diff --git a/packages/api/cli/src/electron-forge-init.ts b/packages/api/cli/src/electron-forge-init.ts
index 934dce4454..f25ac25739 100644
--- a/packages/api/cli/src/electron-forge-init.ts
+++ b/packages/api/cli/src/electron-forge-init.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,10 @@ program
     '--skip-git',
     'Skip initializing a git repository in the initialized project.',
   )
+  .option(
+    '--electron-version [version]',
+    'Set a specific Electron version for your Forge project. Can take in a version string (e.g. `38.3.0`) or `latest`, `beta`, or `nightly` tags.',
+  )
   .action(async (dir) => {
     const options = program.opts();
     const tasks = new Listr<InitOptions>(
@@ -41,6 +45,7 @@ program
             initOpts.force = Boolean(options.force);
             initOpts.skipGit = Boolean(options.skipGit);
             initOpts.dir = resolveWorkingDir(dir, false);
+            initOpts.electronVersion = options.electronVersion ?? 'latest';
           },
         },
         {
@@ -117,6 +122,29 @@ program
             }
 
             initOpts.template = `${bundler}${language ? `-${language}` : ''}`;
+
+            // TODO: add prompt for passing in an exact version as well
+            initOpts.electronVersion = await prompt.run<Prompt<string, any>>(
+              select,
+              {
+                message: 'Select an Electron release',
+                choices: [
+                  {
+                    name: 'electron@latest',
+                    value: 'latest',
+                  },
+                  {
+                    name: 'electron@beta',
+                    value: 'beta',
+                  },
+                  {
+                    name: 'electron-nightly@latest',
+                    value: 'nightly',
+                  },
+                ],
+              },
+            );
+
             initOpts.skipGit = !(await prompt.run(confirm, {
               message: `Would you like to initialize Git in your new project?`,
               default: true,
diff --git a/packages/api/core/spec/fast/init-git.spec.ts b/packages/api/core/spec/fast/init-scripts/init-git.spec.ts
similarity index 97%
rename from packages/api/core/spec/fast/init-git.spec.ts
rename to packages/api/core/spec/fast/init-scripts/init-git.spec.ts
index a20c3ec0e8..aefae37aad 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/spec/fast/init-git.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/api/core/spec/fast/init-scripts/init-git.spec.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import path from 'node:path';
 
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 
-import { initGit } from '../../src/api/init-scripts/init-git';
+import { initGit } from '../../../src/api/init-scripts/init-git';
 
 let dir: string;
 let dirID = Date.now();
diff --git a/packages/api/core/spec/fast/init-scripts/init-npm.spec.ts b/packages/api/core/spec/fast/init-scripts/init-npm.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..09aa5772f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/api/core/spec/fast/init-scripts/init-npm.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+import { PACKAGE_MANAGERS } from '@electron-forge/core-utils';
+import { ForgeListrTask } from '@electron-forge/shared-types';
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+
+import { deps, devDeps, initNPM } from '../../../src/api/init-scripts/init-npm';
+import {
+  DepType,
+  DepVersionRestriction,
+  installDependencies,
+} from '../../../src/util/install-dependencies';
+
+vi.mock('../../../src/util/install-dependencies', async (importOriginal) => ({
+  ...(await importOriginal()),
+  installDependencies: vi.fn(),
+}));
+
+describe('init-npm', () => {
+  const mockTask = {
+    output: '',
+  } as ForgeListrTask<unknown>;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  describe('with regular electron version', () => {
+    it('should call installDependencies three times with correct parameters', async () => {
+      const pm = PACKAGE_MANAGERS['npm'];
+      const dir = '/test/dir';
+
+      await initNPM(pm, dir, 'latest', mockTask);
+      expect(vi.mocked(installDependencies)).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+        1,
+        pm,
+        dir,
+        deps,
+      );
+      expect(vi.mocked(installDependencies)).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+        2,
+        pm,
+        dir,
+        devDeps,
+        DepType.DEV,
+      );
+      expect(vi.mocked(installDependencies)).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+        3,
+        pm,
+        dir,
+        ['electron@latest'],
+        DepType.DEV,
+        DepVersionRestriction.EXACT,
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('with `nightly`', () => {
+    it('should install electron-nightly@latest instead of electron', async () => {
+      const pm = PACKAGE_MANAGERS['npm'];
+      const dir = '/test/dir';
+      const electronVersion = 'nightly';
+
+      await initNPM(pm, dir, electronVersion, mockTask);
+
+      expect(installDependencies).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3);
+      expect(vi.mocked(installDependencies)).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+        3,
+        pm,
+        dir,
+        ['electron-nightly@latest'],
+        DepType.DEV,
+        DepVersionRestriction.EXACT,
+      );
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/api/core/spec/fast/util/install-dependencies.spec.ts b/packages/api/core/spec/fast/util/install-dependencies.spec.ts
index fc029e7369..27cfe8f1e0 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/spec/fast/util/install-dependencies.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/api/core/spec/fast/util/install-dependencies.spec.ts
@@ -4,9 +4,10 @@ import {
 } from '@electron-forge/core-utils';
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
 
-import installDependencies, {
+import {
   DepType,
   DepVersionRestriction,
+  installDependencies,
 } from '../../../src/util/install-dependencies';
 
 vi.mock(import('@electron-forge/core-utils'), async (importOriginal) => {
diff --git a/packages/api/core/spec/slow/api.slow.spec.ts b/packages/api/core/spec/slow/api.slow.spec.ts
index 5d1f82112a..352882e436 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/spec/slow/api.slow.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/api/core/spec/slow/api.slow.spec.ts
@@ -17,11 +17,11 @@ import {
   expectLintToPass,
 } from '@electron-forge/test-utils';
 import { readMetadata } from 'electron-installer-common';
+import semver from 'semver';
 import { afterAll, beforeAll, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 
-// eslint-disable-next-line n/no-missing-import
-import { api, InitOptions } from '../../src/api';
-import installDeps from '../../src/util/install-dependencies';
+import { api, InitOptions } from '../../src/api/index';
+import { installDependencies } from '../../src/util/install-dependencies';
 import { readRawPackageJson } from '../../src/util/read-package-json';
 
 type BeforeInitFunction = () => void;
@@ -45,6 +45,68 @@ async function updatePackageJSON(
   );
 }
 
+// TODO: move more tests outside of the describe.each block
+// if the actual package manager doesn't matter for the test
+describe('init params', () => {
+  let dir: string;
+  describe('init (with electronVersion)', () => {
+    beforeEach(async () => {
+      dir = await ensureTestDirIsNonexistent();
+
+      return async () => {
+        await fs.promises.rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+      };
+    });
+
+    it('can define a specific Electron version with a version number', async () => {
+      await api.init({
+        dir,
+        electronVersion: 'v38.0.0',
+      });
+      const packageJSON = await import(path.resolve(dir, 'package.json'));
+      expect(packageJSON.devDependencies.electron).toEqual('38.0.0');
+    });
+
+    it('can define a specific Electron nightly version with a version number', async () => {
+      await api.init({
+        dir,
+        electronVersion: '40.0.0-nightly.20251020',
+      });
+      const packageJSON = await import(path.resolve(dir, 'package.json'));
+      expect(
+        semver.valid(packageJSON.devDependencies['electron-nightly']),
+      ).not.toBeNull();
+      expect(packageJSON.devDependencies.electron).not.toBeDefined();
+    });
+
+    it('can define a specific Electron prerelease version with the beta tag', async () => {
+      await api.init({
+        dir,
+        electronVersion: 'beta',
+      });
+      const packageJSON = await import(path.resolve(dir, 'package.json'));
+      const prereleaseTag = semver.prerelease(
+        packageJSON.devDependencies.electron,
+      );
+      expect(prereleaseTag).toEqual(
+        expect.arrayContaining([expect.stringMatching(/alpha|beta/)]),
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('can define a specific Electron nightly version with the nightly tag', async () => {
+      await api.init({
+        dir,
+        electronVersion: 'nightly',
+      });
+      const packageJSON = await import(path.resolve(dir, 'package.json'));
+      expect(
+        semver.valid(packageJSON.devDependencies['electron-nightly']),
+      ).not.toBeNull();
+      expect(packageJSON.devDependencies.electron).not.toBeDefined();
+    });
+  });
+});
+
 describe.each([
   PACKAGE_MANAGERS['npm'],
   PACKAGE_MANAGERS['yarn'],
@@ -400,7 +462,7 @@ describe.each([
 
       describe('with prebuilt native module deps installed', () => {
         beforeAll(async () => {
-          await installDeps(pm, dir, ['ref-napi']);
+          await installDependencies(pm, dir, ['ref-napi']);
 
           return async () => {
             await fs.promises.rm(path.resolve(dir, 'node_modules/ref-napi'), {
diff --git a/packages/api/core/spec/slow/install-dependencies.slow.spec.ts b/packages/api/core/spec/slow/install-dependencies.slow.spec.ts
index ff10d8d4b6..0c518c53c9 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/spec/slow/install-dependencies.slow.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/api/core/spec/slow/install-dependencies.slow.spec.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import path from 'node:path';
 import { PACKAGE_MANAGERS } from '@electron-forge/core-utils';
 import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 
-import installDeps from '../../src/util/install-dependencies';
+import { installDependencies } from '../../src/util/install-dependencies';
 
 describe.runIf(!(process.platform === 'linux' && process.env.CI))(
   'install-dependencies',
@@ -19,7 +19,9 @@ describe.runIf(!(process.platform === 'linux' && process.env.CI))(
     });
 
     it('should install the latest minor version when the dependency has a caret', async () => {
-      await installDeps(PACKAGE_MANAGERS['npm'], installDir, ['debug@^2.0.0']);
+      await installDependencies(PACKAGE_MANAGERS['npm'], installDir, [
+        'debug@^2.0.0',
+      ]);
 
       const packageJSON = await import(
         path.resolve(installDir, 'node_modules', 'debug', 'package.json')
diff --git a/packages/api/core/src/api/import.ts b/packages/api/core/src/api/import.ts
index 59f82f4cfa..997db79f13 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/src/api/import.ts
+++ b/packages/api/core/src/api/import.ts
@@ -17,9 +17,10 @@ import fs from 'fs-extra';
 import { Listr } from 'listr2';
 import { merge } from 'lodash';
 
-import installDepList, {
+import {
   DepType,
   DepVersionRestriction,
+  installDependencies,
 } from '../util/install-dependencies';
 import { readRawPackageJson } from '../util/read-package-json';
 import upgradeForgeConfig, {
@@ -306,15 +307,20 @@ export default autoTrace(
 
                       d('installing dependencies');
                       task.output = `${pm.executable} ${pm.install} ${importDeps.join(' ')}`;
-                      await installDepList(pm, dir, importDeps);
+                      await installDependencies(pm, dir, importDeps);
 
                       d('installing devDependencies');
                       task.output = `${pm.executable} ${pm.install} ${pm.dev} ${importDevDeps.join(' ')}`;
-                      await installDepList(pm, dir, importDevDeps, DepType.DEV);
+                      await installDependencies(
+                        pm,
+                        dir,
+                        importDevDeps,
+                        DepType.DEV,
+                      );
 
                       d('installing devDependencies with exact versions');
                       task.output = `${pm.executable} ${pm.install} ${pm.dev} ${pm.exact} ${importExactDevDeps.join(' ')}`;
-                      await installDepList(
+                      await installDependencies(
                         pm,
                         dir,
                         importExactDevDeps,
diff --git a/packages/api/core/src/api/init-scripts/init-npm.ts b/packages/api/core/src/api/init-scripts/init-npm.ts
index 1c51f29274..442304d97b 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/src/api/init-scripts/init-npm.ts
+++ b/packages/api/core/src/api/init-scripts/init-npm.ts
@@ -4,10 +4,12 @@ import { PMDetails } from '@electron-forge/core-utils';
 import { ForgeListrTask } from '@electron-forge/shared-types';
 import debug from 'debug';
 import fs from 'fs-extra';
+import semver from 'semver';
 
-import installDepList, {
+import {
   DepType,
   DepVersionRestriction,
+  installDependencies,
 } from '../../util/install-dependencies';
 
 const d = debug('electron-forge:init:npm');
@@ -35,23 +37,34 @@ export const exactDevDeps = ['electron'];
 export const initNPM = async <T>(
   pm: PMDetails,
   dir: string,
+  electronVersion: string,
   task: ForgeListrTask<T>,
 ): Promise<void> => {
   d('installing dependencies');
   task.output = `${pm.executable} ${pm.install} ${deps.join(' ')}`;
-  await installDepList(pm, dir, deps);
+  await installDependencies(pm, dir, deps);
 
-  d('installing devDependencies');
-  task.output = `${pm.executable} ${pm.install} ${pm.dev} ${deps.join(' ')}`;
-  await installDepList(pm, dir, devDeps, DepType.DEV);
+  d(`installing devDependencies`);
+  task.output = `${pm.executable} ${pm.install} ${pm.dev} ${devDeps.join(' ')}`;
+  await installDependencies(pm, dir, devDeps, DepType.DEV);
 
   d('installing exact devDependencies');
   for (const packageName of exactDevDeps) {
-    task.output = `${pm.executable} ${pm.install} ${pm.dev} ${pm.exact} ${packageName}`;
-    await installDepList(
+    let packageInstallString = packageName;
+    if (packageName === 'electron') {
+      if (electronVersion === 'nightly') {
+        packageInstallString = `electron-nightly@latest`;
+      } else if (semver.prerelease(electronVersion)?.includes('nightly')) {
+        packageInstallString = `electron-nightly@${electronVersion}`;
+      } else {
+        packageInstallString += `@${electronVersion}`;
+      }
+    }
+    task.output = `${pm.executable} ${pm.install} ${pm.dev} ${pm.exact} ${packageInstallString}`;
+    await installDependencies(
       pm,
       dir,
-      [packageName],
+      [packageInstallString],
       DepType.DEV,
       DepVersionRestriction.EXACT,
     );
diff --git a/packages/api/core/src/api/init.ts b/packages/api/core/src/api/init.ts
index b38917f15a..736b855b91 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/src/api/init.ts
+++ b/packages/api/core/src/api/init.ts
@@ -7,9 +7,10 @@ import debug from 'debug';
 import { Listr } from 'listr2';
 import semver from 'semver';
 
-import installDepList, {
+import {
   DepType,
   DepVersionRestriction,
+  installDependencies,
 } from '../util/install-dependencies';
 import { readRawPackageJson } from '../util/read-package-json';
 
@@ -46,6 +47,13 @@ export interface InitOptions {
    * By default, Forge initializes a git repository in the project directory. Set this option to `true` to skip this step.
    */
   skipGit?: boolean;
+  /**
+   * Set a specific Electron version for your Forge project.
+   * Can take in version numbers or `latest`, `beta`, or `nightly`.
+   *
+   * @defaultValue The `latest` tag on npm.
+   */
+  electronVersion?: string;
 }
 
 async function validateTemplate(
@@ -75,12 +83,14 @@ export default async ({
   force = false,
   template = 'base',
   skipGit = false,
+  electronVersion = 'latest',
 }: InitOptions): Promise<void> => {
   d(`Initializing in: ${dir}`);
 
   const runner = new Listr<{
     templateModule: ForgeTemplate;
     pm: PMDetails;
+    parsedElectronVersion: string;
   }>(
     [
       {
@@ -99,6 +109,32 @@ export default async ({
         },
         rendererOptions: { persistentOutput: true },
       },
+      {
+        title: `Resolving Electron version: ${chalk.cyan(electronVersion)}`,
+        task: async (ctx, task) => {
+          if (
+            electronVersion === 'latest' ||
+            electronVersion === 'beta' ||
+            electronVersion === 'nightly'
+          ) {
+            task.output = `Using Electron version tag: ${chalk.cyan(electronVersion)}`;
+            ctx.parsedElectronVersion = electronVersion;
+          } else {
+            // semver.clean allows us to accept `v` versions and trims whitespace
+            const maybeVersion = semver.clean(electronVersion);
+
+            if (maybeVersion) {
+              task.output = `Using Electron version: ${chalk.cyan(maybeVersion)}`;
+              ctx.parsedElectronVersion = maybeVersion;
+            } else {
+              throw new Error(
+                `Invalid Electron version: ${electronVersion}. Must be a valid semver version or one of 'latest', 'beta', or 'nightly'.`,
+              );
+            }
+          }
+        },
+        rendererOptions: { persistentOutput: true },
+      },
       {
         title: 'Initializing directory',
         task: async (_, task) => {
@@ -145,7 +181,7 @@ export default async ({
                   if (templateModule.dependencies?.length) {
                     task.output = `${pm.executable} ${pm.install} ${pm.dev} ${templateModule.dependencies.join(' ')}`;
                   }
-                  return await installDepList(
+                  return await installDependencies(
                     pm,
                     dir,
                     templateModule.dependencies || [],
@@ -162,7 +198,7 @@ export default async ({
                   if (templateModule.devDependencies?.length) {
                     task.output = `${pm.executable} ${pm.install} ${pm.dev} ${templateModule.devDependencies.join(' ')}`;
                   }
-                  await installDepList(
+                  await installDependencies(
                     pm,
                     dir,
                     templateModule.devDependencies || [],
@@ -173,12 +209,12 @@ export default async ({
               },
               {
                 title: 'Finalizing dependencies',
-                task: async (_, task) => {
+                task: async (ctx, task) => {
                   return task.newListr([
                     {
                       title: 'Installing common dependencies',
                       task: async ({ pm }, task) => {
-                        await initNPM(pm, dir, task);
+                        await initNPM(pm, dir, ctx.parsedElectronVersion, task);
                       },
                       exitOnError: false,
                     },
diff --git a/packages/api/core/src/util/install-dependencies.ts b/packages/api/core/src/util/install-dependencies.ts
index e966b7f575..81bb3312a9 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/src/util/install-dependencies.ts
+++ b/packages/api/core/src/util/install-dependencies.ts
@@ -14,13 +14,13 @@ export enum DepVersionRestriction {
   RANGE = 'RANGE',
 }
 
-export default async (
+export async function installDependencies(
   pm: PMDetails,
   dir: string,
   deps: string[],
   depType = DepType.PROD,
   versionRestriction = DepVersionRestriction.RANGE,
-): Promise<void> => {
+): Promise<void> {
   d(
     'installing',
     JSON.stringify(deps),
@@ -51,4 +51,4 @@ export default async (
       throw err;
     }
   }
-};
+}
diff --git a/packages/template/vite-typescript/spec/ViteTypeScriptTemplate.slow.spec.ts b/packages/template/vite-typescript/spec/ViteTypeScriptTemplate.slow.spec.ts
index ef53390223..79a3e228b5 100644
--- a/packages/template/vite-typescript/spec/ViteTypeScriptTemplate.slow.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/template/vite-typescript/spec/ViteTypeScriptTemplate.slow.spec.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ describe('ViteTypeScriptTemplate', () => {
         dir,
         template: path.resolve(__dirname, '..'),
         interactive: false,
+        electronVersion: '38.2.2',
       });
     });
 
diff --git a/packages/template/webpack-typescript/spec/WebpackTypeScript.slow.spec.ts b/packages/template/webpack-typescript/spec/WebpackTypeScript.slow.spec.ts
index 00ae308704..700e0ce03a 100644
--- a/packages/template/webpack-typescript/spec/WebpackTypeScript.slow.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/template/webpack-typescript/spec/WebpackTypeScript.slow.spec.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ describe('WebpackTypeScriptTemplate', () => {
       dir,
       template: path.join(__dirname, '..'),
       interactive: false,
+      electronVersion: '38.2.2',
     });
   });