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Godot 4.3 RC 1, announced on 25 July 2024, was the final pre-release snapshot in the 4.3 development cycle. Its features were already in place; the release concentrated on regression fixes and safe corrections found after beta 3. The two changes Godot emphasized most were built-in Direct3D 12 support on Windows without a separate DXIL.dll, and finalized Windows ARM64 editor and export-template builds in both Standard and .NET editions.
What Godot 4.3 RC 1 represented
Release candidate 1 was intended for broad real-project testing while Godot maintainers addressed the last important regressions. Godot described it as ready for general use in most situations, but it remained pre-release software. The announcement explicitly recommended frequent backups or version control because preview snapshots and release candidates can still contain defects.
The snapshot was identified by build commit e343dbbcc. Godot reported 82 contributors and 196 improvements for this snapshot. Those figures describe RC1’s contribution summary, not every change made during the complete 4.3 cycle.
RC1 was not the complete 4.3 changelog. Its “Highlights” section selected notable changes since beta 3, while the project also provided an interactive changelog for the full list and a separate comparison of 4.3 with 4.2.
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The two Windows highlights
Direct3D 12 no longer required a manually copied DXIL.dll
Windows builds using the Direct3D 12 renderer worked out of the box in RC1. Users no longer had to copy DXIL.dll alongside the project. Godot credited Microsoft’s decision to open-source the DXIL Validator hash for making this distribution change possible.
The practical effect extended beyond simpler Windows packaging: the announcement said Windows Direct3D 12 projects could now be exported from Linux, macOS, and Android. This removes a platform-specific dependency from the export workflow, although projects still need to be tested on their intended Windows hardware and driver combinations.
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Windows ARM64 editor and export builds were finalized
RC1 supplied Windows ARM64 editor builds and export templates in both Standard and .NET flavors. Standard supports GDScript and GDExtension; .NET adds C# support while retaining GDScript and GDExtension.
At the time of the announcement, these ARM64 editor downloads were not integrated into Godot’s main download page. Godot linked to them directly instead. The announcement credited Qualcomm engineers with testing and access to cloud-based ARM64 devices.
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Selected fixes and improvements since beta 3
The following items are the announcement’s selected examples, not an exhaustive list.
2D, audio, and web builds
- 2D:
Parallax2Dgained pixel snapping support. - Audio: fixes addressed crashes during interactive playback and samples that could not be completed.
- Web: debug-symbol handling for web builds was corrected.
C# and macOS
- Signing of .NET helper executables was fixed when macOS sandboxing is disabled.
- C# project exports now correctly include the required entitlements.
Core systems
- A
TypedArrayencoding issue was fixed when full objects are disabled. - Several safe fixes improved
WorkerThreadPoolandResourceLoaderbehavior.
Editor, scenes, and importing
- Problems involving
InstancePlaceholderresources were corrected. - Grouped scenes could be added to a level scene correctly.
- Missing project import defaults were restored.
- Updated instanced
.blendand GLTF scenes no longer lose children until a.tscnfile is reopened. - Godot avoids reimporting unchanged broken files.
- LOD generation was corrected for assets using tangents and mirrored UVs.
Input and networking
- Linux and *BSD trackpads and graphics tablets were no longer incorrectly identified as controllers.
- A Windows Ink pointer-button check was fixed.
- WebSocket connections ensure that
TCP_NODELAYis set.
Physics and operating systems
- A dynamic-stack-buffer-overflow crash was fixed.
- Windows windowed-mode behavior and keyboard-layout handling were corrected.
- macOS drag-and-drop feedback was fixed.
- Wayland surface creation and suspended-state handling received fixes.
- ARM64 floating-point behavior was corrected.
- Android Editor progress-dialog and reimport problems were addressed.
Rendering and shaders
- An Android Mali-GXXx/Vulkan 1.3 shader issue was fixed.
- G-SYNC is disabled in windowed Windows mode.
- The Direct3D 12 packaging change removed the separate
DXIL.dllrequirement. - Compatibility-mode viewport textures now behave correctly with HDR.
- Large-lightmap baking received fixes.
- A MultiMesh shader specialization constant was corrected.
- Directional shadows in GLES3 on Metal ANGLE were fixed.
- A shader crash involving a varying used before definition in a separate function was fixed.
Other engine changes
- ThorVG was updated to version 0.14.2.
- XR rendering now proceeds when XR is enabled even if no operating-system windows can draw.
RC1 downloads and build choices
The RC1 archive listed these categories:
| Build or template | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Android Standard | Standard editor/build support for Android. |
| Linux, macOS, and Windows Standard | GDScript and GDExtension workflows. |
| Linux, macOS, and Windows .NET | GDScript, GDExtension, and C# workflows. |
| Standard web editor | Running the Standard editor in a web environment. |
| Standard export templates | Exporting projects from Standard builds. |
| .NET export templates | Exporting projects that use the .NET/C# edition. |
| Windows ARM64 Standard and .NET editors | Native ARM64 editor builds; direct links were provided because they were not yet on the main download page. |
Choose Standard unless the project requires C#. Choose .NET when C# support is needed. Also distinguish an editor download from export templates: templates are required to package projects for target platforms, while the editor is the development application.
What RC1 did not introduce
Several features associated with the eventual Godot 4.3 release were developed earlier in the beta cycle and should not be presented as RC1 additions. The later stable overview highlighted resources such as AudioStreamInteractive, AudioStreamPlaylist, and AudioStreamSynchronized for layered or transitioning music, along with standardized XR hand, body, and face tracking. RC1’s announcement directed readers to the beta 1 coverage for the main 4.3 feature set; its own focus was stabilization.
How RC1 fits into the 4.3 timeline
- Godot announced 4.3 RC 1 on 25 July 2024.
- RC1 served as the final pre-release testing stage, with regression fixes and selected safe corrections after beta 3.
- Godot 4.3 stable followed on 15 August 2024.
That timing matters when reading RC1 documentation today: it is a historical snapshot, not the current stable release channel. Anyone maintaining an older project should verify behavior against the exact engine version used by the project rather than assuming every RC1 detail matches later 4.3 maintenance releases.
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The Bottom Line
Godot 4.3 RC 1 was primarily a stabilization release. Its defining practical changes were out-of-the-box Windows Direct3D 12 support without DXIL.dll and finalized Windows ARM64 Standard and .NET builds; the rest of the highlighted work was a broad set of fixes across importing, rendering, input, platforms, audio, core systems, and tooling.
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