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Installing GDevelop 5 on Windows 11

This guide will walk you through installing GDevelop 5, the open-source, no-code game engine, on Windows 11. GDevelop uses visual programming (events) instead of traditional coding, making it accessible for beginners while still being powerful enough for advanced game development.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have: - Windows 11 (64-bit) - Administrator access to your computer - Stable internet connection - Approximately 500MB of free disk space - Recommended: At least 4GB RAM (8GB+ for larger projects)

Understanding GDevelop Installation Options

GDevelop offers three ways to use the software:

  1. Desktop Application (Recommended) - Installed on your computer, works offline
  2. Web Version - Runs in browser, no installation needed, requires internet
  3. Portable Version - Can run from USB drive, no installation required

This guide focuses on the Desktop Application as it's the most suitable for classroom use and provides the best performance.

Step 1: Download GDevelop 5

1.1 Navigate to the Official Download Page

  1. Open your web browser
  2. Navigate to: https://gdevelop.io/ or https://gdevelop.io/download/
  3. The website should display download options for different platforms

1.2 Choose Your Download Option

For Desktop Installation (Recommended):

  1. Look for the Download GDevelop button for Windows
  2. You'll see two options:
  3. Installer (.exe) - Standard installation (recommended)
  4. Portable (.zip) - No installation required, can run from anywhere
  5. Click Download for the installer version
  6. The file will download (approximately 150-200MB)
  7. File will be named something like GDevelop-5-Setup-x.x.x.exe

Alternative: Portable Version

  1. If you prefer the portable version, click on the .zip download option
  2. File will be named something like GDevelop-5-x.x.x-Windows.zip

Step 2: Install GDevelop (Desktop Version)

2.1 Run the Installer

  1. Locate the downloaded .exe file in your Downloads folder
  2. Double-click the installer file to run it
  3. If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes to allow the installation
  4. If Windows Defender SmartScreen appears:
  5. Click More info
  6. Click Run anyway

2.2 Follow the Installation Wizard

  1. Language Selection:
  2. Choose your preferred language

  3. Click OK

  4. Welcome Screen:

  5. Read the welcome message

  6. Click Next

  7. License Agreement:

  8. Read the license (GDevelop is open-source under MIT license)

  9. Click I Agree

  10. Choose Install Location:

  11. Default location is usually: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Programs\GDevelop 5\
  12. You can click Browse to change the location if desired

  13. Click Next

  14. Select Start Menu Folder:

  15. Keep the default "GDevelop 5" folder name
  16. Or customize if you prefer
  17. Check Create a desktop shortcut if you want easy access

  18. Click Install

  19. Installing:

  20. Wait for the installation to complete (usually 1-2 minutes)

  21. You'll see a progress bar

  22. Completing Setup:

  23. Check Run GDevelop 5 to launch it immediately (optional)
  24. Click Finish

2.3 Alternative: Portable Installation

If you chose the portable .zip version:

  1. Locate the downloaded .zip file in your Downloads folder
  2. Right-click the ZIP file and select Extract All...
  3. Choose a permanent location:
  4. C:\GDevelop\ (create this folder if needed)
  5. C:\Program Files\GDevelop\
  6. A dedicated folder in your Documents
  7. USB drive (if you want to run it on multiple computers)
  8. Click Extract
  9. Navigate into the extracted folder
  10. Find and double-click GDevelop.exe to run the program

Create Desktop Shortcut (Optional): 1. Right-click on GDevelop.exe 2. Select Send to > Desktop (create shortcut) 3. Rename to "GDevelop 5" if desired

Step 3: First-Time Launch and Setup

3.1 Launch GDevelop

If you used the installer: 1. Click the Windows Start button 2. Type "GDevelop" 3. Click on GDevelop 5 when it appears 4. Or use the desktop shortcut if you created one

If you used the portable version: 1. Navigate to your GDevelop folder 2. Double-click GDevelop.exe

3.2 First Launch Experience

When you first launch GDevelop, you may see:

  1. Welcome Dialog or Getting Started screen:
  2. This provides quick tips and tutorials
  3. You can click through to learn about GDevelop

  4. Or click Skip or close the dialog to proceed

  5. Optional Account Creation:

  6. GDevelop may prompt you to create a free account
  7. An account is NOT required to use GDevelop
  8. Benefits of creating an account:
    • Cloud projects (access from anywhere)
    • One-click publishing to web
    • Leaderboards and analytics
  9. You can click Skip or Continue without account

  10. You can always create an account later

  11. Main Interface Loads:

  12. You'll see the GDevelop home screen with:
    • Create a new project options
    • Example games and templates
    • Learn section with tutorials
    • Recent projects (empty on first launch)

Step 4: Create Your First Project

4.1 Explore the Start Page

Before creating a project, notice these sections:

  • Create a new project: Start from scratch or use templates
  • Examples: Pre-made games you can open and study
  • Tutorials: Built-in learning resources
  • Recent Projects: Your recently opened projects appear here

4.2 Create a Test Project

Let's create a simple project to verify everything works:

  1. Click on Create a new project

  2. You'll see project templates:

  3. Empty project - Completely blank
  4. Platformer - Side-scrolling game template
  5. Space Shooter - Top-down shooter template
  6. Isometric - Isometric game template

  7. Many others...

  8. For testing, select Empty project or any template you're curious about

  9. Choose where to save:

  10. Click Choose Folder
  11. Create or select a folder for your GDevelop projects
  12. Recommended: Create C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Documents\GDevelop Projects\
  13. Give your project a name (e.g., "MyFirstGame")

  14. Click Select Folder or OK

  15. Click Create project

  16. GDevelop will open the project editor

4.3 Understand the Project Editor Interface

Once your project opens, you'll see several main areas:

Top Bar: - File menu - Save, open, export - Edit menu - Preferences and settings - View menu - Show/hide panels - Play button (▶) - Test your game - Preview options - Different preview modes

Left Sidebar - Project Manager: - Scenes - Different screens/levels in your game - External events - Reusable event sheets - External layouts - Reusable scene layouts - Resources - Images, sounds, fonts

Center Area - Scene Editor: - Visual editor where you place objects - Canvas where you design your game levels - Toolbar with object placement tools

Right Sidebar - Properties Panel: - Shows properties of selected objects - Instance properties - Behaviors and effects

Bottom Panel - Events Editor: - Where you create game logic using visual events - No coding required - uses condition/action blocks

4.4 Test the Editor

Let's add a simple object to verify everything works:

  1. In the Scene Editor (center area), right-click on the canvas
  2. Select Add a new object
  3. Choose Sprite (for 2D images)
  4. Name it "Player" (or anything you like)
  5. Click Add
  6. You'll now need to add an animation/image:
  7. Click Add an animation
  8. Click Add (to add a frame)
  9. Click Choose a file to add an image
  10. Or click Choose an AI-generated image (if available)
  11. For testing, you can use any image on your computer
  12. Or just leave it with the placeholder and click Apply
  13. Click and drag in the scene to place your object
  14. You should see your object appear in the scene!

4.5 Run a Quick Test

  1. Click the Play button (▶) in the top toolbar
  2. Or press F5 on your keyboard
  3. A preview window should open showing your scene
  4. If you see your scene (even if it's just empty or has one object), GDevelop is working correctly!
  5. Close the preview window when done

4.6 Save Your Project

  1. Go to File > Save (or press Ctrl + S)
  2. Your project will save to the folder you selected earlier
  3. You'll see a .json file and a folder with your project name

5.1 Set Auto-Save Preferences

  1. Go to File > Preferences (or Edit > Preferences)
  2. Look for Auto-save options:
  3. Enable Auto-save every X minutes
  4. Set interval to 2-5 minutes (recommended)
  5. Preferences usually save automatically

5.2 Configure Performance Settings

  1. In Preferences, look for Performance or Editor settings
  2. Options you might want to adjust:
  3. Show FPS in preview - Helpful for monitoring performance
  4. Update only visible editors - Can improve performance on slower machines
  5. Maximum FPS - Usually 60 is fine

5.3 Set Up Themes (Optional)

  1. In Preferences, look for Appearance or Theme
  2. Choose between:
  3. GDevelop Dark (default, easier on eyes)
  4. GDevelop Light (bright theme)
  5. Solarized Dark (alternative dark theme)
  6. Select your preference and the theme will update immediately

5.4 Language Settings

  1. In Preferences, find Language settings
  2. Select your preferred language
  3. GDevelop supports many languages
  4. Restart GDevelop for the language change to fully take effect

GDevelop uses extensions to add functionality. Some useful ones to know about:

6.1 Browse Extensions

  1. In your project, click on Functions/Behaviors or the extension icon
  2. Or go to Project Manager (left sidebar) and look for Extensions
  3. Click Create or search for new extensions

Some popular and useful extensions: - Platformer Character - Pre-made platformer movement - Top-down Movement - Movement for top-down games - Health (life points) - Add health systems - Draggable Object - Make objects draggable with mouse - Text Entry - Create text input fields - Firebase - Online features like leaderboards

To install an extension: 1. Search for it in the extension panel 2. Click on it to view details 3. Click Install in project

Troubleshooting

Problem: GDevelop won't start or shows a blank screen

Solution: 1. Make sure you've extracted the program if using portable version 2. Try running as administrator: - Right-click GDevelop shortcut or .exe - Select Run as administrator 3. Check Windows Defender isn't blocking it 4. Reinstall GDevelop 5. Clear the cache: - Windows + R, type %appdata% - Find and delete the GDevelop folder - Restart GDevelop

Problem: Preview window doesn't open when clicking Play

Solution: 1. Check if a preview window opened but is behind other windows 2. Press Alt + Tab to cycle through open windows 3. Try File > Export > Web (HTML5) as an alternative 4. Check your antivirus/firewall isn't blocking the preview server 5. Try a different preview mode from the dropdown next to the Play button

Problem: Can't add images or resources

Solution: 1. Make sure image files are in a supported format (.png, .jpg, .jpeg, .webp) 2. Try copying the image to your project folder first 3. Check file isn't corrupted by opening it in another program 4. Verify you have write permissions to the project folder

Problem: Interface is too small or too large

Solution: 1. Go to File > Preferences 2. Look for Zoom level or UI Scale 3. Adjust the slider to make interface larger or smaller 4. Alternatively, use Ctrl + Mouse Wheel to zoom in/out in some panels 5. Check your Windows display scaling settings (might affect GDevelop)

Problem: Performance is slow or laggy

Solution: 1. Close unnecessary programs to free up RAM 2. Reduce the number of objects in your scene 3. In Preferences, disable unnecessary visual effects 4. Update your graphics drivers 5. For preview lag, try reducing preview resolution: - In scene properties, adjust preview resolution - Or use Network preview instead of default preview

Problem: Can't find saved project

Solution: 1. Check the folder you selected when creating the project 2. Look in Recent Projects on the home screen 3. Use File > Open to browse for the .json file 4. Search your computer for .json files 5. Check Documents\GDevelop Projects folder

Problem: Error messages about missing features or objects

Solution: 1. Make sure all required extensions are installed 2. Check Project Manager > Extensions 3. Install any missing extensions the project requires 4. If opening an example, it should automatically install needed extensions

Understanding GDevelop's Features

Event System

  • Visual programming using conditions and actions
  • No coding required, but very powerful
  • Works like: "When [condition] happens, then do [action]"
  • Example: When mouse is clicked on Player, then Play a sound

Objects

  • Sprites - 2D images with animations
  • Text - Display text on screen
  • Tiled Sprite - Repeating patterns (walls, platforms)
  • Particle Emitters - Visual effects (fire, rain, explosions)
  • Panel Sprite - UI elements that scale properly
  • Shape Painter - Draw geometric shapes
  • Video - Play video files
  • And many more...

Behaviors

  • Pre-made functionalities you can add to objects
  • Platformer behavior, Physics behavior, etc.
  • Save time instead of programming from scratch

Publishing Options

  • Windows - .exe executable
  • Linux - Linux executable
  • macOS - macOS application
  • Android - APK file
  • iOS - Xcode project
  • Web - HTML5 (can publish to GDevelop Games, itch.io, etc.)
  • Facebook Instant Games

Next Steps

Now that GDevelop 5 is installed:

  1. Complete Built-in Tutorials:
  2. Open Learn tab from home screen
  3. Follow the beginner tutorials

  4. Work through example projects

  5. Study Example Games:

  6. From home screen, click Examples
  7. Open games like "Platformer", "Space Shooter"

  8. Study their events to learn techniques

  9. Create Your First Real Project:

  10. Start with a simple game idea
  11. Platformer or top-down game are good starters

  12. Keep scope small for first project

  13. Watch Video Tutorials:

  14. GDevelop official YouTube channel

  15. Community tutorial makers

  16. Join the Community:

  17. GDevelop Forum: https://forum.gdevelop.io/
  18. Discord server (linked from website)
  19. Reddit: r/gdevelop

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Ctrl + S - Save project
  • Ctrl + Z - Undo
  • Ctrl + Y or Ctrl + Shift + Z - Redo
  • F5 - Preview game
  • Ctrl + F - Search in events
  • Ctrl + Space - Auto-complete in events
  • Delete - Delete selected object/event
  • Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V - Copy/Paste
  • Ctrl + D - Duplicate selected object/event

Additional Resources

Free Asset Resources for Students

Since GDevelop is for game creation, you'll need graphics and sounds:

Graphics: - Kenney.nl - Thousands of free game assets - OpenGameArt.org - Community-created assets - itch.io - Many free asset packs - Piskel - Free online sprite editor

Sounds and Music: - Freesound.org - Sound effects - OpenGameArt.org - Music and sounds - Incompetech - Royalty-free music - LMMS - Free music creation software

Tools: - Piskel - Pixel art and sprite editor (online) - GIMP - Free image editor - Audacity - Free audio editor

Tips for Teachers

If you're setting up GDevelop for a classroom:

  1. Portable Version Benefits:
  2. Install to network drive for access on all computers
  3. Students can save to their own folders

  4. No admin rights needed on student computers

  5. Example Projects:

  6. Create template projects for students to start from

  7. Share project folders via network or USB

  8. Extension Pre-installation:

  9. Create a starter project with common extensions already installed

  10. Distribute this as the base project for students

  11. Asset Library:

  12. Curate a folder of approved/licensed assets

  13. Share on network drive for students to use

  14. Lesson Plans:

  15. GDevelop wiki has educational resources
  16. Community forum has teaching sections

Summary of Installation

✅ Download GDevelop 5 installer or portable version
✅ Install or extract GDevelop to permanent location
✅ Launch GDevelop and complete first-time setup
✅ Create a test project and verify functionality
✅ Configure auto-save and preferences
✅ Familiarize yourself with the interface and event system
✅ Explore example projects and tutorials
✅ Download free assets for your projects

Last updated: February 2026 for GDevelop 5

Note: GDevelop is actively developed and frequently updated with new features. Check the official website regularly for updates and new functionality.