PLATFORM NOW LIVE
Game Launcher Cloud

Unreal Engine Extension

The Game Launcher Cloud Unreal Engine Extension allows you to build and upload your Unreal Engine game builds directly from the Unreal Editor to Game Launcher Cloud.

Features

  • Build & Upload: Build your game and upload to Game Launcher Cloud in one click

  • API Key Authentication: Securely authenticate using your API keys

  • Real-time Progress: Track compression and upload progress in real-time

  • Build Status Monitoring: Monitor backend build processing status

  • Multipart Uploads: Optimized uploads for large files with automatic multipart handling

  • CLI Recommendation: Smart warnings for builds larger than 5GB

📥 Installation

Method 1: Install from Fab (Recommended)

  1. Visit the Game Launcher Cloud plugin page on Fab

  2. Click Add to Cart or Free Download (if applicable)

  3. Open the Epic Games Launcher

  4. Go to Unreal Engine > Library > Vault

  5. Find "Game Launcher Cloud" and click Install to Engine

  6. Select your Unreal Engine version (5.4 or later)

  7. Open your project in Unreal Engine

  8. Go to Edit > Plugins

  9. Search for "Game Launcher Cloud"

  10. Enable the plugin

  11. Restart the editor when prompted

Method 2: Install from GitHub (Manual)

  1. Download the latest release from GitHub Releases

  2. Extract the plugin to your project's Plugins folder:

    YourProject/Plugins/GameLauncherCloud/

  3. Restart Unreal Engine

  4. Open your project

  5. Go to Edit > Plugins

  6. Search for "Game Launcher Cloud"

  7. Enable the plugin

  8. Restart the editor when prompted

🚀 Quick Start

Step 1: Get Your API Key

  1. Visit Game Launcher Cloud API Keys

  2. Click Create New API Key

  3. Give it a name (e.g., "Unreal Engine Plugin")

  4. Copy your API key (keep it secure!)

Step 2: Open the Manager

  1. In Unreal Engine, go to Tools menu

  2. Click Game Launcher Cloud

  3. The manager window will open

Step 3: Login

  1. In the Login tab, paste your API Key

  2. Click Login with API Key

  3. You should see a success message with your email

Step 4: Build and Upload

Select Application

  • Click 🔄 Reload Apps to load your available apps

  • Select the app you want to upload builds to from the dropdown

  • Optionally click ⚙️ Manage App to open it in the dashboard

Build Notes

  • Add version info, changelog, or important notes for your build

Build Actions

  • 🔨 Build: Package your game without uploading (creates a compressed build)

  • ☁️ Upload to Cloud: Upload an existing compressed build

  • 🚀 Build & Upload: Package and upload in one step

Build Detection

  • The plugin automatically detects existing builds in your project

  • Shows build date, file count, and compression info

Progress Tracking

  • Real-time compression progress (file-by-file)

  • Upload progress with speed and ETA

  • Backend processing status with detailed stages

📋 Requirements

  • Unreal Engine 5.4 or later (compatible with UE 5.0+)

  • Visual Studio 2019 or newer (for building from source)

  • Active Game Launcher Cloud account

  • API Key with upload permissions

  • Windows 64-bit (macOS support coming soon)

🔧 Supported Platforms

Development Platforms

  • Windows (Win64) ✅

  • macOS (Coming Soon)

Target Build Platforms

  • Windows (Win64)

  • Linux (Experimental)

  • macOS (Experimental)

⚠️ Important Notes

  • Large Builds: For builds larger than 5GB, we recommend using the CLI for better performance and optimization

  • Build Location: Builds are created in YourProject/Builds/GLC_Upload/

  • Compression: Builds are automatically compressed to .zip format before upload

  • API Keys: Store your API keys securely and never commit them to version control

  • Multipart Upload: Files larger than 500MB automatically use optimized multipart uploads

🎨 Plugin Interface

Login Tab

  • Secure API Key authentication

  • Persistent login sessions

  • Direct link to create API keys

Build & Upload Tab

  • Application selection with reload and manage options

  • Build detection showing existing builds

  • Build notes for version tracking

  • Separate Build, Upload, and Build & Upload actions

  • Real-time progress bars and status messages

  • Build status monitoring with detailed backend processing stages

Developer Tab

  • Configuration management

  • Environment switching (Production/Staging)

  • Debug information

  • Logout functionality

💡 Tips for Better Builds

Optimize Build Size

  • Compress textures appropriately using Unreal's texture compression settings

  • Remove unused assets and content

  • Use pak file compression in Project Settings

  • Enable code stripping and optimization

Use Descriptive Build Notes

Always include:

  • Version number (e.g., v1.2.3)

  • New features added

  • Bugs fixed

  • Known issues or limitations

  • Platform-specific notes

Test Before Uploading

  • Package and test locally first

  • Check for crashes or critical errors

  • Verify all features work as expected

  • Test on target hardware configurations

  • Monitor performance metrics

Build Configuration

  • Use Shipping configuration for release builds

  • Development builds for internal testing

  • Ensure proper platform-specific settings

🔐 Security

API Key Storage

The plugin saves settings in:

YourProject/Plugins/GameLauncherCloud/Config/glc_config.json

Important: Add this file to .gitignore to protect your API keys!

Example .gitignore entry:

# Game Launcher Cloud Config (contains API keys)
Plugins/GameLauncherCloud/Config/glc_config.json
**/glc_config.json

Best Practices

  • Never share or commit API keys

  • Use different API keys for different environments

  • Rotate API keys regularly

  • Revoke unused or compromised keys immediately

  • Use read-only keys when possible

🏗️ Building from Source

  1. Clone the repository:

    git clone https://github.com/GameLauncherCloud/GameLauncherCloud-UnrealEngineExtension.git

  2. Copy the Plugins/GameLauncherCloud folder to your project's Plugins directory

  3. Right-click your .uproject file and select Generate Visual Studio project files

  4. Open the solution in Visual Studio

  5. Build in Development Editor configuration

  6. Launch Unreal Engine

🔄 Build Process

The plugin follows this workflow:

  1. Build Phase

    • Packages game using Unreal's build pipeline

    • Creates standalone executable for target platform

    • Stores in Builds/GLC_Upload/ directory

  2. Compression Phase

    • Creates ZIP archive of the build

    • Shows real-time progress (files processed)

    • Calculates compression ratio

    • Stores as YourGame_upload.zip

  3. Upload Phase

    • Requests presigned upload URL from backend

    • Chooses single-part or multipart upload based on size

    • Uploads with progress tracking

    • Notifies backend when complete

  4. Processing Phase

    • Backend processes the build

    • Creates patch files

    • Updates CDN

    • Notifies when ready

🌐 API Integration

The plugin uses the Game Launcher Cloud API:

  • Authentication: /v1/auth/verify-api-key

  • Apps List: /v1/cli/apps

  • Upload Start: /v1/cli/build/start-upload

  • Upload Complete: /v1/cli/build/notify-file-ready

  • Build Status: /v1/cli/build/{buildId}/status

All requests use secure HTTPS with API Key authentication.

📊 Build Status Stages

When monitoring builds, you'll see these stages:

  • Pending: Build queued for processing

  • Uploading: File being uploaded to cloud storage

  • Download: Backend downloading build from storage

  • Extracting: Decompressing build files

  • Creating Patch: Generating delta patches

  • Uploading Patch: Uploading to CDN

  • Completed: Build ready for distribution

  • Failed: Error occurred (check logs)

🐛 Troubleshooting

Plugin Not Showing

  • Ensure plugin is enabled in Edit > Plugins

  • Restart Unreal Engine after installation

  • Check Output Log for error messages

Build Fails

  • Verify your project builds successfully without the plugin

  • Check Project Settings > Platforms for target platform configuration

  • Ensure sufficient disk space for packaging

Upload Fails

  • Verify API key is valid and has upload permissions

  • Check your internet connection

  • Ensure firewall allows HTTPS connections

  • Try using the CLI for very large files (>5GB)

Can't Login

  • Verify API key is copied correctly (no extra spaces)

  • Check that your account is active

  • Ensure you have created apps in the dashboard

💬 Support

Need help? We're here for you!

🔗 Related Resources

📝 License

This plugin is provided free of charge for use with Game Launcher Cloud platform.

Made with ❤️ by the Game Launcher Cloud team

PreviousUnity ExtensionNextOverview

Last updated

Was this helpful?