Team Kodi Released Kodi 22 Piers RC 1
The latest release candidate for the media software brings platform-specific updates and improved subtitle rendering.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Home Entertainment
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Team Kodi has officially published Kodi 22 Piers RC 1, marking what developers intend to be the final state for this version. The release candidate introduces several technical updates, including advancements in subtitle rendering and cross-platform feature support.
Why it matters
This release candidate serves as the final testing phase to ensure system stability and performance before the official launch. Developers have encouraged the user community to submit findings regarding the current build to assist in addressing outstanding bugs.
Kodi 22 Piers RC 1 runs on FFmpeg 9.0.2 and updates the libass subtitle renderer to v0.17.5. The build currently includes two known issues involving TagLib and Linux OSD elements.
The players
Team Kodi
This is the volunteer development community responsible for maintaining and building the open-source Kodi media center software.
The details
The update brings HDR-to-SDR tone mapping to Windows and adds JIT execution support for macOS users. Additionally, RetroPlayer has been expanded with new shader options and cheat support, while Android now supports deep links.
Timeline
Team Kodi published Kodi 22 Piers RC 1 on October 10, 2026.
Culture Shift
This release follows the long-standing open-source development cycle of the Kodi media center software platform. It reflects a shift toward more platform-specific optimizations, such as native JIT support and deep linking, that cater to a fragmented ecosystem of smart devices.
Users can now download the RC 1 build from the Prerelease section of the Kodi website to test new features like shader support and HDR tone mapping. Those who choose to install this version should be aware of known issues with TagLib and Linux interface elements.
The takeaway
Users testing this release should report any bugs found to help developers finalize the stable build. Those who require a high-stability environment should wait for the final version to avoid the current known issues.
Further reading
For more on media center technology, explore our coverage of Home Entertainment.
More information
Visit the official Kodi software download page to access the latest release candidate.
Source note: This article includes information reported by BetaNews.
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