Abstract NKT cells are innate-like T cells that can rapidly produce cytokines or acquire cytotoxicity upon activation, which can shape subsequent adaptive immunity towards invading pathogens. During infection by the arboviral pathogen dengue virus (DENV), NKT cells are recruited to the skin, yet their contributions to cutaneous virus clearance are unclear. Moreover, the individual contributions of various NKT subsets to DENV immunity are poorly defined. Here, we show CD1d-dependent (CD1d-dep) NKT cells promote DENV infection resolution in skin and draining lymph nodes (dLNs) through recruitment of cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTLs), including CD8+ T cells and NKT-like cells to the skin and CD4+ and γδT cells to the dLN. CD1ddep NKT cells and NKT-like T cells are major producers of chemotactic factors for CTLs and Th1 cytokines. Impaired Th1 immunity in CD1d-KO mice was also apparent as CD4+ and CD8+ T cells produced less IFN-γ and more IL-4 and Th2-associated IgG1 levels were higher than Th1-associated IgG2a levels and promoted antibody dependent enhanced disease. These results demonstrate that CD1ddep NKT cells establish Th1 polarity during the early response to DENV, which significantly affects infection resolution and memory formation.