Tutorials / How to

✔ OfficialBeginner⏱ 10 minTallow 0.1 and 0.2

Build and share your game

A build is a folder with everything your game needs and nothing else. Zip it and send it, put it on itch.io, or ship it on Steam.

Step 1: Choose the start scene

Open File > Project Settings... and look under General. Start Scene is the scene the game opens first. Make sure it names the scene you want, such as your main menu or first level. Save every scene you changed (Ctrl+S).

Step 2: Open the Build window

Open File > Build... and choose:

  • Game (rather than Editor).
  • The system to build for. The system you are on always works. From Linux you can also build for Windows and the Web, and a Mac builds macOS and web games. The first time you pick another system, the window shows the one command that sets it up. Run it in a terminal once.

Step 3: Pick the options

Option What it does
Start in fullscreen Opens the game fullscreen instead of in a window.
Compress textures Smaller downloads and less video memory. Usually on.
Pack assets into one file Puts the assets in one pack instead of many loose files.
Compress the pack Makes the pack smaller, at a small loading cost.
A pack for each scene Lets a game load only what each scene needs.

If your scripts load files by names they build at run time, list those under the shared files field so the build includes them.

Step 4: Build

Choose the Folder to build into (any earlier build there is replaced) and press Build. When it finishes, press Show Folder.

  • Linux and Windows: run the game's executable in the folder.
  • Web: press Play in Browser to try it, then put the folder on any web host (itch.io, GitHub Pages) and share the link.

Step 5: Test it somewhere else

Copy the folder to another machine, or a fresh user account, and run it there. That catches files your game needs but the build didn't include, and settings that only exist on your machine.

Step 6: Share it

Zip the folder and send it. To put it on Steam, see Steam. For more on what is in a build, see Standalone player, and Windows or macOS for system-specific notes.