need a Discord account to use these features, though linking accounts provides additional benefits.

Discord is also running a closed beta for developers who want access to more advanced features. These include cross-platform messaging that works between in-game chat and Discord, linked channels that connect in-game chat to specific Discord channels, and integration of Discord's voice chat directly into games.

Andrew Johnston from Theorycraft Games praised the new tools, saying: "The Discord SDK makes social features like direct messaging, lobbies, and session invites easy. Provisional accounts help us deliver this value to all of our players."

The company reports impressive results from early adopters, with players who linked their accounts showing a 65% increase in playtime and playing 25% more frequently.

This release builds on Discord's ongoing efforts to support game developers. Previously, the platform introduced Discord Activities and Quests to help developers build communities and engage players. Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord's CTO emphasized this commitment, stating: "We'll continue to invest in helping developers drive discovery and get people in their games, including through Quests, our innovative advertising format."

With over 200 million monthly active users, Discord's Social SDK represents another step in the platform's strategy to become more deeply integrated with gaming experiences.