Opal Desktop
Opal Desktop is the same editor and runtime as the browser, running as an app on your computer. A project is an ordinary folder. You can work offline, then use File → Cloud Sync… to move that folder onto your Opal account.
Download installers for macOS, Linux, and Windows from opal-engine.com/download.
Important: The desktop preview is unsigned. Your operating system may ask you to approve the app the first time you open it. Publishing to the arcade is still File → Publish to Arcade… in the browser editor after the project is on your account — Desktop has no Publish command.
When To Use It
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| Edit on a plane, or without signing in | Desktop, offline |
| The same project on another machine | Cloud Sync… after website sign-in |
| A playable public page | Browser editor → Publish to Arcade… |
| A file you can email or archive | File → Export Game (either editor) |
Browser projects live on your account. Desktop projects live in a folder named after the game (My Game lives in a My Game folder). Deleting that folder removes the local project and leaves any cloud copy in place.
Install And Open
- Download the installer for your OS from opal-engine.com/download.
- Open the app. If the OS warns that it is unsigned, approve it the way your platform asks.
- File → New Project… to create a folder, or File → Open Folder… to open one you already have.
- File → Recent Folders… returns to recent paths.
Newer versions come from that same download page. Project folders and preferences are preserved.
File Menu On Desktop
These commands sit on File in Desktop (they are not in the browser File menu):
| Command | Use |
|---|---|
Save Project (⌘S / Ctrl+S) | Write the open folder now |
| Project History… | Recoverable revisions of this folder |
| Cloud Sync… | Upload, download latest, or sync with your account |
| New Project… | Create a new folder |
| Open Folder… | Open an existing project folder |
| Recent Folders… | Reopen a recent path |
| Reveal Project Folder | Show the folder in the OS file manager |
| Duplicate Project… | Copy the folder |
| Save Recovery Copy… | Write a recovery folder and switch to it |
| Check for Updates… | Ask the app whether a newer build is available |
| Reload from Folder… | Re-read the folder from disk |
Import Scene…, Export Scene, and Export Game work here too. There is no Publish to Arcade… on Desktop.
Cloud Sync
File → Cloud Sync… opens a dialog. Local saves stay in the folder whether you are signed in or not.
If you are not signed in:
- Sign in through website…
- The app shows a code. Open the matching page in the browser and approve only if you started the sign-in from Desktop.
- I approved it — finish sign-in.
Once signed in:
| Action | Use |
|---|---|
| Upload… | Send this folder to your account |
| Download Latest… | Bring cloud changes into this folder |
| Sync… | Combine both sides |
| Download a Cloud Project… | Save an existing account project into a new folder |
Each transfer shows a plan first (file count, differences, conflicts). Review it, resolve any conflict (Desktop vs Cloud vs last shared), then Apply. Local configuration files can stay on this computer; the dialog lists them.
A typical loop:
Desktop folder -> Cloud Sync / Upload
Browser /create -> edit, Play, Publish to Arcade
Desktop -> Cloud Sync / Download Latest or SyncRecovery
Save Recovery Copy… writes another folder and switches you to it. If a recovery is incomplete, the editor says so — keep that window open and retry Save rather than assuming the copy is whole.
Project History… lists checkpoints created when you save. Restoring a revision is a Desktop-only undo across sessions, not the in-editor Ctrl+Z stack.