The new AltspaceVR website is now online, and world builders can get their first hands-on look at the platform through an early PC and PCVR build.
The release marks an important step in the return of AltspaceVR, but this is not a public launch or a finished version of the platform. The current build has been released specifically to give creators an opportunity to begin testing worlds and the new development pipeline while work on the wider platform continues.
Alongside the local client, early Unity creator tools and an uploader are becoming available for testing, allowing builders to begin experimenting with bringing their worlds into the new AltspaceVR.
The new AltspaceVR website is online
The new AltspaceVR website can now be accessed at:
https://altvr.app/
A download page has also gone live for the current test build:
https://altvr.app/download
The downloadable client is currently intended primarily for world builders and developers, rather than general users looking to return to AltspaceVR.
Shane Harris stressed when announcing the build that it is nowhere near the final product and will contain bugs, unfinished systems and features inherited from the platform's current development foundation.
For creators, however, it provides the first opportunity to begin testing content directly inside the new AltspaceVR environment.
What is included in the current build?
The current beta is available for PC and PCVR only.
It allows world builders to load and visit worlds using the new AltspaceVR client, giving creators an early environment in which they can begin checking how their content behaves.
The build currently includes:
- PC and PCVR support
- The ability to visit creator worlds
- Support for worlds built using the new URP-based workflow
- Early AltspaceVR-style hands
- A local client for testing worlds
- Unity creator tools and an uploader for publishing and testing content
This should be treated as a development and testing build, not an early representation of the finished user experience.
Multiplayer is not available yet
One of the biggest limitations of the current build is that it is single-player only.
The AltspaceVR team is developing a new networking service for voice and data that will eventually enable multiplayer functionality, but that system has not yet been integrated into this build.
As a result, creators testing their worlds should primarily use the client to evaluate environments, assets, layouts and compatibility rather than multiplayer experiences.
The lack of multiplayer should not be interpreted as the intended direction for the finished platform.
Avatars are not included yet
Full avatars are also absent from the current beta.
Users currently appear with hands only, which Shane said were based on some of the original AltspaceVR hands.
Avatar functionality will come later as development progresses.
The character controller is also still using the base configuration inherited from Banter, meaning some of its movement and physics behaviour has not yet been adjusted to match the intended AltspaceVR experience.
AltspaceVR is moving to URP
An important detail for world builders is that the new client uses Unity's Universal Render Pipeline (URP).
Creators can use the current build to begin testing how their environments look and perform within the new rendering pipeline.
This is particularly useful for builders interested in bringing existing projects across, as materials, shaders, lighting and other graphical features may require changes when moving older Unity content into a URP-based project.
The release therefore gives creators an opportunity to start identifying compatibility problems well before the platform reaches a wider audience.
Unity creator tools and uploader
The creator workflow will include an SDK that can be installed into Unity.
According to Shane, installing the SDK will provide creators with access to the tools, code and uploader needed to develop worlds for AltspaceVR.
The creator pipeline is still being established, so some parts of the current workflow remain temporary.
In particular, worlds uploaded using the current tools may still use the same hosting infrastructure used by Banter while dedicated AltspaceVR hosting is being brought online.
Creators are not limited to the platform's hosting, however.
Worlds can also be built and hosted independently using services such as a creator's own website or server, GitHub Pages, Bonto, Replit, Render and other compatible hosting providers.
This continues the open hosting approach previously discussed by the development team.
Standalone VR support is still planned
Although this beta is restricted to PC and PCVR, AltspaceVR is not planned to remain a PC-only platform.
Shane confirmed that standalone platforms remain part of the plan, including:
- Meta Quest
- Pico
- Steam Frame
- Android XR devices
- Android phones
Those platforms are simply not the target of this particular beta.
The PC/PCVR restriction allows the team and world builders to begin testing the creator pipeline while development continues on the broader range of devices intended to be supported.
Expect bugs and unfinished features
Anyone downloading the client should expect things to break.
The team has deliberately released the build before many major systems are finished so world builders can begin experimenting with their content and reporting problems.
Shane repeatedly stressed that there will be bugs and that the team is already aware of a number of issues.
Builders who encounter problems are encouraged to report them through the bugs channel in the official AltspaceVR Discord, providing as much information as possible about what happened.
That feedback should help the team identify compatibility problems and issues with the creator workflow while the new platform is still being developed.
Windows SmartScreen warning
The current Windows build is not digitally signed.
Because of this, Windows SmartScreen may display a warning when attempting to launch it.
Shane advised testers that they may need to select More info followed by Run anyway to start the current build.
This is another reason the release should currently be viewed as a development beta intended for builders comfortable testing unfinished software.
A first real opportunity for AltspaceVR builders
Until now, much of what we have known about the new AltspaceVR has come through announcements, Discord discussions and information shared by the development team.
This release changes that.
World builders can now begin getting their hands on the client, experimenting with the Unity workflow and seeing how their own environments behave inside the new platform.
There is still a considerable amount missing. Multiplayer networking, avatars, final movement behaviour, dedicated AltspaceVR world hosting and many other parts of the platform remain under development.
But for creators who have been waiting to start building again, this is the first opportunity to begin testing against the new AltspaceVR itself.
Download the world builder beta: https://altvr.app/download
Source and attribution
Information in this article is based on announcements shared by Shane Harris through the official AltspaceVR Discord on August 7, 2026.
The current client and creator tools are early development releases. Features, platform support, hosting arrangements and technical requirements may change as development continues.
