I would like to clarify whether it is possible to use an Installed Build of Unreal Engine with Unreal Game Sync (UGS) when we do not intend to modify the engine source itself.
The goal is to allow team members to simply sync and build their game projects without having to build the entire engine locally. Using an Installed Build would also help keep the repository size smaller and more lightweight.
I generated an Installed Build using the default BuildGraph command:
In general, is it possible to use an Installed Build with Unreal Game Sync?
If yes, what modifications (e.g., changes to InstallerdEngineBuild.xml or additional BuildGraph variables) are required to include the missing components needed by UGS?
Are there any adjustments recommended in the UGS configuration or source before building the UnrealGameSync.msi installer to support such a setup?
Unreal Game Sync wasn’t designed for use with an Installed Build of Unreal Editor. It’s specifically made for projects using the Native folder structure, where you have the Engine folder containing UE’s source code alongside your project. See more about the Native folder structure in the documentation and in “Setting Up an Unreal Engine Studio the Epic Way.” One of UGS’s main purposes is to keep Editor code and game content in sync.
You may be able to work around this limitation and still use an Installed Build by including the source code for UE in your repository, while using an Installed Build to launch the project. Then UGS doesn’t complain about missing files. I’ve had some success with that in a test project.
But I would recommend not doing that and sticking to “The Epic Way” to benefit from the features that it brings. Without an Installed Build, you can still deliver precompiled binaries of the Unreal Editor through UGS! The benefits of doing so mean that as soon as you update Unreal Editor, everyone on the team gets the new version automatically when they sync through UGS, without needing to go through the Epic Games Launcher. It also makes debugging easier, as programmers have access to the source code, and it enables you to create server builds or change the build configuration of the editor, which requires building it from the source code.
Team members can make UGS download a precompiled version of Unreal Editor by selecting Options -> Sync Precompiled Binaries. You’ll still need to generate those binaries; the standard way of generating them is by having a Continuous Integration server build them whenever changes are made to the source code.