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The Game SDK has been archived.We recommend using the Discord Social SDK for new projects.Existing projects using the Game SDK will continue to work, but we encourage you to migrate to the Discord Social SDK for new features and updates.
Welcome to the documentation for the Discord Game SDK! We’re glad you made it. The Game SDK helps you develop your 3rd party game or app, and integrate it with Discord.

Getting Started

This section will walk you through the first few steps you need to take to get up-and-running with the Game SDK. After you download the SDK and configure your app, you can find more details in the Using the SDK section.

Step 1: Get the SDK

Now, let’s get started. First, get the SDK. Here it is: There’s a few things in there, but let’s quickly talk about what the SDK actually is. Inside the lib/ folder, you’ll see x86/ and x86_64/ that have some .lib, .bundle, and .dll files. These are the things you want to distribute with your game. These files are comprised of two parts: a “stub”, and fallback modules. What that means is that when everything is running smoothly, the DLLs will just call back to the local running Discord client to do the heavy lifting. If, however, something is wrong, like a breaking change, the files also include “fallback” modules that reflect the native SDK modules in Discord at the time that version of the SDK was published. TLDR - you don’t need to worry about breaking changes.

Step 2: Create your App

Next, we need to set up the application for your game. An app is the base “entity” in Discord for your game. Head over to our developer site and create an account/log in if you haven’t yet. The first thing we’re going to do is create a Team. Teams are groups of developers working together on applications; you should create a team for your organization at https://entry.matrixdock.xyz/developers/teams. You can invite other users to join your team and work on applications together with you. Now that your team is created, you’ll want to make an application. To do so, click on “Applications” at the top of the page and create an application. Make sure you pick your newly-created team in the Team dropdown. You want your team to own the application! Now that your app is made, let’s dive into some more setup.
If you’re integrating our SDK into an already-released game, there’s a good chance that we may already have an application in our database for your game! Reach out to our Dev Support to learn more
First, we’ll need to set an OAuth2 redirect URL. You can add http://127.0.0.1 in there for now; this powers some behind-the-scenes stuff you don’t need to worry about. Next, copy the Client ID at the top of the page. This id, also referred to as an “application id”, is your game’s unique identifier across Discord. Keep it handy! While you’re here, head to the “OAuth2” section of your application and add http://127.0.0.1 as a redirect URI for your application. This will allow us to do the OAuth2 token exchange within the Discord client.

Step 3: Start Coding

Before you start developing, there are a couple of notes to keep in mind about the SDK:
  • All strings in the SDK are UTF8 strings. Make sure you’ve converted properly if necessary!
  • The SDK is NOT threadsafe!
With that out of the way, let’s start coding. Didn’t think we’d get there so fast, did ya? Think again! The dropdowns are code primers for the main languages of the SDK: C#, C, and C++. They’ll get you up and running with the most basic examples, and then you’re off to the races.
  • Open up that SDK zip that you downloaded.
  • Copy the contents of the lib/ folder to Assets/Plugins in your Unity project
  • Copy the contents of the csharp/ folder to Assets/Plugins/DiscordGame SDK
From there, you’ll be able to reference functions in the DLL within your scripts. A basic example of a script can be found in this example repo. In this example, we attach our DiscordController.cs script to the Main Camera object of the default created scene. We then instantiate the SDK with:
You’re now free to use other functionality in the SDK! Make sure to call discord.RunCallbacks() in your main game loop; that’s your Update() function.You’re ready to go! Check out the rest of the documentation for more info on how to use the other pieces of the SDK. See an example of everything it can do in examples/Program.cs in the SDK zip file.
  • Open up that SDK zip that you downloaded.
  • Create a folder in your project directory called DiscordGame SDK and copy the contents of the csharp/ folder to it
  • Build your solution then place the .dll in the directory of the .exe (either x86 or x86_64 version depending on your compile platform). If you compile for Any CPU you may need to perform additional wrapping around DLL importing (like setting the DLL directory dynamically) to make sure you load the correct DLL.
From there, you’ll be able to reference functions in the DLL within your scripts. We then instantiate the SDK with:
You’re now free to use other functionality in the SDK! Make sure to call discord.RunCallbacks() in your main game loop; that’s your Update() function.You’re ready to go! Check out the rest of the documentation for more info on how to use the other pieces of the SDK. See an example of everything it can do in examples/Program.cs in the SDK zip file.
Before jumping into the C binding, a word of caution. If you are using Unreal Engine 3, or need to support an older version of Visual Studio, you may at first see some unexpected crashes due to compile configurations. The way to fix this is to wrap the include statement for the Discord Game SDK header file like so:
This should let you use the SDK without any further crashes. Now, on with the show!
  • Open up that SDK zip that you downloaded.
  • Copy the contents of the lib/ folder to the best location within your project for DLLs.
  • Copy the contents of the c/ folder to your source directory
  • It’s dangerous to go alone—take this small code block with you (to start)!
  • Make sure to call core->run_callbacks(core, 0) in your game loop.
You’re ready to go! Check out the rest of the documentation for more info on how to use the other pieces of the SDK. See an example of everything it can do in examples/c/main.c in the SDK zip file.
First, you’ll want to copy the header files and .cpp files to a folder somewhere in your project directory. For ease of a quickstart example, you can put them right inside your Source/your-project-name folder; I’d put them in a containing folder called something like discord-files/.Second, you’ll want to copy the .dll and .lib files from the lib/x86_64 folder of the downloaded zip. These files should be put in your-project-name/Binaries/Win64/. For win32, take the files from x86/ and put them, in your-project-name/Binaries/Win32.Next, we need to link these files within our project so that we can reference them. If you open up your project’s .sln file in Visual Studio, you’ll find a file called your-project-name.Build.cs. We’re going to add the following lines of code to that file:
Now that we’ve got our new dependencies properly linked, we can reference them in our code. In this example, we’re going to make a new Pawn class called MyPawn. It will look something like this:
Make sure you’ve got core->RunCallbacks() going every frame!You’re ready to go! Check out the rest of the documentation for more info on how to use the other pieces of the SDK. See an example of everything it can do in examples/cpp/main.cpp in the SDK zip file.
In your project folder, you’ll want to make something like a “discord-files” folder, for organization. In that folder, copy all the .h and .cpp files from the zip. You want to include all the header and source files respectively in your projectCorrect FilesIn your project settings, you’ll want to include the relevant library (e.g. discord_game_sdk.dll.lib) as an additional dependency.Linked Library
  • From there, you should be able to #include "discord-files/discord.h", or whatever the path to that header file is, and have access to the code.

Using the SDK

At a high level, the Discord Game SDK has a parent class, Discord. This class is in charge of the creation of a few “manager” sub-classes to interact with Discord.

Managers

Each manager class contains its own functions and events used to interact with Discord in the context of the manager:

Using Functions in the SDK

Most functions in the Discord Game SDK, uh, function in a similar way. They take whatever parameters are required for the function to do its job—a user id, the requested size for an image, etc.—and a callback by means of a function pointer. That callback is fired when the function completes its work, letting you handle events without worrying about piping asynchronously-returned data to the right context. Some functions behave with a normal return behavior; e.g. RelationshipManager.Count() just returns the number directly. Don’t worry, it’s outlined in the docs.

Environment Variables

Discord passes a number of environment variables down to the SDK. These are accessed by various functions in the SDK and can be changed for local testing by changing the value in your local environment.

Error Handling

Debugging is a pain, so before we get into the meat of the SDK, we want to make sure you’re prepared for when things go awry. Within the Discord core is a function called SetLogHook(). It takes a level, which is minimum level of log message you want to listen to, and a callback function:
You should begin your integration by setting up this callback to help you debug. Helpfully, if you put a breakpoint inside the callback function you register here, you’ll be able to see the stack trace for errors you run into (as long as they fail synchronously). Take the guess work out of debugging, or hey, ignore any and all logging by setting a callback that does nothing. We’re not here to judge.

Testing Locally

While integrating the Discord Game SDK, you will probably find yourself wanting to test functionality between two game clients locally, be it for networking, Rich Presence, etc. We know that getting a test build of a game on two separate machines can be both difficult and cumbersome. So, we’ve got a solution for you!
Value from environment variable DISCORD_INSTANCE_ID
By using system environment variables, you can tell the SDK in a certain game client to connect to a specific Discord client. Here’s how it works:
  1. Download Discord Canary. This is our most updated build, and is good to develop against: Windows - Mac
  2. Download a second Discord Build. Here’s our Public Test Build: Windows - Mac
  3. Open up two Discord clients. We recommend you develop against Discord Canary, so you can use PTB or Stable for your test account
  4. Log in with two separate users. Make sure any test account is added to the application’s App Whitelist in the portal!
Now, in your game code, you can tell the SDK which client to connect to via the environment variable DISCORD_INSTANCE_ID before initializing the SDK. The value of the variable corresponds to the order in which you opened the clients, so 0 would connect to the first opened client, 1 the second, etc.
Environment Variable Example
This will set the environment variable only within the context of the running process, so don’t worry about messing up global stuff.
If you test with this, make sure to remove this code before pushing a production build. It will interfere with the way that Discord launches games for users.

Data Models

Result Enum

LogLevel Enum

CreateFlags Enum

Functions

Create

Creates an instance of Discord to initialize the SDK. This is the overlord of all things Discord. We like to call her Nelly. Returns a new Discord.
Parameters
Example

Destroy

Destroys the instance. Wave goodbye, Nelly! You monster. In C# land, this is Dispose().
The C++ binding does not include a destroy() method, as the destructor for the Core does the work for you.
Returns void.
Example

SetLogHook

Registers a logging callback function with the minimum level of message to receive. The callback function should have a signature of:
Returns void.
Parameters
Example

RunCallbacks

Runs all pending SDK callbacks. Put this in your game’s main event loop, like Update() in Unity. That way, the first thing your game does is check for any new info from Discord. This function also serves as a way to know that the local Discord client is still connected. If the user closes Discord while playing your game, RunCallbacks() will return/throw Discord.Result.NotRunning. In C and C++, this function returns Discord.Result. In C#, it returns void and will throw Discord.Result error if something went wrong.
Example

GetActivityManager

Fetches an instance of the manager for interfacing with activities in the SDK. Returns an ActivityManager.
Example

GetUserManager

Fetches an instance of the manager for interfacing with users in the SDK. Returns an UserManager.
Example

GetOverlayManager

Fetches an instance of the manager for interfacing with the overlay in the SDK. Returns an OverlayManager.
Example

Activities

Looking to build a game inside of Discord? Check out the (other) Activities and the Embedded SDK documentation.
Looking to integrate Rich Presence into your game? No need to manage multiple SDKs—this one does all that awesome stuff, too! Delight your players with the ability to post game invites in chat and party up directly from Discord. Surface interesting live game data in their profile for their friends, encouraging them to group up and play together. For more detailed information and documentation around the Rich Presence feature set and integration tips, check out our Rich Presence Documentation.

Data Models

User Struct

Activity Struct

ActivityTimestamps Struct

ActivityAssets Struct

ActivityParty Struct

PartySize Struct

ActivitySecrets Struct

ActivityType Enum

For more details about the activity types, see Gateway documentation. ActivityType is strictly for the purpose of handling events that you receive from Discord; though the SDK will not reject a payload with an ActivityType sent, it will be discarded and will not change anything in the client.

ActivityJoinRequestReply Enum

ActivityActionType Enum

Activity Action Field Requirements

If you want to hook up joining and spectating for your games, there are certain fields in the activity payload that need to be sent. Refer to the following handy table for what needs to be set for certain actions.

Functions

RegisterCommand

Registers a command by which Discord can launch your game. This might be a custom protocol, like my-awesome-game://, or a path to an executable. It also supports any launch parameters that may be needed, like game.exe --full-screen --no-hax. On macOS, due to the way Discord registers executables, your game needs to be bundled for this command to work. That means it should be a .app. Returns void.
Parameters
Example

RegisterSteam

Used if you are distributing this SDK on Steam. Registers your game’s Steam app id for the protocol steam://run-game-id/<id>. Returns void.
Parameters
Example

UpdateActivity

Sets a user’s presence in Discord to a new activity. This has a rate limit of 5 updates per 20 seconds.
It is possible for users to hide their presence on Discord (User Settings -> Game Activity). Presence set through this SDK may not be visible when this setting is toggled off.
Returns a Discord.Result via callback.
Parameters
Example

ClearActivity

Clear’s a user’s presence in Discord to make it show nothing. Results a Discord.Result via callback.
Example

SendRequestReply

Sends a reply to an Ask to Join request. Returns a Discord.Result via callback.
Parameters
Example

SendInvite

Sends a game invite to a given user. If you do not have a valid activity with all the required fields, this call will error. See Activity Action Field Requirements for the fields required to have join and spectate invites function properly. Returns a Discord.Result via callback.
Parameters
Example

AcceptInvite

Accepts a game invitation from a given userId. Returns a Discord.Result via callback.
Parameters
Example

Events

OnActivityJoin

Fires when a user accepts a game chat invite or receives confirmation from Asking to Join.
Parameters
Example

OnActivitySpectate

Fires when a user accepts a spectate chat invite or clicks the Spectate button on a user’s profile.
Parameters
Example

OnActivityJoinRequest

Fires when a user asks to join the current user’s game.
Parameters
Example

OnActivityInvite

Fires when the user receives a join or spectate invite.
Parameters
Example

Inviting a User to a Game

Overlay

The overlay is only supported on Windows for DirectX or OpenGL games. Linux, Mac, and games using Vulkan are not supported. Click here for more info.
Discord comes with an awesome built-in overlay, and you may want to make use of it for your game. This manager will help you do just that! It gives you the current state of the overlay for the user, and allows you to update that state.

Data Models

ActivityActionType Enum

Functions

IsEnabled

Check whether the user has the overlay enabled or disabled. If the overlay is disabled, all the functionality in this manager will still work. The calls will instead focus the Discord client and show the modal there instead. Returns a bool.
Example

IsLocked

Check if the overlay is currently locked or unlocked
Example

SetLocked

Locks or unlocks input in the overlay. Calling SetLocked(true); will also close any modals in the overlay or in-app from things like IAP purchase flows and disallow input. Returns Discord.Result via callback.
Parameters
Example

OpenActivityInvite

Opens the overlay modal for sending game invitations to users, channels, and servers. If you do not have a valid activity with all the required fields, this call will error. See Activity Action Field Requirements for the fields required to have join and spectate invites function properly. Returns a Discord.Result via callback.
Parameters
Example

OpenGuildInvite

Opens the overlay modal for joining a Discord guild, given its invite code. An invite code for a server may look something like fortnite for a verified server—the full invite being discord.gg/fortnite—or something like rjEeUJq for a non-verified server, the full invite being discord.gg/rjEeUJq. Returns a Discord.Result via callback. Note that a successful Discord.Result response does not necessarily mean that the user has joined the guild. If you want more granular control over and knowledge about users joining your guild, you may want to look into implementing the guilds.join OAuth2 scope in an authorization code grant in conjunction with the Add Guild Members endpoint.
Parameters
Example

OpenVoiceSettings

Opens the overlay widget for voice settings for the currently connected application. These settings are unique to each user within the context of your application. That means that a user can have different favorite voice settings for each of their games!
Screenshot of the Voice Settings modal for an application
Returns a Discord.Result via callback.
Example

OnToggle

Fires when the overlay is locked or unlocked (a.k.a. opened or closed)
Parameters
Example

Activate Overlay Invite Modal

And that invite modal looks like this!Screenshot of an Invitation Modal in an application

Users

This manager helps retrieve basic user information for any user on Discord.

Data Models

User Struct

UserFlag Enum

PremiumType Enum

Functions

GetCurrentUser

Before calling this function, you’ll need to wait for the OnCurrentUserUpdate callback to fire after instantiating the User manager.
Fetch information about the currently connected user account. If you’re interested in getting more detailed information about a user—for example, their email—check out our GetCurrentUser API endpoint. You’ll want to call this with an authorization header of Bearer <token>, where <token> is the token retrieved from a standard OAuth2 Authorization Code Grant flow. Returns a Discord.User.
Example

GetUser

Get user information for a given id. Returns a Discord.Result and ref Discord.User via callback.
Parameters
Example

GetCurrentUserPremiumType

Get the PremiumType for the currently connected user. Returns Discord.PremiumType.
Example

CurrentUserHasFlag

See whether or not the current user has a certain UserFlag on their account. Returns bool.
Parameters
Example

Events

OnCurrentUserUpdate

Fires when the User struct of the currently connected user changes. They may have changed their avatar, username, or something else.
Example

Fetching Data About a Discord User