ShipThis
A CLI tool to build and publish Godot games to the App Store and Google Play without requiring Xcode or Android Studio.
What is ShipThis?
ShipThis is a command-line interface that simplifies building and publishing Godot games to major mobile app stores. It handles complex infrastructure and credential management, providing free cloud builds for most solo developers and automating the pipeline from code to store submission.
Indie and solo Godot game developers who want to publish to iOS App Store and Google Play without managing local macOS environments or complex mobile publishing toolchains.
Developers choose ShipThis because it eliminates the need for local macOS hardware for iOS builds, automates the entire credential and signing process for both platforms, and offers a free tier tailored for solo developers, reducing technical barriers to mobile game publishing.
Overview
CLI to build and publish Godot games to the App Store and Google Play - no Xcode or Android Studio required.
Use Cases
Best For
- Building iOS binaries (IPA) for Godot games without access to a Mac computer.
- Automating the creation and management of signing certificates, keystores, and provisioning profiles for Apple and Google platforms.
- Setting up continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipelines for Godot mobile games using the provided GitHub Action.
- Publishing Godot games to both the App Store and Google Play from a single command-line tool.
- Generating Android APK or AAB files for testing without needing a Google Play Developer account.
- Debugging failed Godot mobile builds with real-time logs and verbose output options via the CLI.
Not Ideal For
- Teams using non-Godot game engines like Unity or Unreal Engine
- Projects with strict data sovereignty requirements that prohibit uploading code to third-party cloud services
- Developers needing to build for platforms beyond iOS and Android, such as desktop or web
Pros & Cons
Pros
Generates IPA files on managed cloud servers, eliminating the need for local macOS hardware, as highlighted in the Cloud Builds feature.
Handles certificates, keystores, API keys, and provisioning profiles for both Apple and Google platforms, reducing manual setup errors.
Offers free cloud builds for most solo developers during the open beta, lowering cost barriers to mobile publishing.
Provides a GitHub Action and works with pipelines, enabling automated builds and deployments without interactive shells.
Cons
Only supports Godot games, making it useless for developers using other game engines like Unity or Unreal.
Relies entirely on ShipThis's cloud service; builds require internet access, and service downtime or future pricing changes could disrupt workflows.
As an open beta service, it may have bugs, incomplete features, or breaking changes, and pricing post-beta is not guaranteed to remain favorable.
Frequently Asked Questions
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