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Setup & Installation

Getting Specter running in your project requires two steps: installing the Unreal Engine C++ Plugin, and setting up the TypeScript testing environment.

🏢 Enterprise B2B Licensing & Access

Specter is a commercial B2B framework distributed via private npm registry and enterprise C++ plugin repository access. To get access for your studio or set up a 30-Day Proof of Concept ($2,500), please schedule a technical walkthrough with our team.

🎮 Engine Version Compatibility Matrix

  • UE 5.3 – UE 5.8+ (Standard Support): Full native out-of-the-box C++ support for all modern Unreal Engine 5 releases.
  • UE 5.0 – UE 5.2 (Legacy Support): Backward-compatible preprocessor builds available upon request for legacy games in live service.
  • UE 6.0 Preview: Experimental zero-day compatibility for early Unreal Engine 6 builds.

1. Unreal Engine C++ Plugin

The SpecterEnginePlugin is a standard UE5 Runtime module plugin that can be installed as either a Project Plugin or an Engine Plugin.

  1. Project Plugin: Copy the Specter folder into the Plugins/ directory of your specific Unreal Project (YourGame/Plugins/Specter).
  2. Engine Plugin: Copy the Specter folder into your engine installation directory (UE_5.4/Engine/Plugins/Specter) to make automation automatically available across every project opened in that UE5 engine build.
  3. Open your project and verify that Specter is enabled under Edit → Plugins → Testing.
  4. The Specter.uplugin registers as a Runtime module initialized during the Default loading phase. Recompile your project if prompted.

2. Node.js Test Wrapper

Install the test runner in your Unreal Engine project root—typically inside a dedicated specter/ (or tests/) directory alongside your .uproject, following the same convention as web projects using a root playwright/ folder—or in a dedicated automation repository:

npm install @specter-automation/test --save-dev

Recommended Project Layout:

YourGame/
├── Content/
├── Source/
├── Plugins/
│   └── Specter/           # Unreal C++ Plugin
├── specter/               # Test runner root (or tests/)
│   ├── package.json
│   ├── playwright.config.ts
│   └── combat.spec.ts
└── YourGame.uproject

Once installed, you can write tests using the standard Playwright runner and execute them using npx playwright test.

← IntroductionWriting Your First Test →