diff --git a/cmake/GameABIConfig.cmake b/cmake/GameABIConfig.cmake
index 8b95dcaf67..0b965aa082 100644
--- a/cmake/GameABIConfig.cmake
+++ b/cmake/GameABIConfig.cmake
@@ -47,6 +47,15 @@ target_link_libraries(dusklight_mod_feature_game INTERFACE
         dusklight_mod_api
         dusklight_game_abi_headers)
 target_compile_definitions(dusklight_mod_feature_game INTERFACE DUSK_MOD_FEATURE_GAME=1)
+# Game headers assume global.h comes first in the translation unit (it defines DUSK_GAME_DATA
+# and friends); force-include it so mods don't depend on include order.
+if (CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_FRONTEND_VARIANT STREQUAL "MSVC")
+    target_compile_options(dusklight_mod_feature_game INTERFACE
+            "$<$<COMPILE_LANGUAGE:CXX>:/FIglobal.h>")
+else ()
+    target_compile_options(dusklight_mod_feature_game INTERFACE
+            "$<$<COMPILE_LANGUAGE:CXX>:SHELL:-include global.h>")
+endif ()
 target_sources(dusklight_mod_feature_game INTERFACE
         ${_game_root}/sdk/src/game_feature.cpp)
 
diff --git a/cmake/ModSDK.cmake b/cmake/ModSDK.cmake
index 87125e12fd..0371a7d61b 100644
--- a/cmake/ModSDK.cmake
+++ b/cmake/ModSDK.cmake
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 #         [RUNTIME_LIBRARIES <file>...] [RES_DIR <res>] [OVERLAY_DIR <overlay>]
 #         [TEXTURES_DIR <textures>] [OUTPUT_DIR <dir>] [BUNDLE])
 set(DUSK_MODS_OUTPUT_DIR "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/mods" CACHE PATH "Directory to write mod packages into")
+set(DUSKLIGHT_SDK_STUB_URL "https://github.com/encounter/dusklight/releases/download/sdk"
+        CACHE STRING "Base URL for game link stubs downloaded by out-of-tree mod builds")
 
 function(_mod_lib_info out_platform_var out_name_var)
     set(_arch "${CMAKE_SYSTEM_PROCESSOR}")
@@ -29,6 +31,34 @@ function(_mod_lib_info out_platform_var out_name_var)
     set(${out_name_var} "mod${_ext}" PARENT_SCOPE)
 endfunction()
 
+# For out-of-tree builds without a game binary: download the version-independent link stub
+# (generated by symgen) for the target platform.
+function(_mod_download_link_stub out_var)
+    _mod_lib_info(_platform _lib_name)
+    if (WIN32)
+        set(_asset "${_platform}.lib")
+    elseif (ANDROID)
+        set(_asset "stub-${_platform}.so")
+    else ()
+        set(_asset "stub-${_platform}")
+    endif ()
+    set(_stub "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/dusklight-sdk-stubs/${_asset}")
+    if (NOT EXISTS "${_stub}")
+        message(STATUS "Mod SDK: downloading link stub ${_asset}")
+        file(DOWNLOAD "${DUSKLIGHT_SDK_STUB_URL}/${_asset}" "${_stub}.tmp" STATUS _status)
+        list(GET _status 0 _code)
+        if (NOT _code EQUAL 0)
+            list(GET _status 1 _error)
+            file(REMOVE "${_stub}.tmp")
+            message(FATAL_ERROR
+                    "Mod SDK: failed to download ${DUSKLIGHT_SDK_STUB_URL}/${_asset}: ${_error}\n"
+                    "Set DUSK_GAME_EXE to a game binary or link stub to skip the download.")
+        endif ()
+        file(RENAME "${_stub}.tmp" "${_stub}")
+    endif ()
+    set(${out_var} "${_stub}" PARENT_SCOPE)
+endfunction()
+
 function(_mod_resolve_source_path out_var path)
     if (IS_ABSOLUTE "${path}")
         set(_path "${path}")
@@ -150,8 +180,7 @@ function(add_mod target_name)
                 elseif (DUSK_GAME_EXE)
                     _mod_resolve_source_path(_game_exe "${DUSK_GAME_EXE}")
                 else ()
-                    message(FATAL_ERROR
-                            "add_mod: FEATURES ${_features} requires DUSK_GAME_EXE (game executable)")
+                    _mod_download_link_stub(_game_exe)
                 endif ()
                 target_link_options(${target_name} PRIVATE
                         -Xlinker -bundle_loader -Xlinker "${_game_exe}")
@@ -164,12 +193,13 @@ function(add_mod target_name)
             if (_needs_host_link)
                 if (TARGET dusklight)
                     target_link_libraries(${target_name} PRIVATE dusklight)
-                elseif (DUSK_GAME_EXE)
-                    _mod_resolve_source_path(_game_lib "${DUSK_GAME_EXE}")
-                    target_link_libraries(${target_name} PRIVATE "${_game_lib}")
                 else ()
-                    message(FATAL_ERROR
-                            "add_mod: FEATURES ${_features} requires DUSK_GAME_EXE (libmain.so or stub)")
+                    if (DUSK_GAME_EXE)
+                        _mod_resolve_source_path(_game_lib "${DUSK_GAME_EXE}")
+                    else ()
+                        _mod_download_link_stub(_game_lib)
+                    endif ()
+                    target_link_libraries(${target_name} PRIVATE "${_game_lib}")
                 endif ()
             endif ()
             set_target_properties(${target_name} PROPERTIES
@@ -202,8 +232,7 @@ function(add_mod target_name)
                                 "(sdk/windows-<arch>.lib)")
                     endif ()
                 else ()
-                    message(FATAL_ERROR
-                            "add_mod: FEATURES ${_features} requires DUSK_GAME_EXE (import library)")
+                    _mod_download_link_stub(_game_lib)
                 endif ()
                 target_link_libraries(${target_name} PRIVATE "${_game_lib}")
             endif ()
diff --git a/sdk/CMakeLists.txt b/sdk/CMakeLists.txt
index 2f25c28efe..cd80781eb6 100644
--- a/sdk/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/sdk/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@
 #   add_subdirectory(<dusk>/sdk dusk-sdk EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
 #   add_mod(my_mod FEATURES game webgpu SOURCES ... MOD_JSON mod.json)
 #
-# TODO: auto-download link targets from tag
+# On platforms where mods link against the game binary (Windows/Apple/Android), a
+# version-independent link stub is downloaded automatically unless DUSK_GAME_EXE is set.
 
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.25)