diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index ed0309e6d..37e6f050e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -108,7 +108,13 @@ jobs:
         uses: ./.github/actions/wait-for-artifact
         with:
           name: Windows-sdk
-          path: package-dev/Plugins/Windows
+          path: package-dev/Plugins/Windows/Sentry~
+
+      - name: Download WindowsNative SDK
+        uses: ./.github/actions/wait-for-artifact
+        with:
+          name: WindowsNative-sdk
+          path: package-dev/Plugins/Windows/SentryNative~
 
       - name: Build Sentry.Unity Solution
         run: docker exec unity dotnet build -c Release -v:d
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 1cfee42fd..444426e26 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ jobs:
             host: ubuntu-latest
           - target: Windows
             host: windows-latest
+          - target: WindowsNative
+            host: windows-latest
           - target: Cocoa
             host: macos-latest
           - target: MacOSNative
@@ -409,7 +411,7 @@ jobs:
       platform: linux
 
   test-run-windows:
-    name: Run Windows ${{ matrix.unity-version }} Integration Test
+    name: Run Windows ${{ matrix.backend }} ${{ matrix.unity-version }} Integration Test
     if: ${{ !startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/heads/release/') }}
     needs: [test-build-windows, create-unity-matrix]
     secrets: inherit
@@ -417,10 +419,12 @@ jobs:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
         unity-version: ${{ fromJSON(needs.create-unity-matrix.outputs.unity-matrix).unity-version }}
+        backend: ["crashpad", "native"]
     uses: ./.github/workflows/test-run-desktop.yml
     with:
       unity-version: ${{ matrix.unity-version }}
       platform: windows
+      backend: ${{ matrix.backend }}
 
   test-run-macos:
     name: Run macOS ${{ matrix.backend }} ${{ matrix.unity-version }} Integration Test
diff --git a/.github/workflows/sdk.yml b/.github/workflows/sdk.yml
index e3819943b..8b63bd7a9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/sdk.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/sdk.yml
@@ -120,7 +120,23 @@ jobs:
           retention-days: 14
 
       - uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
-        if: ${{ env.TARGET != 'Cocoa' && env.TARGET != 'MacOSNative' }}
+        if: ${{ env.TARGET == 'Windows' }}
+        with:
+          name: ${{ env.TARGET }}-sdk
+          path: package-dev/Plugins/Windows/Sentry~
+          # Lower retention period - we only need this to retry CI.
+          retention-days: 14
+
+      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
+        if: ${{ env.TARGET == 'WindowsNative' }}
+        with:
+          name: ${{ env.TARGET }}-sdk
+          path: package-dev/Plugins/Windows/SentryNative~
+          # Lower retention period - we only need this to retry CI.
+          retention-days: 14
+
+      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
+        if: ${{ env.TARGET != 'Cocoa' && env.TARGET != 'MacOSNative' && env.TARGET != 'Windows' && env.TARGET != 'WindowsNative' }}
         with:
           name: ${{ env.TARGET }}-sdk
           path: package-dev/Plugins/${{ env.TARGET }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-build-windows.yml b/.github/workflows/test-build-windows.yml
index 8a66701f7..087388ce8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-build-windows.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-build-windows.yml
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ jobs:
         env:
           SENTRY_DSN: ${{ secrets.SENTRY_TEST_DSN }}
 
-      - name: Build with Sentry SDK
+      - name: Build with Sentry SDK (Crashpad backend)
         run: ./test/Scripts.Integration.Test/build-project.ps1 -UnityPath "$env:UNITY_PATH" -Platform Windows -UnityVersion "$env:UNITY_VERSION"
 
       - name: Compare build sizes
@@ -101,15 +101,39 @@ jobs:
           retention-days: 1
 
       # We create tar explicitly because upload-artifact is slow for many files.
-      - name: Create archive
+      - name: Create archive (Crashpad backend)
         run: |
           Remove-Item -Recurse -Force samples/IntegrationTest/Build/*_BackUpThisFolder_ButDontShipItWithYourGame -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
           tar -cvzf test-app-desktop.tar.gz samples/IntegrationTest/Build
 
-      - name: Upload test app
+      - name: Upload test app (Crashpad backend)
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
         with:
-          name: testapp-desktop-compiled-${{ env.UNITY_VERSION }}-windows
+          name: testapp-desktop-compiled-${{ env.UNITY_VERSION }}-windows-crashpad
+          if-no-files-found: error
+          path: test-app-desktop.tar.gz
+          retention-days: 14
+
+      - name: Overwrite IntegrationOptionsConfiguration for Native backend
+        run: |
+          $optionsPath = "samples/IntegrationTest/Assets/Scripts/IntegrationOptionsConfiguration.cs"
+          $content = Get-Content $optionsPath -Raw
+          $content = $content -replace 'WindowsBackend = WindowsBackend.Crashpad', 'WindowsBackend = WindowsBackend.Native'
+          Set-Content $optionsPath $content
+
+      - name: Build with Sentry SDK (Native backend)
+        run: ./test/Scripts.Integration.Test/build-project.ps1 -UnityPath "$env:UNITY_PATH" -Platform Windows -UnityVersion "$env:UNITY_VERSION"
+
+      - name: Create archive (Native backend)
+        run: |
+          Remove-Item -Recurse -Force samples/IntegrationTest/Build/*_BackUpThisFolder_ButDontShipItWithYourGame -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+          Remove-Item -Force test-app-desktop.tar.gz -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+          tar -cvzf test-app-desktop.tar.gz samples/IntegrationTest/Build
+
+      - name: Upload test app (Native backend)
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          name: testapp-desktop-compiled-${{ env.UNITY_VERSION }}-windows-native
           if-no-files-found: error
           path: test-app-desktop.tar.gz
           retention-days: 14
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-run-desktop.yml b/.github/workflows/test-run-desktop.yml
index 3f3a7be91..816324042 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-run-desktop.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-run-desktop.yml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ on:
         required: false
         type: string
         default: ""
-        description: "macOS only: native or cocoa"
+        description: "macOS: native or cocoa. Windows: native or crashpad."
 
 defaults:
   run:
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 618d2ab2b..4eaaead10 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -46,6 +46,10 @@ modules/sentry-native-ndk
 # Android SDK files
 package-dev/Plugins/Android/Sentry~/*
 
+# Windows SDK files
+package-dev/Plugins/Windows/Sentry~/*
+package-dev/Plugins/Windows/SentryNative~/*
+
 # CLI
 package-dev/Editor/sentry-cli
 
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 5a6f2c2f0..37759aef6 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 ### Features
 
-- Introduce `sentry-native` on macOS as experimental backend. This is an opt-in and accessible programmatically via the `options.Experimental`. The `sentry-native` backend allows for crashes to be sent immediately and will enable further updates, like `AppHangTracking` support ([#2687](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-unity/pull/2687))
+- Introduce `sentry-native` as an experimental backend on macOS and Windows. Opt in via `options.Experimental.MacosBackend = MacosBackend.Native` or `options.Experimental.WindowsBackend = WindowsBackend.Native`. The `sentry-native` backend uploads crashes immediately and enables further updates such as `AppHangTracking` support ([#2687](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-unity/pull/2687), [#2692](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-unity/pull/2692))
 
 ### Fixes
 
diff --git a/build/native-sdks.targets b/build/native-sdks.targets
index 01d91a264..dcdf9ba69 100644
--- a/build/native-sdks.targets
+++ b/build/native-sdks.targets
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@
     <!-- Native (Windows / Linux) -->
     <SentryNativeRoot>$(RepoRoot)modules/sentry-native/</SentryNativeRoot>
     <SentryLinuxArtifactsDestination>$(SentryArtifactsDestination)Linux/Sentry/</SentryLinuxArtifactsDestination>
-    <SentryWindowsArtifactsDestination>$(SentryArtifactsDestination)Windows/Sentry/</SentryWindowsArtifactsDestination>
+    <SentryWindowsArtifactsDestination>$(SentryArtifactsDestination)Windows/Sentry~/</SentryWindowsArtifactsDestination>
+    <SentryWindowsNativeArtifactsDestination>$(SentryArtifactsDestination)Windows/SentryNative~/</SentryWindowsNativeArtifactsDestination>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <!--
@@ -104,6 +105,7 @@
     <RemoveDir Directories="$(SentryNativeRoot)build" ContinueOnError="true" />
     <Delete Files="$(SentryWindowsArtifactsDestination)crashpad_handler.exe" ContinueOnError="true" />
     <Delete Files="$(SentryWindowsArtifactsDestination)crashpad_wer.dll" ContinueOnError="true" />
+    <Delete Files="$(SentryWindowsArtifactsDestination)crashpad_wer.pdb" ContinueOnError="true" />
     <Delete Files="$(SentryWindowsArtifactsDestination)sentry.dll" ContinueOnError="true" />
     <Delete Files="$(SentryWindowsArtifactsDestination)sentry.pdb" ContinueOnError="true" />
 
@@ -111,14 +113,17 @@
     <Exec WorkingDirectory="$(SentryNativeRoot)" Command="cmake --build build --target sentry --config RelWithDebInfo --parallel" />
     <Exec WorkingDirectory="$(SentryNativeRoot)" Command="cmake --build build --target crashpad_handler --config Release --parallel" />
 
+    <MakeDir Directories="$(SentryWindowsArtifactsDestination)" />
+
     <ItemGroup>
       <NativeSdkArtifacts Include="$(SentryNativeRoot)build/crashpad_build/handler/Release/crashpad_handler.exe" />
       <NativeSdkArtifacts Include="$(SentryNativeRoot)build/crashpad_build/handler/RelWithDebInfo/crashpad_wer.dll" />
+      <NativeSdkArtifacts Include="$(SentryNativeRoot)build/crashpad_build/handler/RelWithDebInfo/crashpad_wer.pdb" />
       <NativeSdkArtifacts Include="$(SentryNativeRoot)build/RelWithDebInfo/sentry.dll" />
       <NativeSdkArtifacts Include="$(SentryNativeRoot)build/RelWithDebInfo/sentry.pdb" />
     </ItemGroup>
 
-    <Copy SourceFiles="@(NativeSdkArtifacts)" DestinationFiles="@(NativeSdkArtifacts->'$(SentryWindowsArtifactsDestination)%(Filename)%(Extension)')" />
+    <Copy SourceFiles="@(NativeSdkArtifacts)" DestinationFolder="$(SentryWindowsArtifactsDestination)" />
 
     <Error Condition="!Exists('$(SentryWindowsArtifactsDestination)sentry.dll')" Text="Failed to set up the Windows SDK." />
   </Target>
@@ -132,6 +137,57 @@
     <CallTarget Targets="BuildWindowsSDK" />
   </Target>
 
+  <!--
+    Build the Sentry Native SDK for Windows (sentry-native's new native backend):
+        dotnet msbuild /t:BuildWindowsNativeSDK src/Sentry.Unity
+    Always wipes prior outputs and rebuilds. Produces sentry.dll, sentry-crash.exe,
+    and sentry-wer.dll plus their .pdb sidecars.
+  -->
+  <Target Name="BuildWindowsNativeSDK" Condition="'$(MSBuildProjectName)' == 'Sentry.Unity'">
+    <Error Condition="!$([MSBuild]::IsOSPlatform('Windows'))" Text="BuildWindowsNativeSDK can only run on Windows." />
+    <Error Condition="!Exists('$(SentryNativeRoot)')" Text="sentry-native submodule not checked out at $(SentryNativeRoot). Run: git submodule update --init modules/sentry-native" />
+
+    <Message Importance="High" Text="Building Sentry Native SDK for Windows (native backend, clean rebuild)." />
+
+    <!-- Wipe prior outputs -->
+    <RemoveDir Directories="$(SentryNativeRoot)build_native" ContinueOnError="true" />
+    <Delete Files="$(SentryWindowsNativeArtifactsDestination)sentry.dll" ContinueOnError="true" />
+    <Delete Files="$(SentryWindowsNativeArtifactsDestination)sentry.pdb" ContinueOnError="true" />
+    <Delete Files="$(SentryWindowsNativeArtifactsDestination)sentry-crash.exe" ContinueOnError="true" />
+    <Delete Files="$(SentryWindowsNativeArtifactsDestination)sentry-crash.pdb" ContinueOnError="true" />
+    <Delete Files="$(SentryWindowsNativeArtifactsDestination)sentry-wer.dll" ContinueOnError="true" />
+    <Delete Files="$(SentryWindowsNativeArtifactsDestination)sentry-wer.pdb" ContinueOnError="true" />
+
+    <Exec WorkingDirectory="$(SentryNativeRoot)" Command="cmake -B build_native -D SENTRY_BACKEND=native -D SENTRY_SDK_NAME=sentry.native.unity -D SENTRY_BUILD_RUNTIMESTATIC=ON -S ." />
+    <Exec WorkingDirectory="$(SentryNativeRoot)" Command="cmake --build build_native --target sentry --config RelWithDebInfo --parallel" />
+    <Exec WorkingDirectory="$(SentryNativeRoot)" Command="cmake --build build_native --target sentry-crash --config RelWithDebInfo --parallel" />
+    <Exec WorkingDirectory="$(SentryNativeRoot)" Command="cmake --build build_native --target sentry-wer --config RelWithDebInfo --parallel" />
+
+    <MakeDir Directories="$(SentryWindowsNativeArtifactsDestination)" />
+
+    <ItemGroup>
+      <WindowsNativeSdkArtifacts Include="$(SentryNativeRoot)build_native/RelWithDebInfo/sentry.dll" />
+      <WindowsNativeSdkArtifacts Include="$(SentryNativeRoot)build_native/RelWithDebInfo/sentry.pdb" />
+      <WindowsNativeSdkArtifacts Include="$(SentryNativeRoot)build_native/RelWithDebInfo/sentry-crash.exe" />
+      <WindowsNativeSdkArtifacts Include="$(SentryNativeRoot)build_native/RelWithDebInfo/sentry-crash.pdb" />
+      <WindowsNativeSdkArtifacts Include="$(SentryNativeRoot)build_native/RelWithDebInfo/sentry-wer.dll" />
+      <WindowsNativeSdkArtifacts Include="$(SentryNativeRoot)build_native/RelWithDebInfo/sentry-wer.pdb" />
+    </ItemGroup>
+
+    <Copy SourceFiles="@(WindowsNativeSdkArtifacts)" DestinationFolder="$(SentryWindowsNativeArtifactsDestination)" />
+
+    <Error Condition="!Exists('$(SentryWindowsNativeArtifactsDestination)sentry.dll')" Text="Failed to set up the Windows Native SDK." />
+  </Target>
+
+  <!-- Hooks into 'dotnet build' so a missing Windows Native plugin auto-triggers BuildWindowsNativeSDK. -->
+  <Target Name="EnsureWindowsNativeSDK"
+          BeforeTargets="BeforeBuild"
+          Condition="'$(MSBuildProjectName)' == 'Sentry.Unity'
+            And $([MSBuild]::IsOSPlatform('Windows'))
+            And !Exists('$(SentryWindowsNativeArtifactsDestination)sentry.dll')">
+    <CallTarget Targets="BuildWindowsNativeSDK" />
+  </Target>
+
   <!--
     Build the Sentry Native SDK for macOS:
         dotnet msbuild /t:BuildMacOSNativeSDK src/Sentry.Unity
diff --git a/package-dev/Plugins/Windows/Sentry/sentry.dll.meta b/package-dev/Plugins/Windows/Sentry/sentry.dll.meta
deleted file mode 100644
index 0b505665a..000000000
--- a/package-dev/Plugins/Windows/Sentry/sentry.dll.meta
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,90 +0,0 @@
-fileFormatVersion: 2
-guid: 05525a690cf29d74096c7a21514a3533
-PluginImporter:
-  externalObjects: {}
-  serializedVersion: 2
-  iconMap: {}
-  executionOrder: {}
-  defineConstraints: []
-  isPreloaded: 0
-  isOverridable: 1
-  isExplicitlyReferenced: 0
-  validateReferences: 1
-  platformData:
-  - first:
-      : Any
-    second:
-      enabled: 0
-      settings:
-        Exclude Android: 1
-        Exclude Editor: 1
-        Exclude Linux64: 1
-        Exclude OSXUniversal: 1
-        Exclude WebGL: 1
-        Exclude Win: 0
-        Exclude Win64: 0
-        Exclude iOS: 1
-        Exclude tvOS: 1
-  - first:
-      Android: Android
-    second:
-      enabled: 0
-      settings:
-        CPU: ARMv7
-  - first:
-      Any: 
-    second:
-      enabled: 0
-      settings: {}
-  - first:
-      Editor: Editor
-    second:
-      enabled: 0
-      settings:
-        CPU: AnyCPU
-        DefaultValueInitialized: true
-        OS: AnyOS
-  - first:
-      Standalone: Linux64
-    second:
-      enabled: 0
-      settings:
-        CPU: None
-  - first:
-      Standalone: OSXUniversal
-    second:
-      enabled: 0
-      settings:
-        CPU: None
-  - first:
-      Standalone: Win
-    second:
-      enabled: 1
-      settings:
-        CPU: x86
-  - first:
-      Standalone: Win64
-    second:
-      enabled: 1
-      settings:
-        CPU: x86_64
-  - first:
-      iPhone: iOS
-    second:
-      enabled: 0
-      settings:
-        AddToEmbeddedBinaries: false
-        CPU: AnyCPU
-        CompileFlags: 
-        FrameworkDependencies: 
-  - first:
-      tvOS: tvOS
-    second:
-      enabled: 0
-      settings:
-        CPU: AnyCPU
-        CompileFlags: 
-        FrameworkDependencies: 
-  userData: 
-  assetBundleName: 
-  assetBundleVariant: 
diff --git a/scripts/download-native-sdks.ps1 b/scripts/download-native-sdks.ps1
index 487d2d93d..6aaeb72ad 100644
--- a/scripts/download-native-sdks.ps1
+++ b/scripts/download-native-sdks.ps1
@@ -15,8 +15,13 @@ $ArtifactsDestination = Join-Path $RepoRoot "package-dev/Plugins"
 $SDKs = @(
     @{
         Name = "Windows"
-        Destination = Join-Path $ArtifactsDestination "Windows"
-        CheckFile = "Sentry/sentry.dll"
+        Destination = Join-Path $ArtifactsDestination "Windows/Sentry~"
+        CheckFile = "sentry.dll"
+    },
+    @{
+        Name = "WindowsNative"
+        Destination = Join-Path $ArtifactsDestination "Windows/SentryNative~"
+        CheckFile = "sentry.dll"
     },
     @{
         Name = "Linux"
@@ -85,7 +90,19 @@ function Get-LatestSuccessfulRunId {
     return $result
 }
 
-function Download-SDK {
+function Get-LatestBranchRunId {
+    param([Parameter(Mandatory)][string]$Branch)
+
+    # Any conclusion — the SDK build job uploads its artifact before downstream
+    # jobs run, so a run that overall failed often still has the SDK artifact.
+    $result = gh run list --branch $Branch --workflow CI --limit 1 --json databaseId --jq '.[0].databaseId'
+    if (-not $result -or $result -eq 'null') {
+        return $null
+    }
+    return $result
+}
+
+function Try-DownloadSDK {
     param(
         [Parameter(Mandatory)]
         [string]$Name,
@@ -95,31 +112,35 @@ function Download-SDK {
         [string]$RunId
     )
 
-    Write-Host "Downloading $Name SDK..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
-
     $artifactName = "$Name-sdk"
 
-    # Download to a temp directory, then move contents into destination
     $tempDir = Join-Path ([System.IO.Path]::GetTempPath()) "sentry-$Name-sdk-download"
     if (Test-Path $tempDir) {
         Remove-Item -Path $tempDir -Recurse -Force
     }
 
-    gh run download $RunId -n $artifactName -D $tempDir
-
-    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
-        Write-Error "Failed to download $Name SDK"
-        exit 1
+    # `gh run download` exits non-zero when the artifact doesn't exist in the
+    # run; we want to handle that as "not available here" rather than abort.
+    $previousEAP = $PSNativeCommandUseErrorActionPreference
+    $PSNativeCommandUseErrorActionPreference = $false
+    try {
+        gh run download $RunId -n $artifactName -D $tempDir 2>$null
+        $downloadExit = $LASTEXITCODE
+    }
+    finally {
+        $PSNativeCommandUseErrorActionPreference = $previousEAP
+    }
+    if ($downloadExit -ne 0) {
+        return $false
     }
 
-    # Move downloaded contents into the destination
     if (-not (Test-Path $Destination)) {
         New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $Destination -Force | Out-Null
     }
     Copy-Item -Path (Join-Path $tempDir "*") -Destination $Destination -Recurse -Force
     Remove-Item -Path $tempDir -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
 
-    Write-Host "  Downloaded $Name SDK successfully" -ForegroundColor Green
+    return $true
 }
 
 # Main logic
@@ -145,11 +166,35 @@ if ($sdksToDownload.Count -eq 0) {
     exit 0
 }
 
-# Fetch run ID only if we need to download something
-$runId = Get-LatestSuccessfulRunId
+# Primary source is main's latest successful run. For artifacts not yet on
+# main (e.g. new native backends under development), fall back to the latest
+# CI run on the current branch.
+$mainRunId = Get-LatestSuccessfulRunId
+
+$branchRunId = $null
+$currentBranch = (git -C $RepoRoot rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD).Trim()
+if ($currentBranch -and $currentBranch -ne 'main' -and $currentBranch -ne 'HEAD') {
+    $branchRunId = Get-LatestBranchRunId -Branch $currentBranch
+}
 
+$failed = @()
 foreach ($sdk in $sdksToDownload) {
-    Download-SDK -Name $sdk.Name -Destination $sdk.Destination -RunId $runId
+    Write-Host "Downloading $($sdk.Name) SDK..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
+    if (Try-DownloadSDK -Name $sdk.Name -Destination $sdk.Destination -RunId $mainRunId) {
+        Write-Host "  Downloaded from main run $mainRunId" -ForegroundColor Green
+        continue
+    }
+    if ($branchRunId -and (Try-DownloadSDK -Name $sdk.Name -Destination $sdk.Destination -RunId $branchRunId)) {
+        Write-Host "  Not on main; downloaded from branch '$currentBranch' run $branchRunId" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+        continue
+    }
+    $failed += $sdk.Name
+}
+
+if ($failed.Count -gt 0) {
+    $names = $failed -join ', '
+    Write-Error "Could not download these SDK artifacts: $names. Push the branch so CI publishes the artifact, or build locally with Build<Name>SDK."
+    exit 1
 }
 
 Write-Host ""
diff --git a/src/Sentry.Unity.Editor/ConfigurationWindow/AdvancedTab.cs b/src/Sentry.Unity.Editor/ConfigurationWindow/AdvancedTab.cs
index 054767358..943e10404 100644
--- a/src/Sentry.Unity.Editor/ConfigurationWindow/AdvancedTab.cs
+++ b/src/Sentry.Unity.Editor/ConfigurationWindow/AdvancedTab.cs
@@ -248,6 +248,17 @@ internal static void Display(ScriptableSentryUnityOptions options, SentryCliOpti
                         "Uploads crashes immediately and supports both IL2CPP and Mono."),
                     options.Experimental.MacosBackend);
             }
+
+            using (new EditorGUI.DisabledScope(!options.WindowsNativeSupportEnabled))
+            {
+                options.Experimental.WindowsBackend = (WindowsBackend)EditorGUILayout.EnumPopup(
+                    new GUIContent(
+                        "Windows Backend",
+                        "Crashpad: ships crashpad_handler.exe as the out-of-process handler.\n" +
+                        "Native: uses sentry-native's new out-of-process sentry-crash.exe daemon. " +
+                        "Uploads crashes immediately."),
+                    options.Experimental.WindowsBackend);
+            }
         }
         EditorGUI.indentLevel--;
         EditorGUILayout.EndFoldoutHeaderGroup();
diff --git a/src/Sentry.Unity.Editor/Native/BuildPostProcess.cs b/src/Sentry.Unity.Editor/Native/BuildPostProcess.cs
index 4a5700eb0..7e6349419 100644
--- a/src/Sentry.Unity.Editor/Native/BuildPostProcess.cs
+++ b/src/Sentry.Unity.Editor/Native/BuildPostProcess.cs
@@ -93,6 +93,11 @@ and not BuildTargetGroup.PS5
                 // Since the backend can change between iterative builds we need to clean up after ourselves
                 CleanupStaleMacOSArtifacts(logger, executablePath);
             }
+            else if (target is BuildTarget.StandaloneWindows or BuildTarget.StandaloneWindows64)
+            {
+                // Since the backend can change between iterative builds we need to clean up after ourselves
+                CleanupStaleWindowsArtifacts(logger, buildOutputDir);
+            }
 
             foreach (var artifact in GetNativePluginArtifact(target, options, executablePath, buildOutputDir))
             {
@@ -140,13 +145,29 @@ private static IEnumerable<NativePluginArtifact> GetNativePluginArtifact(
         {
             case BuildTarget.StandaloneWindows:
             case BuildTarget.StandaloneWindows64:
-                // Crashpad must sit next to the player .exe so sentry-native can spawn it on crash
-                yield return new NativePluginArtifact(
-                    Path.Combine(pluginsPath, "Windows", "Sentry", "crashpad_handler.exe"),
-                    Path.Combine(buildOutputDir, "crashpad_handler.exe"));
-                yield return new NativePluginArtifact(
-                    Path.Combine(pluginsPath, "Windows", "Sentry", "crashpad_wer.dll"),
-                    Path.Combine(buildOutputDir, "crashpad_wer.dll"));
+                var windowsBackendSourcePath = options.Experimental.WindowsBackend == WindowsBackend.Native
+                    ? Path.Combine(pluginsPath, "Windows", "SentryNative~")
+                    : Path.Combine(pluginsPath, "Windows", "Sentry~");
+                if (!Directory.Exists(windowsBackendSourcePath))
+                {
+                    var buildTarget = options.Experimental.WindowsBackend == WindowsBackend.Native ? "BuildWindowsNativeSDK" : "BuildWindowsSDK";
+                    throw new BuildFailedException(
+                        $"Sentry Windows plugin directory not found: {windowsBackendSourcePath}\n" +
+                        $"Run 'dotnet msbuild /t:{buildTarget} src/Sentry.Unity' (or 'dotnet msbuild /t:DownloadNativeSDKs src/Sentry.Unity') to populate it.");
+                }
+                // Flat copy of every non-PDB file next to the player .exe — sentry.dll and the
+                // crash handler (crashpad_handler.exe / sentry-crash.exe) all sit at the build root.
+                // PDBs stay in the package and are consumed at symbol-upload time only.
+                foreach (var file in Directory.GetFiles(windowsBackendSourcePath))
+                {
+                    if (file.EndsWith(".pdb", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+                    {
+                        continue;
+                    }
+                    yield return new NativePluginArtifact(
+                        file,
+                        Path.Combine(buildOutputDir, Path.GetFileName(file)));
+                }
                 break;
 
             case BuildTarget.StandaloneOSX:
@@ -209,6 +230,28 @@ private static void CleanupStaleMacOSArtifacts(IDiagnosticLogger logger, string
         }
     }
 
+    // Switching Windows backends between iterative builds leaves the other
+    // backend's crash handler next to the player .exe (e.g. crashpad_handler.exe
+    // lingers after switching to sentry-native). Wipe known handlers from both
+    // backends before copying the current backend's files in.
+    private static void CleanupStaleWindowsArtifacts(IDiagnosticLogger logger, string buildOutputDir)
+    {
+        foreach (var stale in new[]
+        {
+            Path.Combine(buildOutputDir, "crashpad_handler.exe"),
+            Path.Combine(buildOutputDir, "crashpad_wer.dll"),
+            Path.Combine(buildOutputDir, "sentry-crash.exe"),
+            Path.Combine(buildOutputDir, "sentry-wer.dll"),
+        })
+        {
+            if (File.Exists(stale))
+            {
+                logger.LogDebug("Removing stale Sentry artifact from prior build: '{0}'", stale);
+                File.Delete(stale);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     internal static void AddPath(List<string> paths, string path, IDiagnosticLogger logger, bool required = false)
     {
         if (Directory.Exists(path) || File.Exists(path))
@@ -263,8 +306,21 @@ private static void UploadDebugSymbols(IDiagnosticLogger logger, BuildTarget tar
                 AddPath(paths, Path.Combine(buildOutputDir, executableName), logger, required: true);
                 AddPath(paths, Path.Combine(buildOutputDir, "UnityPlayer.dll"), logger, required: true);
 
-                // Sentry native SDK symbols from package
-                AddPath(paths, Path.GetFullPath($"Packages/{SentryPackageInfo.GetName()}/Plugins/Windows/Sentry/sentry.pdb"), logger);
+                // Sentry native SDK symbols from package.
+                // Glob *.pdb from whichever backend's source dir is in use, so adding
+                // or removing PDBs at build time doesn't require touching this code.
+                var windowsBackendDir = options.Experimental.WindowsBackend == WindowsBackend.Native
+                    ? "SentryNative~"
+                    : "Sentry~";
+                var windowsPdbDir = Path.GetFullPath(
+                    $"Packages/{SentryPackageInfo.GetName()}/Plugins/Windows/{windowsBackendDir}");
+                if (Directory.Exists(windowsPdbDir))
+                {
+                    foreach (var pdb in Directory.GetFiles(windowsPdbDir, "*.pdb"))
+                    {
+                        AddPath(paths, pdb, logger);
+                    }
+                }
 
                 // Data - native plugins
                 foreach (var dir in Directory.GetDirectories(buildOutputDir, "*_Data"))
diff --git a/src/Sentry.Unity/ExperimentalSentryUnityOptions.cs b/src/Sentry.Unity/ExperimentalSentryUnityOptions.cs
index a864c0513..2d4b76264 100644
--- a/src/Sentry.Unity/ExperimentalSentryUnityOptions.cs
+++ b/src/Sentry.Unity/ExperimentalSentryUnityOptions.cs
@@ -18,4 +18,14 @@ public class ExperimentalSentryUnityOptions
     /// a minimum of 10 seconds so the out-of-process handler has time to flush before the player exits.
     /// </summary>
     [field: SerializeField] public MacosBackend MacosBackend { get; set; } = MacosBackend.Cocoa;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Selects the native backend to use on Windows. Defaults to <see cref="Sentry.Unity.WindowsBackend.Crashpad"/>,
+    /// which ships <c>crashpad_handler.exe</c> as the out-of-process handler. Use
+    /// <see cref="Sentry.Unity.WindowsBackend.Native"/> for sentry-native's new out-of-process <c>sentry-crash.exe</c>
+    /// daemon, which uploads crashes immediately.
+    /// When set to <see cref="Sentry.Unity.WindowsBackend.Native"/>, <c>ShutdownTimeout</c> is raised to
+    /// a minimum of 10 seconds so the out-of-process handler has time to flush before the player exits.
+    /// </summary>
+    [field: SerializeField] public WindowsBackend WindowsBackend { get; set; } = WindowsBackend.Crashpad;
 }
diff --git a/src/Sentry.Unity/ScriptableSentryUnityOptions.cs b/src/Sentry.Unity/ScriptableSentryUnityOptions.cs
index d2acb29a5..bcc08c0e0 100644
--- a/src/Sentry.Unity/ScriptableSentryUnityOptions.cs
+++ b/src/Sentry.Unity/ScriptableSentryUnityOptions.cs
@@ -235,6 +235,7 @@ internal SentryUnityOptions ToSentryUnityOptions(
 
         options.EnableMetrics = EnableMetrics;
         options.Experimental.MacosBackend = Experimental.MacosBackend;
+        options.Experimental.WindowsBackend = Experimental.WindowsBackend;
 
         // By default, the cacheDirectoryPath gets set on known platforms. We're overwriting this behaviour here.
         if (!EnableOfflineCaching)
@@ -270,15 +271,16 @@ internal SentryUnityOptions ToSentryUnityOptions(
             OptionsConfiguration.Configure(options);
         }
 
-        // The macOS Native backend hands crash uploads to an out-of-process handler that gets killed
+        // The macOS / Windows Native backends hand crash uploads to an out-of-process handler that gets killed
         // when the player exits. Enforce a floor so the handler has time to flush.
-        if (options.Experimental.MacosBackend == MacosBackend.Native)
+        if (options.Experimental.MacosBackend == MacosBackend.Native
+            || options.Experimental.WindowsBackend == WindowsBackend.Native)
         {
             var minimum = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10);
             if (options.ShutdownTimeout < minimum)
             {
                 options.LogInfo(
-                    "Native macOS backend: raising ShutdownTimeout from {0}ms to the {1}ms floor.",
+                    "Native backend: raising ShutdownTimeout from {0}ms to the {1}ms floor.",
                     (int)options.ShutdownTimeout.TotalMilliseconds,
                     (int)minimum.TotalMilliseconds);
                 options.ShutdownTimeout = minimum;
diff --git a/src/Sentry.Unity/WindowsBackend.cs b/src/Sentry.Unity/WindowsBackend.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2b6f32599
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Sentry.Unity/WindowsBackend.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+namespace Sentry.Unity;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Selects the native backend used on Windows.
+/// </summary>
+public enum WindowsBackend
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Use the Crashpad backend (default). Ships <c>crashpad_handler.exe</c> as the out-of-process handler.
+    /// </summary>
+    Crashpad,
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Use the sentry-native SDK's own out-of-process crash daemon (<c>sentry-crash.exe</c>).
+    /// Uploads crashes immediately.
+    /// </summary>
+    Native,
+}
diff --git a/test/Scripts.Integration.Test/Scripts/IntegrationOptionsConfiguration.cs b/test/Scripts.Integration.Test/Scripts/IntegrationOptionsConfiguration.cs
index e647cedd3..46fa007bc 100644
--- a/test/Scripts.Integration.Test/Scripts/IntegrationOptionsConfiguration.cs
+++ b/test/Scripts.Integration.Test/Scripts/IntegrationOptionsConfiguration.cs
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ public override void Configure(SentryUnityOptions options)
         options.IosNativeInitializationType = NativeInitializationType.Runtime;
 
         options.Experimental.MacosBackend = MacosBackend.Cocoa;
+        options.Experimental.WindowsBackend = WindowsBackend.Crashpad;
 
         Debug.Log("Sentry: IntegrationOptionsConfig::Configure() finished");
     }
diff --git a/test/Scripts.Tests/package-release.zip.snapshot b/test/Scripts.Tests/package-release.zip.snapshot
index 85cbbef6e..1c6980db1 100644
--- a/test/Scripts.Tests/package-release.zip.snapshot
+++ b/test/Scripts.Tests/package-release.zip.snapshot
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ Editor/sentry-cli/sentry-cli-Linux-x86_64
 Editor/sentry-cli/sentry-cli-Linux-x86_64.meta
 Editor/sentry-cli/sentry-cli-Windows-x86_64.exe
 Editor/sentry-cli/sentry-cli-Windows-x86_64.exe.meta
+Plugins/Windows/
 Plugins/Android.meta
 Plugins/iOS.meta
 Plugins/Linux.meta
@@ -235,15 +236,17 @@ Plugins/Android/Sentry~/sentry-native-ndk-release.aar
 Plugins/Android/Sentry~/sentry.jar
 Plugins/Switch/sentry_native_stubs.c
 Plugins/Switch/sentry_native_stubs.c.meta
-Plugins/Windows/Sentry.meta
-Plugins/Windows/Sentry/crashpad_handler.exe
-Plugins/Windows/Sentry/crashpad_handler.exe.meta
-Plugins/Windows/Sentry/crashpad_wer.dll
-Plugins/Windows/Sentry/crashpad_wer.dll.meta
-Plugins/Windows/Sentry/sentry.dll
-Plugins/Windows/Sentry/sentry.dll.meta
-Plugins/Windows/Sentry/sentry.pdb
-Plugins/Windows/Sentry/sentry.pdb.meta
+Plugins/Windows/SentryNative~/sentry-crash.exe
+Plugins/Windows/SentryNative~/sentry-crash.pdb
+Plugins/Windows/SentryNative~/sentry-wer.dll
+Plugins/Windows/SentryNative~/sentry-wer.pdb
+Plugins/Windows/SentryNative~/sentry.dll
+Plugins/Windows/SentryNative~/sentry.pdb
+Plugins/Windows/Sentry~/crashpad_handler.exe
+Plugins/Windows/Sentry~/crashpad_wer.dll
+Plugins/Windows/Sentry~/crashpad_wer.pdb
+Plugins/Windows/Sentry~/sentry.dll
+Plugins/Windows/Sentry~/sentry.pdb
 Prefabs/SentryUserFeedback.prefab
 Prefabs/SentryUserFeedback.prefab.meta
 Runtime/io.sentry.unity.runtime.asmdef
diff --git a/test/Sentry.Unity.Tests/ScriptableSentryUnityOptionsTests.cs b/test/Sentry.Unity.Tests/ScriptableSentryUnityOptionsTests.cs
index 71bb948e0..f90648e75 100644
--- a/test/Sentry.Unity.Tests/ScriptableSentryUnityOptionsTests.cs
+++ b/test/Sentry.Unity.Tests/ScriptableSentryUnityOptionsTests.cs
@@ -184,6 +184,25 @@ public void ToSentryUnityOptions_MacosBackendNative_Propagates()
         Assert.AreEqual(MacosBackend.Native, options.Experimental.MacosBackend);
     }
 
+    [Test]
+    public void Experimental_WindowsBackend_DefaultValue_IsCrashpad()
+    {
+        var scriptableOptions = ScriptableObject.CreateInstance<ScriptableSentryUnityOptions>();
+
+        Assert.AreEqual(WindowsBackend.Crashpad, scriptableOptions.Experimental.WindowsBackend);
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public void ToSentryUnityOptions_WindowsBackendNative_Propagates()
+    {
+        var scriptableOptions = ScriptableObject.CreateInstance<ScriptableSentryUnityOptions>();
+        scriptableOptions.Experimental.WindowsBackend = WindowsBackend.Native;
+
+        var options = scriptableOptions.ToSentryUnityOptions(_fixture.Application);
+
+        Assert.AreEqual(WindowsBackend.Native, options.Experimental.WindowsBackend);
+    }
+
     public static void AssertOptions(SentryUnityOptions expected, SentryUnityOptions actual)
     {
         Assert.AreEqual(expected.Enabled, actual.Enabled);
diff --git a/test/Sentry.Unity.Tests/SentryUnityOptionsTests.cs b/test/Sentry.Unity.Tests/SentryUnityOptionsTests.cs
index 25d08b7a5..5b1f909a3 100644
--- a/test/Sentry.Unity.Tests/SentryUnityOptionsTests.cs
+++ b/test/Sentry.Unity.Tests/SentryUnityOptionsTests.cs
@@ -126,4 +126,19 @@ public void Options_Experimental_MacosBackend_IsSettable()
         options.Experimental.MacosBackend = MacosBackend.Native;
         Assert.AreEqual(MacosBackend.Native, options.Experimental.MacosBackend);
     }
+
+    [Test]
+    public void Options_Experimental_WindowsBackend_DefaultsToCrashpad()
+    {
+        var options = new SentryUnityOptions();
+        Assert.AreEqual(WindowsBackend.Crashpad, options.Experimental.WindowsBackend);
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public void Options_Experimental_WindowsBackend_IsSettable()
+    {
+        var options = new SentryUnityOptions();
+        options.Experimental.WindowsBackend = WindowsBackend.Native;
+        Assert.AreEqual(WindowsBackend.Native, options.Experimental.WindowsBackend);
+    }
 }