Getting Godot Engine Godot Engine is available as pre-built binaries for all major platforms, or you can compile it from source for custom builds and engine development.
Godot 4.7 is the current version. This guide covers installation for the latest stable release.
Download Pre-Built Binaries The fastest way to get started is to download the official pre-built binaries.
Windows Installation System Requirements:
Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
OpenGL 3.3 / Vulkan 1.1 compatible GPU
4 GB RAM minimum (8 GB recommended)
Installation Steps:
Download
Visit godotengine.org/download
Download the Windows version:
Standard : Godot Engine (most users).NET : Godot Engine with C# support
Download as a .zip file
Extract
Right-click the downloaded .zip file
Select Extract All…
Choose a destination folder (e.g., C:\Godot)
Click Extract
Run Godot
Navigate to the extracted folder
Double-click Godot_v4.7-stable_win64.exe (or similar)
The Godot Project Manager will open
Optional: Create a desktop shortcut for easy access by right-clicking the .exe file and selecting Send to > Desktop (create shortcut) .
C# Support on Windows If you downloaded the .NET version for C# support:
Install .NET SDK 8.0 or later
Verify installation: Open Command Prompt and run dotnet --version
Launch Godot - C# support will be automatically detected
The .NET version requires the .NET SDK installed on your system. Make sure to download .NET SDK, not just the runtime.
macOS Installation System Requirements:
macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) or later
Metal-compatible GPU (for best performance)
4 GB RAM minimum (8 GB recommended)
Installation Steps:
Download
Visit godotengine.org/download
Download the macOS version:
Choose Universal build (Apple Silicon + Intel)
Standard or .NET (for C# support)
Download as a .zip file
Install
Open the downloaded .zip file (macOS extracts automatically)
Drag Godot.app to your Applications folder
Eject the disk image if mounted
First Launch
Open Finder and go to Applications
Right-click Godot.app and select Open
Click Open in the security dialog (first launch only)
The Godot Project Manager will open
macOS may block the app on first launch. Use Right-click > Open instead of double-clicking to bypass Gatekeeper.
C# Support on macOS For C# scripting:
Install .NET SDK 8.0 or later
Verify: Open Terminal and run dotnet --version
Launch the .NET version of Godot
Linux Installation System Requirements:
Ubuntu 20.04, Fedora 36, Arch, or other recent distribution
X11 or Wayland display server
Vulkan or OpenGL 3.3 compatible GPU
4 GB RAM minimum (8 GB recommended)
Dependencies: pkg-config, libx11, libxrandr, etc.
Installation Steps:
Download
Visit godotengine.org/download
Download the Linux version:
Choose your architecture (usually x86_64)
Standard or .NET (for C# support)
Download as a .zip file
Extract
# Extract the archive unzip Godot_v4.7-stable_linux.x86_64.zip # Optional: Move to /opt sudo mv Godot_v4.7-stable_linux.x86_64 /opt/godot # Optional: Create symlink for easy access sudo ln -s /opt/godot/Godot_v4.7-stable_linux.x86_64 /usr/local/bin/godot
Run Godot
# If you created the symlink: godot # Otherwise, run directly: ./Godot_v4.7-stable_linux.x86_64
Install Dependencies (if needed) Most modern distributions include required libraries. If you encounter issues: Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt update sudo apt install libxcursor1 libxinerama1 libxi6 libxrandr2 libgl1
Fedora: sudo dnf install libXcursor libXinerama libXi libXrandr mesa-libGL
Arch Linux: sudo pacman -S libxcursor libxinerama libxi libxrandr mesa
C# Support on Linux For C# scripting:
Install .NET SDK 8.0+:
# Ubuntu/Debian sudo apt install dotnet-sdk-8.0 # Fedora sudo dnf install dotnet-sdk-8.0 # Arch sudo pacman -S dotnet-sdk
Verify: dotnet --version
Run the .NET version of Godot
Compile from Source Compiling Godot from source allows you to:
Customize engine features
Contribute to engine development
Build for specific platforms or architectures
Access the latest development features
Compiling from source requires programming knowledge and can take 30-60 minutes depending on your system.
Prerequisites Linux Build
Windows Build
macOS Build
Required tools: # Ubuntu/Debian sudo apt install build-essential scons pkg-config libx11-dev \ libxcursor-dev libxinerama-dev libgl1-mesa-dev libglu1-dev \ libasound2-dev libpulse-dev libudev-dev libxi-dev libxrandr-dev # Fedora sudo dnf install gcc-c++ scons pkgconfig libX11-devel libXcursor-devel \ libXrandr-devel libXinerama-dev libXi-devel mesa-libGL-devel \ alsa-lib-devel pulseaudio-libs-devel # Arch sudo pacman -S base-devel scons pkgconf libxcursor libxinerama \ libxi libxrandr mesa glu alsa-lib pulseaudio
Python 3.9+ required (usually pre-installed)
SCons 4.0+ (build system)Required tools:
Visual Studio 2022 (Community edition is free):
Install “Desktop development with C++” workload
Or use MinGW-w64 with GCC
Python 3.9+ :
Download from python.org
Check “Add Python to PATH” during installation
SCons :
Git (optional, for cloning):
Required tools:
Xcode Command Line Tools :
Python 3.9+ (usually pre-installed on macOS):
SCons :
Homebrew (optional, for dependencies):/bin/bash -c "$( curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
Build Instructions
Clone the Repository
git clone https://github.com/godotengine/godot.git cd godot git checkout 4.7-stable # Or latest stable branch
The Godot repository is about 1 GB. Clone depth can be limited with --depth 1 for faster downloads.
Compile the Engine
Godot uses SCons as its build system. The main build file is SConstruct in the root directory. Basic compilation: # Editor build (most common) scons platform=linuxbsd target=editor arch=x86_64 -j$( nproc ) # Export template (for releasing games) scons platform=linuxbsd target=template_release arch=x86_64 -j$( nproc )
Build options:
platform=linuxbsd: Target platformtarget=editor: Build editor (or template_release, template_debug)arch=x86_64: Architecture (or x86_32, arm64, rv64)-j$(nproc): Use all CPU cores for faster compilation Use use_llvm=yes to compile with Clang instead of GCC: scons platform=linuxbsd target=editor use_llvm=yes -j$( nproc )
REM Editor build with Visual Studio scons platform = windows target = editor arch = x86_64 - j % NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS % REM Export template scons platform = windows target = template_release arch = x86_64 - j % NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS %
For MinGW: scons platform=windows target=editor use_mingw=yes -j$( nproc )
# Universal binary (Apple Silicon + Intel) scons platform=macos target=editor arch=universal -j$( sysctl -n hw.ncpu ) # Apple Silicon only scons platform=macos target=editor arch=arm64 -j$( sysctl -n hw.ncpu ) # Intel only scons platform=macos target=editor arch=x86_64 -j$( sysctl -n hw.ncpu )
First-time compilation takes 30-60 minutes. Subsequent builds are much faster due to incremental compilation.
Locate the Binary
After compilation completes, the binary will be in the bin/ directory:
Linux : bin/godot.linuxbsd.editor.x86_64Windows : bin/godot.windows.editor.x86_64.exemacOS : bin/godot.macos.editor.universal Run the editor: ./bin/godot.linuxbsd.editor.x86_64
Optional: Build with C# Support
To compile with Mono/.NET support:
Install .NET SDK 8.0+
Add module_mono_enabled=yes to build command:
scons platform=linuxbsd target=editor module_mono_enabled=yes -j$( nproc )
Generate C# glue code:
./bin/godot.linuxbsd.editor.x86_64.mono --generate-mono-glue modules/mono/glue
Rebuild:
scons platform=linuxbsd target=editor module_mono_enabled=yes -j$( nproc )
Common Build Options The SCons build system supports many options defined in SConstruct:
# Development build with debug symbols scons target=editor dev_build=yes -j$( nproc ) # Optimize for size instead of speed scons target=template_release optimize=size -j$( nproc ) # Disable specific modules scons module_webrtc_enabled=no module_websocket_enabled=no -j$( nproc ) # Use static linking (better portability on Linux) scons platform=linuxbsd use_static_cpp=yes -j$( nproc ) # Build with sanitizers (for debugging) scons use_asan=yes use_ubsan=yes -j$( nproc )
target=editor: Editor build (default)target=template_debug: Debug export templatetarget=template_release: Release export template
From SConstruct and platform detection:
arch=x86_64: 64-bit x86 (most common)arch=x86_32: 32-bit x86arch=arm64: 64-bit ARM (Apple Silicon, modern Android)arch=arm32: 32-bit ARMarch=rv64: RISC-V 64-bitarch=ppc64: PowerPC 64-bitarch=loongarch64: LoongArch 64-bitarch=universal: Universal binary (macOS only - combines multiple architectures) Verify Installation After installation, verify Godot is working:
Launch Godot
Open the Godot application. You should see the Project Manager .
Check Version
The version number should appear at the top of the Project Manager:
Godot Engine v4.7.stable (or similar)
Test Project Creation
Click New Project
Enter a name
Click Create & Edit
The editor should open successfully
Next Steps
Quickstart Tutorial Create your first game with our step-by-step guide.
Editor Interface Learn the Godot editor interface and tools.
GDScript Basics Start writing game code with GDScript.
Export Templates Learn how to export your games to different platforms.
Troubleshooting
Godot won't start on Linux
Missing libraries: Install required dependencies for your distribution (see Linux installation section above).Graphics driver issues: Ensure your GPU drivers support Vulkan or OpenGL 3.3+:# Check Vulkan support vulkaninfo | grep deviceName # Check OpenGL version glxinfo | grep "OpenGL version"
Permission issues: Make the binary executable:chmod +x Godot_v4.7-stable_linux.x86_64
macOS security blocks Godot
macOS Gatekeeper may block unsigned applications:
Right-click Godot.app in Finder
Select Open (not double-click)
Click Open in the security dialog
Alternatively, allow in System Preferences :
Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy
Click Open Anyway for Godot
Ensure .NET SDK is properly installed: # Check installation dotnet --version # Should output: 8.0.x or higher
If not found, download and install the .NET SDK . Restart Godot after installing .NET SDK.
SCons not found: pip install scons # Or: pip3 install scons
Python version too old: python --version # Must be 3.9 or higher
Missing build tools:
Linux: Install build-essential or equivalent
Windows: Install Visual Studio with C++ workload
macOS: Run xcode-select --install
Out of memory: Reduce parallel jobs:scons -j2 # Use only 2 cores instead of all
