MonoGame is a derivative of XNA Touch (September 2009) started by Jose Antonio Farias[6] and Silver Sprite by Bill Reiss.

Since mid-2013, the framework has begun to be extended beyond XNA4 with the addition of new features like RenderTarget3D,[7] support for multiple GameWindows,[8] and a new cross-platform command line content building tool.

Utilizing OpenGL 2 allowed for MonoGame to support shaders to make more advanced rendering capabilities in the platform.

Content management and distribution continues to follow the XNA 4 ContentManager model.

The MonoGame team has created a new content building capability that can integrate with Microsoft Visual Studio to deliver the same content building capabilities to Windows 8 Desktop that Windows 7 users had used in Microsoft XNA.