Dawn Engine 26.10.0 release notes
Status: Planned. Dawn Engine 26.10.0 is scheduled for October 2026, shipping after O3DE 26.10.0 . Exact calendar dates and download links will be published when the SDK is cut.
This page is the living release note for the 26.10.0 line. Sections marked to be finalized will be completed at release freeze.
Highlights
26.10.0 is the first Dawn Engine major release aligned to the O3DE 26.10 baseline. It packages the O3DE foundation (Atom, Gem architecture, PhysX 5, and related toolchain) with Dawn’s commercial stack for large worlds, AI, simulation, and delivery.
Compared with upstream O3DE alone, this release is expected to include:
| Area | What ships |
|---|---|
| Large worlds | Double-precision coordinates, World Streaming, PolyTerrain, Water, built-in Cesium 3D Tiles, PolyTerrain-bound PCG graphs |
| AI | Navigation3D volumetric pathfinding, HTN Planner |
| Simulation | PhysX Vehicle; ClusterDisplay multi-channel rendering (MVP) |
| Delivery | End-to-end AES-256 Pak encryption; Dawn Stream browser cloud streaming (MVP); commercial SDK packaging and Simplified Chinese editor localization |
Roadmap previews (Weather, Flight, general-purpose PCG Gem, DataLink, SensorSim, ContentTools, domestic OS platforms) are not delivery commitments for 26.10.0 unless explicitly called out at freeze. See the Introduction roadmap and the preview chapters under Large worlds, Simulation, and Digital twins.
Upstream baseline
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Dawn Engine display version | 26.10.0 |
| O3DE display version | 26.10.0 (Dawn ships after this O3DE release) |
| Versioning policy | Major display versions track O3DE YY.MM; see
Release notes |
O3DE community fixes and toolchain updates on the 26.10 line are merged into Dawn Engine at a controlled cadence. For O3DE-specific changes, also consult the upstream O3DE release notes .
Features and components (to be finalized)
Final component list, Gem enablement defaults, and platform matrix will be locked at release freeze. Until then, treat the Introduction feature tables and topic chapters as the product scope reference.
Platforms (planned)
| Platform | Editor / tools | Runtime |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Planned | Planned |
| Linux | To be finalized | To be finalized |
PoC evaluation SDKs, when offered for this line, remain binary-only on Windows unless the release package notes state otherwise.
Known issues and limitations (to be finalized)
- Dawn Stream and ClusterDisplay ship as MVP scope; higher concurrency, resolution, and production hardening continue after 26.10.0.
- Cesium 3D Tiles remains marked Experimental relative to the rest of the large-world stack unless status is upgraded at freeze.
- Items listed as preview or planned in the user guide are out of scope for 26.10.0 unless promoted in this section at freeze.
Documentation
| Topic | Link |
|---|---|
| Product overview and O3DE comparison | Introduction |
| Large-world stack | Large worlds |
| AI | AI |
| Simulation | Simulation |
| Delivery | Delivery |
| Versioning policy | Release notes index |
Upgrade notes (to be finalized)
26.10.0 is the first public major on this numbering scheme. Projects moving onto Dawn Engine 26.10.0 from earlier internal or evaluation builds should follow the freeze-time upgrade checklist published here (asset reprocess requirements, Settings Registry keys, and deprecated APIs).
Download
Download links, checksums, and license tier packages will be published when 26.10.0 is released. To evaluate Dawn Engine before then, contact the Dawn Engine Development Group for the PoC evaluation SDK.