Skip to main content

MS offering XNA to students for free

Most of Europe invited.

Dark blue icons of video game controllers on a light blue background
Image credit: Eurogamer

Microsoft is offering students free access to all of its XNA development software that lets you create games for Xbox 360.

It's part of a DreamSpark initiative running in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland, Canada and the US.

All you need to do to begin is sign-in using your Windows Live ID and select your college from a list.

If yours is not there, you will need an ISIC card as proof if you're a student in the UK or the majority of Europe.

French and Swiss students will need different proof, though, as will those from the US.

Once confirmed, you will be able to download any or all of the following:

  • Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition
  • Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition
  • XNA Game Studio 2.0
  • 12-month free membership in the XNA Creators Club
  • Expression Studio, which includes Expression Web, Expression Blend, Expression Design and Expression Media
  • SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition
  • Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
  • Sql Server Developer Edition
  • Virtual PC 2007
  • Visual Basic 2005
  • Visual C++ 2005
  • Visual C# 2005
  • Visual J# 2005
  • Visual Web Developer 2005

Head over to Microsoft's Channel 8 to get started, or to hear Bill Gates waffle on about why you students are so important.

Seems to us that you just drink and make a mess and wear skinny trousers and plimsolls.

Read this next