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Unity Project Setup

Target Version

Unity 6.3 LTS is the recommended baseline for new projects. Unity 6.4 adds opt-in features like Agentic AI tools and core Entities integration. Always use the Unity Hub to manage installations and create projects from verified templates.

Assets/
|-- Scripts/
|   |-- Runtime/
|   |-- Editor/
|-- Prefabs/
|-- Scenes/
|-- Materials/
|-- Textures/
|-- Shaders/
|-- Audio/
|-- Animations/
|-- UI/
|-- ScriptableObjects/
|-- Plugins/
|-- Resources/         # Use sparingly, prefer Addressables
|-- StreamingAssets/
|-- Editor Default Resources/

Keep Scripts/Runtime/ for game code and Scripts/Editor/ for editor-only tools. The Editor/ folder name is special: Unity excludes it from player builds automatically.

Assembly Definition Files (.asmdef)

Assembly definitions control how Unity compiles your C# code. Use them to:

  • Reduce recompilation time by isolating code into separate assemblies
  • Enforce architectural boundaries (game logic cannot reference editor code)
  • Control which packages and assemblies your code can access

Recommended assembly layout:

Assembly Folder References
MyGame.Runtime Scripts/Runtime/ Unity defaults
MyGame.Editor Scripts/Editor/ MyGame.Runtime, UnityEditor
MyGame.Tests.EditMode Tests/EditMode/ MyGame.Runtime, NUnit
MyGame.Tests.PlayMode Tests/PlayMode/ MyGame.Runtime, NUnit, UnityEngine.TestRunner

Always set "Auto Referenced" to true for your main runtime assembly. For editor assemblies, add the platform filter "Editor" only.

Version Control (.gitignore)

Unity projects generate large amounts of intermediate data. Your .gitignore must exclude:

Library/
Temp/
Logs/
obj/
Builds/
UserSettings/
MemoryCaptures/
*.csproj
*.sln
*.suo
*.user
*.pidb
*.booproj

Always commit .meta files. Unity uses them to track asset GUIDs, import settings, and component references. Losing a .meta file breaks all references to that asset.

Render Pipeline Selection

  • URP (Universal Render Pipeline): Default choice for all new projects in 2026. Covers mobile through high-end console and PC. Active development with Render Graph backend, physical light units, and SCGI (Surface Caching Global Illumination).
  • HDRP (High Definition Render Pipeline): Maintenance mode. Use only for existing projects that depend on HDRP-specific features like volumetric fog or area lights. No new major features planned.
  • Built-in Render Pipeline: Officially deprecated in Unity 6.5. Do not start new projects with Built-in. Migration to URP is recommended for all legacy projects.

Project Settings Recommendations

Physics

  • Set Fixed Timestep to 0.02 (50Hz) for most games
  • Enable "Auto Sync Transforms" only if needed (it has a performance cost)
  • Configure Layer Collision Matrix to disable unnecessary collision pairs

Quality

  • Create at least three quality levels: Low, Medium, High
  • Tie quality levels to platform defaults (mobile = Low, console = High)
  • Use URP Render Pipeline Asset per quality level for granular control

Player

  • Set "Scripting Backend" to IL2CPP for release builds (better performance, harder to decompile)
  • Use .NET Standard for API compatibility level in most cases
  • Enable "Managed Stripping Level: Medium" or higher to reduce build size

Input

  • Install the Input System package (com.unity.inputsystem) for all new projects
  • Set "Active Input Handling" to "Input System Package (New)" in Player Settings
  • The legacy Input Manager is not recommended for new development

Package Manager Essentials

Install these packages for most projects:

Package ID Purpose
TextMeshPro com.unity.textmeshpro Text rendering (never use legacy Text)
Input System com.unity.inputsystem Modern input handling
Cinemachine com.unity.cinemachine Camera management
Addressables com.unity.addressables Asset loading and management
Unity UI com.unity.ugui Legacy Canvas UI (still valid for world-space)
UI Toolkit (built-in) Modern UI for menus, HUD, editor tools

As of Unity 6.3, packages must be signed for core standards compliance. The Package Manager shows trust indicators for verified packages. Prefer verified packages over unverified third-party sources.

Project Initialization Checklist

  1. Create project from URP template in Unity Hub
  2. Set up .gitignore and initialize repository
  3. Create folder structure under Assets/
  4. Add assembly definitions for Runtime and Editor code
  5. Install essential packages via Package Manager
  6. Configure Player Settings (scripting backend, input handling)
  7. Set up quality levels with per-level URP Render Pipeline Assets
  8. Create initial scene with proper lighting setup