O3DE, the Open 3D Game Engine, just released O3DE 26.05. This engine began life as a fork of CryEngine called Lumberyard as part of Amazon’s disastrous entry into the world of game development. Ultimately Lumberyard was open sourced as the O3DE engine and since then has essentially been completely rewritten.
Features of the 26.05 O3DE release:
The O3DE 26.05.0 release focuses on engine stability and community-driven improvements, delivering hundreds of patches to address reported issues. Below is a summary of the key updates and features:
- Engine Stability and Bug Fixes: This release includes hundreds of patches aimed at resolving community-reported issues across the engine. These updates prioritize a more reliable development environment and improved user experience in bundled tools.
- Open Particle System (Preview): A new visual effects gem is introduced in preview mode, featuring a high-performance, multi-threaded particle system. It includes a dedicated Particle Editor and various modules for creating complex, job-based simulation effects.
- New C++ Component Dialog: A streamlined dialog has been added to the Editor to simplify the creation of C++ components. This tool helps developers quickly generate the necessary boilerplate code for new engine components directly within the workspace.
- Bundled CMake Integration: Starting with this version, CMake is bundled directly with the engine to simplify the initial setup process. Users no longer need to manually install or configure CMake versions separately for Windows or Linux builds.
- Legacy Code Deprecation: The release initiates a significant codebase cleanup by deprecating legacy systems, including PhysX4. This move allows the engine to shed technical debt and transition toward more modern physics and simulation solutions.
- Updated System Requirements: Minimum hardware specifications have been revised to require at least a quad-core processor and 16GB of RAM. For optimal performance during complex development tasks, a hexa-core CPU and 32GB of RAM are now recommended.
Key Links
Planet Survival Demo Game Repository
You can learn more about the O3DE 26.05 release in the video below.