Unity 2021 LTS: “We've focused on really looking after creators”

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Thursday 14th April 2022

Unity

The arrival of Unity's annual LTS release version has become something of a tradition on the game development calendar, marking and cementing the engine's evolution over the previous year.

With LTS 2021 having just gone live, it's an opportunity to look at not just the feature set, but what this latest realisation of the engine means for developers more broadly.

For some time now, game makers that use Unity have been able to pick one of two editions of the engine. The Tech Stream release version provides early access to new and innovative features that Unity has only recently made available. That means an opportunity to explore cutting edge and unproven elements, making Tech Stream ideal for prototyping, pre-production and discovery, or getting ready to fully understand best practice when embracing the next LTS edition.

The new Unity LTS is available now

LTS, meanwhile, puts stability and support at the forefront, having rolled up features that have been refined via their presence over the previous year in Tech Stream. LTS can be seen as the default version of Unity and is almost always the best option for full production, maintaining live games and even the likes of game jams, where the focus is on productivity and efficiency over exploring technology.

"What LTS really means is, of course, 'long term support'. That's what we're providing. It's the ability for somebody to rely on us with that version of Unity," explains Ralph Hauwert, SVP and GM of Core Unity & Cloud. "LTS comes after we've been working with the community and creatives to make sure that everything in Tech Stream is rock solid. And the moment that we release a new version of LTS is also the moment that we make our