Required Software

Because the Visual Studio installer really wants you to install 2026 instead of 2022, this approach requires you to do a small workaround.

When the installer first opens, use its default settings to install Visual Studio 2022. If you were to close out of this prompt, only the option to install 2026 will be provided, and you’d have to close and reopen the installer to get it again.

After the installer completes, open it again and use the "More" dropdown on Visual Studio 2022’s entry to select Import Configuration.

Download this configuration file and select it in the installer’s prompt. Next, press Review details and continue with the installation.

From the "Workloads" tab, select:

You might have to scroll a bit to find them.

Next, from the "Individual Components" tab, search for and select:

Note that even though some of these components are marked as "Out of Support", they are the versions that Satisfactory and Unreal use, so you must use them.

Downloading and installing Visual Studio can take a while. We advise you to find some lizard doggos to pet while you wait, or work on some of the other install steps below.

For this step, you’ll need a GitHub account, so sign up for one if you don’t already have one.

Once you’ve got a GitHub account, you’ll need to register it with Epic Games and join the Epic Games GitHub organization to be able to download this special version. Directions on how to link so can be found here.

If the page says, "Sorry, the service is temporarily unavailable. Please try back later." try turning off any ad-blockers or content filters you may have enabled and refreshing the page without cache (Ctrl+Shift+R).

You will probably have to check your email and confirm from there, as well as making sure you’re logged into your linked GitHub account when you follow the upcoming link.

Verify this step has worked by visiting this repository link: https://github.com/EpicGames/UnrealEngine/ (or https://github.com/EpicGames-Mirror-A/UnrealEngine/ since June 2024) If it worked, you will see a private GitHub repository. If it didn’t work, you’ll get a 404 page, so try the other link. If neither link works, try again in a few minutes and make sure you didn’t miss any steps in Unreal’s instructions.

Once you’re sure it works, close that browser tab - we don’t need any files from this repository. Visiting there was just to verify that you have access.

In addition to the changes Coffee Stain has made to Unreal Engine, the modding community has also applied some engine changes of our own.

You’ll have to link your account through a tool we created in order to view our repository and download the required files. To use the tool, visit the following link: https://linker.ficsit.app/link

After the linking process is complete you should be redirected to the engine GitHub repository.

After you have access to the custom engine repository it’s safe to remove the application’s permissions by visiting your GitHub settings page.

Next, navigate to the Satisfactory Modding custom Unreal Engine GitHub project to download some installer files.

The below box will contain a link to the specific release that you should download. It’s imperative that you download the correct engine for the version of the game you’re modding or you will have to repeat a large amount of the setup process again.

Download the following files from the release linked above:

Save all 3 files in the same folder, and make sure that their names are exactly the same as listed above otherwise the installer will not work.

Once all files have finished downloading, run the .exe and follow through its prompts to install the custom Unreal Engine version and corresponding Editor.

This install process, and opening Unreal for the first time afterwards, can take some time. Don’t worry about opening Unreal yet, though. It will probably ask you to compile things you haven’t properly set up yet.

Once the installer is done you can optionally install a Visual Studio extension shipped with the Editor. This extension allows you to directly open C‍+‍+ files from the Unreal editor.

Navigate to where you installed the Editor, which is likely C:\Program Files\Unreal Engine - CSS\, then navigate to the folder \Engine\Extras\UnrealVS\. Open the sub folder for the version of Visual Studio you have installed (probably 2022) and run the .vsix installer.

Visit Wwise and click on the Download Audiokinetic Launcher button. Clicking the button will probably redirect you to a sign in page. Create an account if you don’t have one yet, or sign in, to download and run the installer.

After the installer is complete it should open the launcher for you.

In the launcher’s left sidebar, select the topmost Wwise section (note: not the "Wwise Audio Lab" section). Under the "INSTALL A NEW VERSION" heading, click the Latest drop-down and change it to All. Select 2023.1 from the "Major" dropdown. Select version 2023.1.3.8471 from the "Version" dropdown. Click Install.

Once presented with options on what to install, select:

If anything else is selected by default, do not uncheck them. They are required for Visual Studio to work.

Click Next (you may need to scroll down to see the button). You don’t need to add any plugins, so press Select None in the top right then Install (or Modify if you already have it installed) in the bottom left to begin the installation process. Accept any User Account Control or Terms and Conditions prompts that appear along the way.