# Installation

Install the AI Game Dev desktop app on Windows, macOS or Linux, or the gamedev CLI with npm, and keep both up to date.

_Last updated: 2026-11-04_

This page shows how to install the AI Game Dev desktop app and the `gamedev` CLI, which builds exist for each operating system, and how updates work. Both are free to download; what the agent can do depends on your plan (see [Sign-in and account](https://ai-game.dev/docs/wiki/app/sign-in-and-account)).

## Install the desktop app

Open [the download page](https://ai-game.dev/download). It detects your system and offers the matching build, and lists every build below the main button.

| Operating system | Build | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Windows | Signed `.exe` installer, x64 | Runs on Windows on ARM through emulation |
| macOS, Apple silicon | Native `.dmg` for arm64 | Recommended for any M-series Mac |
| macOS, Intel | `.dmg` for x64 | For Intel Macs |
| Linux | AppImage and `.deb`, x86\_64 | No arm64 Linux build yet |

There is no universal macOS binary: pick the Apple silicon or the Intel build. If your browser does not report your Mac's architecture (Safari and Firefox do not), the page shows both builds and lets you choose.

### Windows

1. Download the installer from [the download page](https://ai-game.dev/download).
2. Run the `.exe` and follow the installer.
3. Start **AI Game Dev** from the Start menu.

### macOS

1. Download the `.dmg` for your Mac (Apple silicon or Intel).
2. Open it and drag the app into Applications.
3. Start the app from Applications or Launchpad.

### Linux

Use the `.deb` on Debian and Ubuntu based systems, or the AppImage anywhere else:

```bash
# Debian / Ubuntu: use the name of the file you downloaded
sudo apt install ./<downloaded-file>.deb

# Any distribution: make the AppImage executable, then run it
chmod +x ./<downloaded-file>.AppImage
./<downloaded-file>.AppImage
```

**Note**

You do not need Node.js, npm or the engine CLIs for the desktop app. The installers for the Unity, Unreal and Godot plugins ship inside it.

## Install the gamedev CLI

The `gamedev` CLI is the same agent in your terminal. It is published on npm as `@baizor/gamedev` and installs a self-contained prebuilt binary for your platform: Windows x64, macOS arm64 and x64, Linux x64 and arm64.

Requirements: Node.js 22 or newer with npm.

```bash
npm install -g @baizor/gamedev
gamedev --version
```

Then go to your game project and start it:

```bash
cd /path/to/your/game
gamedev
```

You can also run it once without a global install:

```bash
npx @baizor/gamedev
```

On first launch the CLI asks you to sign in. The full command list is in the [CLI reference](https://ai-game.dev/docs/wiki/app/cli).

## Updates

### Desktop app updates

The desktop app checks for updates on its own. When a new version is available it downloads it in the background and shows **Restart to update**; the update is installed when you restart. You can also check by hand in **Settings**, **About**, which shows the app version and update state.

What changed in each version is on the [release notes page](https://ai-game.dev/releases).

### CLI updates

Update the CLI with one command:

```bash
gamedev update
```

This runs `npm install -g @baizor/gamedev@latest` for you. Inside the interactive CLI, `/update` explains how to upgrade and shows the state of the background service; `/update now` replaces a background service that is waiting to update.

### Package updates

Packages, such as Blender or the Knowledge Base, update separately from the app: they are checked at start-up and every four hours, and you can turn automatic updates off per package. See [Packages](https://ai-game.dev/docs/wiki/app/packages#updates).

## The background service

The desktop app, the CLI and `gamedev acp` all connect to one AI Game Dev background service on your computer. It owns your sign-in, chats, packages and project files, so a chat keeps running if you close the terminal that started it. You normally never touch it. For a computer that should stay reachable from your other devices, the CLI can install it as a per-user OS service that starts at login:

```bash
gamedev daemon status
gamedev daemon install
```

See the [CLI reference](https://ai-game.dev/docs/wiki/app/cli#daemon) for the other `daemon` subcommands.

## What gets installed where

- The app keeps its configuration, sign-in and package cache in the `.ai-game-dev` folder in your home directory (`~/.ai-game-dev/`).
- A project gets a `.ai-game-dev/` folder only when something is stored at the project level, for example a package added for the whole team or Knowledge Base notes.
- Local AI models are stored in a model storage folder that you can move to another drive in **Settings**, **Model storage** (or with `/images storage` in the CLI).

## Next steps

- [Sign in](https://ai-game.dev/docs/wiki/app/sign-in-and-account) with your account.
- [Open your first project](https://ai-game.dev/docs/wiki/app/projects-and-engines).
- Prefer to set up an engine plugin by hand? See the plugin install guides for [Unity](https://ai-game.dev/docs/wiki/unity/installation), [Unreal](https://ai-game.dev/docs/wiki/unreal/installation) and [Godot](https://ai-game.dev/docs/wiki/godot/installation).

---

Source (HTML): https://ai-game.dev/docs/wiki/app/installation