Install the Custom Editor

The PAYDAY 3 modkit uses a custom Unreal Engine 5.5.4 editor with compatibility changes required by the PAYDAY 3 development environment.

The custom editor is distributed through the UnrealEngine-PD3Compatibility GitHub repository.

A stock Unreal Engine installation from the Epic Games Launcher is not a drop-in replacement for this editor.

Use the editor build provided for the current modkit release.

GitHub access and the 404 page

The custom editor repository is based on Unreal Engine source and is only visible to GitHub accounts that have access to Epic Games' Unreal Engine repositories.

If the repository link opens a GitHub 404 - Page not found page, the link may still be correct. GitHub hides restricted repositories from accounts that do not have permission to view them.

Before downloading the custom editor, make sure your GitHub account is authorized for Unreal Engine source access.

Become authorized for Unreal Engine source access

Epic’s official instructions are available at Unreal Engine on GitHub.

  1. Create or sign in to a personal GitHub account.

  2. Sign in to your Epic Games account.

  3. Open your Epic Games account settings and go to Apps & Accounts or Connections, then open the Accounts section.

  4. Find GitHub and select Connect.

  5. If prompted, accept the Unreal Engine End User License Agreement and continue with Link Account.

  6. On GitHub, select Authorize EpicGames when the Epic Games OAuth authorization page appears.

  7. Check the email address associated with your GitHub account for an invitation to join the @EpicGames GitHub organization.

  8. Accept the invitation by selecting Join @EpicGames.

The GitHub organization invitation must be accepted within seven days. Linking the accounts without accepting the organization invitation is not enough to gain access to the Unreal Engine source repositories.

You can verify that authorization is working by opening EpicGames/UnrealEngine while signed in to GitHub.

If that repository opens normally, return to UnrealEngine-PD3Compatibility and refresh the page.

If EpicGames/UnrealEngine still shows a 404 page, check that:

  • You are signed in to the same GitHub account that you linked to Epic Games.

  • You accepted the @EpicGames organization invitation.

  • The invitation has not expired.

  • You are using a personal GitHub account. GitHub Enterprise managed user accounts cannot join the external @EpicGames organization.

If the invitation expired or the account link did not complete correctly, disconnect and reconnect the GitHub account from your Epic Games account, then accept the new invitation.

Download the editor

Open the custom editor repository and use the release that matches the current PAYDAY 3 modkit.

There are two supported ways to install it:

Install using the installer

The installer is the recommended installation method.

  1. Open the repository’s Releases section.

  2. Download the installer from the latest compatible release.

  3. Run the installer.

  4. Choose an installation directory with enough free disk space.

  5. Allow the installer to download or extract the custom editor files.

  6. Wait for installation to complete.

Keep the custom editor in its own directory. Do not install it over an Epic Games Launcher Unreal Engine installation.

After installation, the editor executable should be available beneath the installed engine directory at:

Engine\Binaries\Win64\UnrealEditor.exe

Manual installation

Use manual installation if you do not want to use the installer or need direct control over where the custom editor is stored.

  1. Open the repository’s Releases section.

  2. Download the manual editor package for the release that matches the current modkit.

  3. Create a dedicated folder for the PAYDAY 3 custom editor.

  4. Extract the complete package into that folder.

  5. Keep the directory structure from the archive intact.

  6. Locate Engine\Binaries\Win64\UnrealEditor.exe inside the extracted editor.

  7. Start the editor once to confirm that the installation is valid.

Do not copy individual engine DLLs, executables, plugins, or other files into another Unreal Engine installation. The editor should be kept as a complete matching build.

Verify the installation

Before installing or opening the PAYDAY 3 modkit, confirm that:

  • UnrealEditor.exe starts successfully.

  • The editor reports the expected Unreal Engine version for the current modkit.

  • The installation is separate from stock Epic Games Launcher engine versions.

  • You have not mixed files from different custom editor releases.

You do not need to create a blank Unreal project. The PAYDAY 3 modkit provides the project that will be opened with this editor.

Updating the custom editor

When a new compatibility build is released, use the update instructions provided with that release.

Do not assume that files from older and newer builds can be mixed safely. If an update requires a clean installation, install the new build into a fresh directory or remove the old build as instructed by the release notes.

Building the editor yourself

If you prefer to build the custom editor from source, follow the source-build instructions provided by the UnrealEngine-PD3Compatibility repository.

You must have working Epic Games GitHub authorization before you can access Unreal Engine source repositories and dependent private forks.

Do not mix binaries produced from different Unreal Engine versions or different PAYDAY 3 compatibility revisions.

Next: Install the Modkit.