Installation¶
You don't really need to install Nutshell, but you need to have the binary somewhere on your workstation!
Download¶
Go to the releases page to grab the latest release.
In the Assets -> Packages section, you will find multiple flavors of the Nutshell binary:
Flavors¶
First, you will have to pick a flavor for the binary:
Battery included!
Both flavors contains everything needed to run or develop your game. But you only need to have one to start !
Static¶
"It is dangerous to go alone! Take this."
It is a single standalone and portable binary. This is the version most users will want to get.
Shared¶
"I can do anything... I'm an expert."
This version is for "advanced" users. It is a bundle of Nutshell and its dependencies' libraries.
This Nutshell binary requires to have the dependencies' libraries in a known path so that it can load them at runtime.
Yes, it enable one to replace either the Nutshell binary or each dependency individually. But it is also easy to forget to bundle them again with your game for distribution.
The counterpart is that if a user already have the dependencies libraries installed on it's system, you can only distribute the Nutshell executable in its tiniest version!
Operating system / Architecture¶
Obviously, you should download the correct version for your operating system.
Linux¶
The following Linux systems are known to work :
| Distribution | Version | Arch | Known to work |
|---|---|---|---|
| CachyOS | amd64 | ✅ | |
| Debian | Forky | amd64 | ✅ |
Windows¶
The following Windows systems are known to work :
| Distribution | Version | Arch | Known to work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | 11 | amd64 | ✅ |
| Windows | 10 | amd64 | ✅ |
| Windows | 8.1 | amd64 | ✅ |
| Windows | 8 | amd64 | ✅ |
Profiles¶
Finally, there are 2 profiles to choose from, depending on how you intend to use Nutshell in the long run.
| Profile | Usage | Supported file formats | Static Binary Size (Linux UPX / Windows / Windows UPX1) | Distribution size (Linux UPX / Windows) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Full desktop games. | All supported | ~12MB / ~19MB / ~13MB | ~12MB / ~14MB |
| Mini | Quick prototypes, game jams. | Limited | ~5MB / ~11MB / ~5.5MB | ~5MB / ~6MB |
"Even the smallest nutshell can change the course of the future."
The Mini profile is built for quick prototypes and game jams where minimal distribution size matters most.
It only keeps core essential file formats and has no complex text rendering.
Yet it packs more than enough power to start building incredible games!
Installation¶
Easy: extract the downloaded archive file with your favorite file archiver software.
You will find a nutshell (or nutshell.exe) file in the extracted directory.
This is the Nutshell binary.
Let's play and learn to use it! 