Download, Install and Setup

Summary

Published: October 22 2020 Created by @JJTurtle Last documented update: @reihera, April 20 2025

This section will walk you through the process of downloading and installing Wolvenkit.

TL;DR

1. Install REDMod and .NET from the Prerequisites section below

2. Download Wolvenkit-X.X.X.zip from github (stable | nightly)

3. Extract it to a folder of your choice

4. Run it and do the initial configuration

5. Optional: Proceed to the guide how to set up the modding tools

Prerequisites

For detailed instructions on installing other software that you might need for mod development, see the section

• Windows 10/11 (64-bit) or a Linux build of your choice

• REDMod (Cyberpunk's modding framework)

• For older WKit versions: Microsoft .NET 6 (versions <= 8.7.1)

• For current WKit: The most recent Microsoft .NET (confirmed working with .NET 8 and Wolvenkit 8.13)

Downloading Wolvenkit

You can download Wolvenkit from any of the following links (click on the cards). If you are uncertain, go to Nexus.

What's a "Nightly" and do I want it?

The Nightly is a build of the latest development stand, created automatically every night via pipeline (hence the name). It contains new features that are being worked on, but introduces the risk of bugs.

You will usually want to use the stable version, unless you want to try out new features, help with development and testing, or generally like to live dangerously.

Here are links to the most recent build for each repository:

Which version do I want?

If you're on Nexus, then you can only download the portable (default) version. In this case, head to the next section.

Github offers you more options:

Installing

WolvenKit is not technically installed, you extract the downloaded file into a folder and it runs as a portable application. When you update the application, you'll overwrite the existing files with those that you've newly downloaded — you don't need to delete the old files, unless you run into weird problems.

Your settings are saved in C:\Users\yourUserName\AppData\Roaming\REDModding\WolvenKit.

For Linux Users

Installation

1. Download the WolvenKit-x.x.x.zip or WolvenKit-x.x.x-nightly.yyyy.mm.dd.zip files (NOT THE LINUX VERSION) from Stable or Nightly releases, depending on how much you want to gamble.

2. Extract them literally wherever you want it doesn't really matter, just remember where you put it.

3. Find the WolvenKit.exe file in the extracted zip file, copy the path.

4. Now here's where it gets weird, open Steam and go to your libary. Find the "Games" tab on the menu bar, and click on "Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library"

5. In the window that just opened, press "browse", and paste the link, then select WolvenKit.exe if it's not selected already, and press "Add Selected Program".

6. Find WolvenKit in your library, right click on it in the sidebar, press properties. Go into the compatability tab, select "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatability tool" and then select "Proton Hotfix".

7. When you first launch, it will ask for path to Cyberpunk2077.exe. It will be located in ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/common/Cyberpunk 2077/bin/x64/Cyberpunk2077.exe

8. All done!

Known Linux Issues (see bug reports for reporting):

• Mesh Preview does not work.

• Font is not loaded correctly.

• The launch splash is not transparent on Stable.

TLDR;

1. Download the new release, extract the files (over your old install if you have one) and run it.

2. Optional: Proceed to the full configuration instructions.

3. Troubleshooting: Delete everything in the install folder, then re-extract the downloaded files again.

4. More troubleshooting: Find us on Discord in the #wolvenkit-help-me channel.

Optional: Removing old versions

If you don't have any old versions installed, you can proceed to the next section.

1. Delete all the files in C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\WolvenKit from the previous release so that any cached and orphaned files do not corrupt the updated release.

   
2. Delete all the files in C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\WolvenKit.CLI from the previous release so that any cached and orphaned files do not corrupt the updated release.

   

Extracting the downloaded files

Regular Wolvenkit

Extract the zip file Wolvenkit-X.X.X.zip to C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\WolvenKit.

Optional: Wolvenkit Console

Unpack the zip file Wolvenkit.Console-X.X.X.zip toC:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\WolvenKit.CLI.

Optional: Creating a shortcut

If you want to launch Wolvenkit without browsing to the folder every time, you can create a custom shortcut and pin it to the start menu.

1. Go to C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\WolvenKit

2. Right-click the executable WolvenKit.exe

3. Select "Create Shortcut"

4. You should now see something like this:

   
5. Click "OK"

6. Right-click on your shortcut again and select "Pin to Start Menu"

7. That's it! You can launch now!

First Launch - TL;DR

When launching WolvenKit for the first time you will be greeted with a welcome form asking to set your preferences.

We recommend setting the path to your game files immediately.

The Game Executable Path (.exe) is the file path or location of the Cyberpunk2077.exe file. This can be set by manually entering a file path, or using the folder icon to open Windows Explorer.

The Depot Path is where WolvenKit will keep extracted Cyberpunk assets and files that are required for regular operation.