Recent Audacious Releases and What Changed in Them

Audacious 4.6.1 is the latest release, published June 07, 2026, and it is a maintenance update for the 4.6.x series: bug fixes and small improvements rather than new features. If you want the newest stable code, that is the version to install; if you are already on 4.6, the upgrade is about stability, not new capability.

Release timeline at a glance

What 4.6 actually changed

The 4.6 release is the most substantial of the recent versions, because it touched both features and how the player integrates with the desktop:

• File Browser plugin — a new plugin for browsing files from inside the player.
• Now Playing plugin for macOS — surfaces what is playing through the macOS side.
• Playback History on GTK — the Playback History plugin, previously not available there, now works with the GTK interface.
• Native Wayland support — the GTK and Qt interfaces can run natively on Wayland instead of relying on compatibility layers.

The follow-up 4.6.1 does not add to this list. Its purpose is to smooth out problems found after 4.6 shipped.

What 4.5 changed

4.5, from July 16, 2025, added two plugins along with new features and bug fixes. The project's announcement does not name the two plugins on the home page, so if a specific plugin matters to you, check the linked release notes rather than assuming it arrived in 4.5.

How to decide which version you need

• You want the most stable current build: install 4.6.1. It carries the 4.6 feature set plus fixes.
• You are on 4.6 and hit crashes or odd behavior: moving to 4.6.1 is the low-risk step, since it is a bug-fix release.
• You specifically need Wayland-native GTK/Qt, the File Browser, macOS Now Playing, or GTK Playback History: those arrived in 4.6, so any 4.6.x build gives you them.
• You are on 4.5.x and nothing is broken: there is no feature reason to move unless one of the 4.6 additions is something you want.

Where the details live

The home page summarizes each release in a sentence or two and links to a fuller announcement ("Read more") for each one. For the exact list of fixes in 4.6.1 or the names of the two plugins added in 4.5, follow those links — the summary text alone does not enumerate them.

Audacious runs on Linux, BSD derivatives, macOS, and Windows, and the current version is available from the download page. If an install or run fails, the project points users to its forums, and asks that bug reports include enough information to reproduce the problem — reports without that detail are likely to be ignored. The developers are volunteers working with limited time, so checking the list of common problems before posting saves a round trip.