Export & Builds

Expert guidance for building and distributing Godot games across platforms.

NEVER Do

NEVER export without testing on target platform first — "Works on my machine" doesn't mean it works on Windows/Linux/Android. Test early and often.
NEVER use debug builds for release — Debug builds are 5-10x larger and slower. Always export with --export-release for production.
NEVER hardcode file paths in exports — Use res:// and user:// paths. Absolute paths (C:/Users/...) break on other machines.
NEVER skip code signing on macOS — Unsigned macOS apps trigger Gatekeeper warnings. Users won't run your game.
NEVER include editor-only files in exports — Exclude .md, docs/*, .git via export filters. Reduces build size by 20-50%.

MANDATORY: Read the appropriate script before implementing the corresponding pattern.

AutoLoad for managing game version, build hash, and window titles.