CLion Just Made Raylib Setup Too Easy

This is Rambod, and in this guide we’re setting up CLion for modern C++ game development with Raylib.

CLion is now free for non-commercial use, which makes it one of the most powerful C++ IDEs available to indie developers, students, or hobbyists. Pairing CLion with CMake and vcpkg gives you a clean, fast workflow with zero manual library hunting.

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a working Raylib Hello World project running inside CLion.

1) Why CLion + CMake + vcpkg?

• CLion → professional C++ IDE with deep debugging, real-time code analysis, and first-class CMake integration.
• CMake → the standard build system for cross-platform C++ projects.
• vcpkg → Microsoft’s package manager for C++ libraries. Works like npm/pip: search, install, and go.

This stack means no more manually setting up headers and binaries. You just add Raylib from vcpkg, update CMakeLists.txt, and run.

2) Installing CLion

• Download from JetBrains CLion.
• Make sure you grab the “Free for Non-Commercial Use” version.
• Available for Windows, macOS, Linux.

CLion comes with smart completion, live CMake feedback, and built-in Git integration.

3) Choosing Your Compiler

On Windows, you can pick from:

• MSVC (Microsoft Visual C++ via Visual Studio)
• MinGW
• Clang/LLVM

All are supported by CLion. Pick one depending on your workflow:

• MSVC → best for Windows-only projects.
• MinGW → lighter setup, works well with Raylib.
• Clang → more cross-platform consistency.

If you haven’t installed these yet, follow their official instructions:

• Visual Studio C++
• MinGW-w64
• Clang

4) Creating a New CLion Project

1. Open CLion → New Project.
2. Select C++ Executable template.
3. Set Project Name (e.g., RambodDevRaylib).
4. Choose C++ Standard (recommend C++23).
5. Click Create.

CLion generates a starter main.cpp and a CMakeLists.txt.

5) Configuring Toolchains in CLion

• Go to Settings → Build, Execution, Deployment → Toolchains.
• CLion auto-detects compilers on your system.
• Drag your preferred one to the top (MSVC, MinGW, or Clang).
• You can switch later if needed.

👉 This flexibility is great if you build projects for multiple platforms.

6) Setting Up vcpkg in CLion

1. Open View → Tool Windows → vcpkg.
2. In the vcpkg panel, click the + button to add a repository.
3. Fill out:
   • Name (e.g., “vcpkg classic”).
   • URL → leave default GitHub URL unless using a fork.
   • Directory → the folder where you installed/cloned vcpkg.
4. Check both options:
   • Add integration to current CMake profiles.
   • Add integration to Debug builds.

When the repo is active, its icon turns yellow and CLion reloads CMake.

7) Installing Raylib via vcpkg

• In the vcpkg tool window, search for raylib.
• Select it → click Install.
• Once installed, CLion suggests the necessary CMake lines.

You’ll get something like:

find_package(raylib CONFIG REQUIRED)
target_link_libraries(RambodDev PRIVATE raylib)

⚠️ Replace RambodDev with your actual project name from add_executable.

8) Updating CMakeLists.txt

Your CMakeLists.txt should look like this:

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.26)
project(RambodDevRaylib)

set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 23)

add_executable(RambodDevRaylib main.cpp)

find_package(raylib CONFIG REQUIRED)
target_link_libraries(RambodDevRaylib PRIVATE raylib)

• Place find_package and target_link_libraries after add_executable.
• If you misplace them, CMake will throw errors.

9) Reloading CMake

• Click the Reload CMake button in the left panel.
• First reload may error out → just retry once.
• On second load, CLion usually resolves it.

10) Writing the Raylib Hello World

Replace main.cpp with this:

#include "raylib.h"

int main() {
    InitWindow(800, 600, "Hello Raylib");
    SetTargetFPS(60);

    while (!WindowShouldClose()) {
        BeginDrawing();
        ClearBackground(RAYWHITE);
        DrawText("Hello World from Raylib + CLion!", 190, 200, 20, BLACK);
        EndDrawing();
    }

    CloseWindow();
    return 0;
}

Build & Run → you now have a working Raylib project.

Subtitle Expansion (Tutorial Flow)

“This is Rambod. CLion is now free for non-commercial use. It’s a professional IDE built for C++ with CMake integration. Pair it with vcpkg and Raylib for a modern workflow. Download CLion from JetBrains, pick a compiler (MSVC, MinGW, or Clang), and create a new C++ executable project. In Settings → Toolchains, reorder compilers as you like. Open the vcpkg tool window, add your repo, check integration, and reload. Search for Raylib, install it, and copy the find_package + target_link_libraries lines into CMakeLists.txt. Replace main with your project name. Reload CMake—retry if the first attempt errors. Paste a Raylib Hello World into main.cpp, build, and run. You now have a clean, dynamic Raylib setup inside CLion with zero manual setup.”

Wrap-Up

We just built a minimal, professional C++ workflow:

• CLion (free for non-commercial use) as the IDE.
• CMake as the build system.
• vcpkg as the package manager.
• Raylib integrated in minutes.

💡 Perfect for indie devs, students, and prototyping.

👉 Watch the full video here: YouTube Link 👉 Try Raylib: Raylib GitHub 👉 More tutorials: Rambod Dev Channel