Unity have just released two new versions of the Unity game engine, the 2021.1 Tech Stream release and the 2020 LTS version. The LTS release stands for Long Term Support and will continue to see bug fixes and security patches, but otherwise remains stable. The Tech Stream contains more new features, but also more breaking changes. Tech Stream releases are not beta released, we covered the beta back in January when it launched, instead they are simply more experimental. Both of today’s releases are considered production ready.
The theme of both releases is to provide a better and more stable development environment. Key new features in the LTS release include:
- Editor ‘Safe Mode’ for troubleshooting problems
- Better support for C# 8 language features
- Improved profiling tools
- OpenXR, AR Foundation and Oculus Quest 2 support
In the 2021.1 Tech Stream release, new features include:
- URP and HDRP now part of the Unity core
- Faster compilation time for C#, IL2CPP and other areas
- 2D sprite performance improvements and new sprite tool UX
- Device Simulator now installed by default
You can read more in-depth 2020 LTS release notes here and the release notes for Unity 2021.1 Tech Stream release are available here. Both engines are currently available for download in the Unity Hub.
You can learn more about the Unity 2020 LTS and Unity 2021.1 release in the video below as well as on the Unity blog.