Packaging & deployment

Shipping an Unreal project involves three distinct stages that run in sequence: build (compile the game executable), cook (convert assets to the target platform's runtime format), and package (assemble the cooked assets and executable into a distributable build, typically inside pak/IoStore containers). Each stage can fail independently; diagnosing a failure means identifying which stage it belongs to.

When to use this skill

• Producing a runnable build for a platform (automated CI or manual).
• Diagnosing a cook or package failure, or a build that works in PIE but breaks packaged.
• Configuring what content ships: always-cook directories, never-cook exclusions, shader sharing.
• Setting up pak chunking for streaming installs, patching, or DLC.
• Choosing the right build configuration and target for a given deployment scenario.

Build configurations and targets

Target types — defined by *.Target.cs files, one per target: