Install Gymnasium on Windows

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Installing Conda Package Manager
3. Creating a New Conda Environment
4. Installing Python
5. Installing Gym Environments
6. Validating Gym Installation
7. Troubleshooting Gym Installation
8. Pros and Cons of Gymnasium Reinforcement Learning Library
9. Conclusion
10. FAQ

Installing Gymnasium Reinforcement Learning Library on Windows

If You're interested in reinforcement learning, you've probably heard of Gymnasium. It's a popular library for developing and comparing reinforcement learning algorithms. However, Gymnasium is only officially supported on Linux and Mac OS. If you're a Windows user, you might run into some problems when trying to install it. In this article, we'll Show you how to get Gymnasium installed on Windows.

Installing Conda Package Manager

The first thing you need to do is install the Conda package manager. You can choose either Miniconda or Anaconda. We recommend using Miniconda, as it's a lightweight version of Anaconda. Go to the Miniconda Website and select the 64-bit version. Let it download, and then launch the installer. Follow the installation screens to get it installed.

Creating a New Conda Environment

Once you have Conda installed, you can Create a new Conda environment to house the Gymnasium packages. Open the Anaconda prompt by clicking on the start menu and typing "Anaconda". It doesn't matter if you have Anaconda or Miniconda installed, the command prompt is the same. Type "create -n gymenv" to create a new environment named "gymenv". It will tell you how to activate the environment, so type "conda activate gymenv".

Installing Python

Now that you have a new environment, you need to install Python. Make sure to check the documentation to see which version is supported. At the time of writing, Gymnasium supports up to version 3.11. Type "conda install python=3.11" to install Python. If you want to upgrade Python in the future, just type "conda remove python" and then install the version that you want.

Installing Gym Environments

Now it's time to install the Gym environments. We'll install each set of environments one by one. Start with Classic Control by copying and pasting "conda install -c conda-forge gym[classic_control]" into the command prompt. This one should install without any problems. Next, skip over Box2D, as it can be problematic on Windows. Install Toy Text by typing "conda install -c conda-forge gym[toy_text]". It looks like it already got installed when we did Classic Control.

Move on to Mujoco by typing "conda install -c conda-forge gym[mujoco]". Then install Atari by typing "conda install -c conda-forge gym[atari]". Atari has two commands, so make sure to grab both of them.

If you try to install Box2D at this point, it will error out and complain about something called "swig". Type "conda install swig" to install it. Now if you try to install Box2D again, it will complain about not having Microsoft C++ build tools. Go to the website that it gave us, download the build tools, and launch the installer. The one that we need is "Desktop development with C++". Put a check mark on this one and then click "Install". Now if we try to install Box2D again, it should work.

Validating Gym Installation

Now that we have Gym installed, let's try to launch a few environments to make sure it's working. Open Visual Studio Code and create a validation file. Tell VSCode to use the environment that you just created by hitting "Ctrl+Shift+P" and choosing "Select Interpreter". Find the Gym environment that we created and select it. You can see at the bottom right that We Are pointing to the Gym environment.

Open a new terminal. If your terminal is set to use PowerShell, it won't be able to activate the Gym environment. Change the terminal to the regular command prompt instead of PowerShell, and then create a new one. Now it's able to activate the Gym environment.

Copy and paste the sample code from the Gym website into your validation file. Hit "F5" to run it and choose "Debug Current active Python file". It should work. Try a few environments to make sure everything is working correctly.

Troubleshooting Gym Installation

If you run into any problems during the installation process, don't worry. Gym installation can be tricky on Windows. Here are a few tips to help you troubleshoot:

• Make sure you're using the correct version of Python.
• Make sure you're using the correct version of Gym.
• Make sure you have all the necessary dependencies installed.
• Try installing the environments one by one instead of all at once.
• If all else fails, try using a virtual machine with Linux or Mac OS.

Pros and Cons of Gymnasium Reinforcement Learning Library

Pros:

• Gymnasium is a popular and well-documented library for reinforcement learning.
• It provides a wide range of environments for testing and developing algorithms.
• It's open-source and free to use.

Cons:

• Gymnasium is only officially supported on Linux and Mac OS.
• Installing Gymnasium on Windows can be tricky and time-consuming.
• Some environments, such as Box2D, can be problematic on Windows.

Conclusion

Gymnasium is a powerful library for reinforcement learning, but it can be difficult to install on Windows. By following the steps outlined in this article, you should be able to get it up and running in no time. Remember to troubleshoot any problems that you encounter, and don't hesitate to reach out to the community for help.

FAQ

Q: Is Gymnasium only for reinforcement learning? A: Yes, Gymnasium is specifically designed for reinforcement learning.

Q: Can I use Gymnasium on Windows? A: Yes, it's possible to install Gymnasium on Windows, but it can be tricky.

Q: What environments does Gymnasium provide? A: Gymnasium provides a wide range of environments, including Classic Control, Box2D, Toy Text, Mujoco, and Atari.

Q: Is Gymnasium free to use? A: Yes, Gymnasium is open-source and free to use.