Unity Versions: Am I Limited To A Version When Developing?

Unity Learn
1

Hello.

I’ve noticed that if I install an updated version of Unity, previous projects disappear from the list, and/or appear to no longer be compatible.

I’m a beginner to Unity, so would like to know if I should stick with a version (in this case an updated 5.5) until a project is complete, or if I can update the version and the project(s) will still be fine.

There is a bit of confusion on this, since as I said, projects from older versions disappear from the list and/or have gave me a message that ‘this project can’t be opened in this version’, etc.

I am still learning, and not fully invested in Unity quite yet, so will be coming and going as I have time to learn the first tutorials and such, so maybe I shouldn’t update to keep everything consistent?

Thanks for your help!

2

Unless you have a good reason to upgrade to a new version , don’t do it.
Good reasons might be:

  • A fix for a big problem is solved in the new version.

  • A feature that will bring your game a big plus is available in the next version

Keep in mind that every new version might have other problems then your current version.
Always backup before you update to a new Version (from 5.3 to 5.4 to example) because unity projects are not backwards compatible.

3

Ok, thank you very much. I suspected this as much, but wasn’t quite sure, and I have seen some existing games in development seemingly using older versions as well. Good to know as I am just starting to dabble into it and not update until I have an official project to work on. I’ll just do tutorials and small practice projects in this current version I updated today.

4

Yep it’s the golden rule of software dev:

if (!broken) DontBreakIt();

5

You certainly can upgrade Unity during the project’s development. Whether it’s recommended or not, you “can”. So it is a bit strange that you have trouble with it… I do it all the time because I tend to make use of the new features.