The final two Godot 4.6 DEV releases have just been released in rapid success, Godot 4.6 Dev5 and Godot 4.6 Dev6. These releases are significant as Godot have announced these *should* be the final releases before Godot 4.6 beta begins. The Beta release cycle comes with a new feature free, meaning these new features are the final new features being added to the 4.6 release. You can read about the earlier Godot 4.6 dev releases in our 4.6 sneak peek here.
New features in Godot 4.6 Dev5:
D3D12 Default – On Windows platform, D3D12 is now the default renderer for new projects instead of Vulkan
PCK Patching – there is a new delta encoding or binary patching solution for updating PCK files while minimizing file sizes
Gradle on Android – You can now use Gradle on Android builds, a requirement if integrating 3rd party libraries like AdMob on Android
OpenXR – For VR/AR developers, Godot now supports OpenXR 1.1 which is automatically enabled on devices that support it
2D Optimizations – a rewrite of the 2D renderer to reduce GPU performance costs when batching, especially on older devices
New features in Godot 4.6 Dev6:
Tracy Profiling – Dev4 added dedicated profiler support, Dev6 adds Tracy profiler support for GDScript
Storage Access Framework – On Android devices Storage Access Framework support has been added, reducing the requirement for MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permissions requests
Both releases also have several fixes and smaller changes as well, detailed in the release notes and change log below.
Key Links
Gumroad Godot Asset Bundle from Video – Use Code BF60
You can learn more about the Godot 4.6 Dev5 and Dev6 releases in the video below.