How to compile the finished C# project and then run outside Visual Studio?

The easiest way is:

Find the drop-down box at the top of Visual Studio's window that says Debug
Select Release
Hit F6 to build it
Switch back to Debug and then close Visual Studio
Open Windows Explorer and navigate to your project's folder (My Documents\Visual Studio 200x\Projects\my_project\)
Now go to bin\Release\ and copy the executable from there to wherever you want to store it
Make shortcuts as appropriate and enjoy your new game! :)

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