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The Road to Godot Part 2: Which version of Godot is the Best?

One of the most frequently asked questions asked on the Godot forums is which Godot version is the Best right now? This is not a trivial question to answer. There are multiple actively maintained and developed branches with different strengths and tradeoffs available. Read on for our recommendations.

Migeran

6 min read

Godot has the currently maintained releases documented as part of the Release Policy .

Here are the actively maintained versions:

Godot 3.x

The Godot 3.x generation is in its "long-term support" phase. It has a stable feature set, with only small new features and bug fixes added. Right now it also has better support for some platforms, like web exports, mobile 3D games targeting low-end devices, or C# on Android and iOS. Within the 3.x series there are 2 active branches:

  • Godot 3.5.x is the stable branch, with the latest 3.5.3 version just released a few days ago . This is a safe, low-risk upgrade for anyone on the 3.5 branch. As can be seen from the release notes, the work on this branch concentrates on bug fixes and keeping up with the evolving target platforms, like support for Android 13.
  • Godot 3.6 is an upcoming feature release in the 3.x series, with Beta 3 released in August . It will be a long-term support release, with active maintenance as long as Godot users need it. For new development projects on top of Godot 3.x, this is the recommended version.

Godot 4.x

The Godot 4.x generation is the main focus of the current development of Godot. Most new features are added here. After a long (but necessary), multi-year development cycle, Godot 4.0 was released in early 2023.

Now it is developed using a very agile, time-based development model - similar to how Ubuntu Linux and the Linux kernel are developed. After every release, new features are accepted into Godot for 4 months. This is followed by a feature freeze and stabilization phase of about 1 month. This means that you can expect 2 new stable releases each year: Godot 4.1 was released in July 2023 with Godot 4.2 planned in November 2023. Currently, the following branches are maintained in this generation:

  • The last Godot 4.0.x release was 4.0.4 in August . There are currently no other releases planned, but it still might happen if it becomes necessary.
  • Godot 4.1.x is the current stable branch in maintenance mode. It receives fixes for bugs and security issues, as well as patches that enable platform support. The first release candidate for the 4.1.2 release is already available .
  • The upcoming Godot 4.2.x is currently being developed on Godot's master branch. The project releases regular updates with the 4.2 Dev 5 version already available . The feature freeze is planned for early October, with a stable release planned for November 2023.

When to choose Godot 4.x?

For new projects in general, that you plan to release in 2024 or later, we at Migeran recommend choosing Godot 4.x, even if your project's target platform is currently not as mature as with Godot 3.x. As mentioned, most of the development effort is directed at 4.x, and unlike with a commercial engine, you have options to make sure that the features that you need are ready by the time of your planned release. We will dedicate a separate post to this important topic later in the series.

When to choose Godot 3.x?

There are some edge cases, where you might want to choose Godot 3.x for now, e.g. if you need to release a web or mobile game with 3D graphics before the end of 2023 or early 2024. Or you could have a game developed with Godot 3.x almost ready for release. In such cases, Godot 3.x is a solid choice.

Godot 3.6 is planned to be supported as long as users need it, so you will be able to maintain your project for the foreseeable future (e.g. to rebuild it for new mobile platform releases).

However, if you plan to continue developing your project and take advantage of the new features being added to Godot, you should include the effort required to port your project to Godot 4.x in your 2024 business plan. Porting to 4.x is pretty straightforward in most cases, but it will still take some effort.

You Are Not Alone, We Are Happy to Help

If you have more questions e.g. specific to your project, don't hesitate to reach out either to us at Migeran , or the wider Godot Community .

The Road to Godot Series

The series will dive into the following topics:

  • Which language should I use? GDScript, C#, C++ ...
  • Which Features Make Godot Special?
  • How to extend and customize the Engine?
  • Godot Engine Beyond Games
  • How Does the Godot Engine Open Source Project Work?
  • Godot is Missing a Feature I Need! How do I get it done?

About Migeran - Godot Engine and Robotics Experts

Migeran is our software development and consulting company with extensive international experience with clients around the globe in many different domains. In the past 6 years we concentrated on the Godot Engine and Robotics.

Our focus is building extraordinary quality software for our clients and also creating our own software products.

Our first software product, Migeran for iOS was acquired by Intel  in 2015 and released as the Multi-OS Engine .

If you have a project idea or need additional experts for your existing projects, you may contact us either in email ([email protected]) or over our website contact form.

Our latest projects

  • Godot Engine: Augmented Reality Holographic HUD for next-generation vehicles (WayRay AG )

  • Godot Engine: Color Stereo Camera Addon for Meta Quest 2 (Foxus )

  • Unreal Engine: Virtual Reality Vehicle Simulator for Augmented UX design (WayRay AG )

  • Robotics: Inventory Robot Control Software and Container-based Software Platform (Wyca Robotics )

  • Migeran Web CMS for ERPNext: Create Websites with a Visual Editor

  • Native and cross-platform mobile apps built in Java / Kotlin, Swift / Objective-C and JavaScript / TypeScript with React Native.

  • Business applications based on Web and Mobile frontends and Java, Python, Ruby and PHP backend

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