unreal-packaging

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

Package and ship an Unreal Engine 5 project: the Platforms menu Package Project flow, build configurations (Development vs Shipping), cooking content, packaging settings and the Game Default Map, and command-line builds with RunUAT BuildCookRun. Use when packaging a build, making a shipping build, cooking content, configuring packaging settings, or when the user mentions package Unreal, cook content, shipping build, or BuildCookRun.

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Sourcegamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills

Added on2026-07-27

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npx skill4agent add gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills unreal-packaging

SKILL.md Content

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Unreal Packaging & Cooking

Turn a UE5 project into a runnable, distributable build: choose the right build configuration, cook content, set the launch map, and package — from the editor or the command line. Targets UE 5.4+.

When to use

Use when producing a build (test or release), choosing Development vs Shipping, cooking content, configuring Packaging / Maps & Modes settings, or automating builds with
```
RunUAT BuildCookRun
```
for CI.
Use when the project has a
```
*.uproject
```
and
```
Config/Default*.ini
```
, and the goal is a packaged player rather than running in-editor.

When not to use: storefront submission/release process →

steam-publish

/

itch-publish

. Editor-time gameplay/iteration is not packaging.

Core workflow

Set the launch map. Project Settings → Maps & Modes → Game Default Map is what a packaged build loads first. Wrong/empty here is the most common "packaged game is black" cause.
Pick the build configuration: Development (default; optimized but keeps logging/ stats/console for testing) vs Shipping (all optimizations, debugging tools stripped — for release).
```
DebugGame
```
/
```
Debug
```
are for debugging engine/game code and aren't for distribution;
```
DebugGame
```
isn't available for Blueprint-only projects.
Understand cook vs package. Cooking converts assets to the target platform's format and packs them into
```
.pak
```
files. Packaging bundles the compiled executable + cooked content into a standalone, distributable set of files. Packaging runs a cook as part of it.
Package from the editor: the Platforms menu → choose the platform (e.g. Windows) → set the Binary Configuration → Package Project → pick an output folder.
Or build from the command line with the Unreal Automation Tool (
```
RunUAT BuildCookRun
```
) for repeatable/CI builds.
Tune Packaging settings (Project Settings → Packaging): which maps/directories to cook, full-rebuild, compression, and whether to build all maps.
Verify by running the packaged build, not just by a successful cook — launch the executable and confirm it loads the right map and runs.

Patterns

1. Editor packaging (the menu path)

text

Platforms (toolbar)
  -> Windows
     -> Binary Configuration -> Development | Shipping
     -> Content Management -> Package Project
  -> choose/confirm the staging output folder

2. Command-line build with UAT (CI-friendly)

bash

# Cook + build + stage + pak + archive a Shipping Windows build.
RunUAT BuildCookRun \
  -project="C:/Path/MyGame.uproject" \
  -noP4 -platform=Win64 -clientconfig=Shipping \
  -cook -allmaps -build -stage -pak -archive \
  -archivedirectory="C:/Builds/MyGame"

RunUAT

lives in

Engine/Build/BatchFiles/

(

RunUAT.bat

on Windows,

RunUAT.sh

on macOS/Linux). Drop

-allmaps

and pass

-map=Map1+Map2

to cook a subset.

3. Cook only (no packaging), e.g. to refresh content

bash

RunUAT BuildCookRun -project="C:/Path/MyGame.uproject" -noP4 \
  -platform=Win64 -clientconfig=Development -cook -skipstage

Pitfalls

Packaged build loads a black/empty level — Game Default Map isn't set (or that map wasn't cooked). Set it in Maps & Modes and ensure it's included in the cook.
Shipping a Development build — Development keeps logging/console/stats and is slower; ship Shipping. Conversely, Shipping strips
```
UE_LOG
```
/console, so debugging a Shipping-only issue needs Development or
```
Test
```
.
A referenced map/asset is missing at runtime — it wasn't cooked. Add it to the Packaging settings' maps/directories to cook, or cook all maps.
Build fails on the platform — the platform SDK/toolchain isn't installed (Windows build tools, Android SDK/NDK, console SDKs). Install the platform's prerequisites.
Expecting Blueprint Nativization — it was removed in UE5; don't rely on it for performance. Profile and move hot logic to C++ (
```
unreal-cpp-gameplay
```
) instead.
First cook is very slow — shaders and all assets cook from scratch; subsequent cooks are incremental. Don't mistake a slow first cook for a hang.

References

Primary docs: "Packaging Your Project" (

https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/packaging-your-project

) and the Build Configurations /

BuildCookRun

references.

Related skills

```
steam-publish
```
/
```
itch-publish
```
— distributing the packaged build to a storefront.
```
unreal-cpp-gameplay
```
— moving hot logic to C++ now that BP nativization is gone.