Your First Build

Build your HTML5 game as a native desktop app in 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

• GemShell installed
• An HTML5 game folder with index.html

Step 1: Select Your Game

1. Open GemShell
2. Click Select Game Folder
3. Choose your game's root folder

Your folder should contain at least an index.html:

my-game/
├── index.html
├── game.js
└── assets/

Step 2: Configure Basic Settings

Fill in the Project Settings:

Setting	Description	Example
Game Title	Display name	"My Awesome Game"
App Name	Identifier (no spaces)	"my-awesome-game"
Version	Semantic version	"1.0.0"

Step 3: Set Window Size

Configure the game window:

Setting	Description
Width	Window width in pixels
Height	Window height in pixels
Resizable	Allow window resizing
Fullscreen	Start in fullscreen

Step 4: Select Platforms

Choose target platforms:

macOS:

• ARM64 (Apple Silicon)
• x64 (Intel)

Windows:

• x64 (most common)
• ARM64
• 32-bit (legacy)

Linux:

• x64
• ARM64

Step 5: Build

Click Build and wait for completion.

Builds are saved to:

~/GemShell-Builds/GameTitle-Version/
├── macos-arm64/
│   └── GameTitle.app
├── macos-x64/
│   └── GameTitle.app
├── windows-x64/
│   └── GameTitle.exe
└── linux-x64/
    └── GameTitle

Step 6: Test

1. Navigate to your build folder
2. Run the executable for your platform
3. Verify everything works

Troubleshooting

Build Fails Immediately

• Check that index.html exists in your game folder
• Ensure no special characters in folder path

Game Shows Blank Screen

• Open DevTools (Cmd+Shift+I / Ctrl+Shift+I)
• Check console for JavaScript errors
• Verify all assets are in the game folder

Window Size is Wrong

• Check your game's CSS doesn't override window size
• Ensure responsive design works at configured dimensions

Next Steps

• Configuration - All available options
• Steamworks - Add Steam integration
• GemShell API - Native features