The State of Kodi in 2026: A Deep Dive into v22 ‘Piers’ and the Road to v23

Updated on February 8, 2026

Let’s cut to the chase: The future of Kodi in 2026 is looking stronger and more exciting than ever, cementing its place as the undisputed king of open-source media centers. The community whispers from late 2025 about a potential project slowdown are now a distant memory. That pause, which had some users worried, turned out to be a strategic move to ensure core stability—a decision that has paid off handsomely with the mature, polished release of Kodi 22 “Piers.” Development is not just active; it’s pushing forward with a clear roadmap toward version 23.

In this definitive guide, we’ll break down the current state of Kodi in 2026, cover the powerful new features in Kodi 22 Piers, explore the roadmap to Kodi 23, and give you the essential lowdown on security and the best alternatives in today’s media ecosystem.

A Quick Look Back: The ‘Development Stall’ of 2025 That Made Kodi Stronger

To appreciate where Kodi is now, it helps to remember the situation just a few months ago. In late 2025, the community noticed a significant lack of public updates. Builds like Kodi 21.3 Omega and the early alphas of Kodi 22 Piers seemed to be stuck in limbo, sparking forum threads and search queries asking, “Is Kodi dead?”

The reality was that the development team was tackling major technical hurdles, including critical bugs related to the Python implementation and persistent failures in the automated build system. Rather than push an unstable release, the XBMC Foundation made the tough call to halt public releases to re-architect and fix these issues at their root. While this pause created uncertainty, it laid the groundwork for the rock-solid, polished version we’re enjoying today.

The State of Kodi in 2026: v22 ‘Piers’ Reigns Supreme

As of today, Kodi 22 “Piers” is the stable, recommended version for all users. Now well past its development phase, it has established itself as one of the most significant updates in years—not for revolutionary new features, but for the incredible amount of polish applied to the software’s core performance, compatibility, and stability.

In my testing, the difference in fluidity and responsiveness compared to the last version of Omega is night and day, especially on low-powered devices like TV boxes or a Raspberry Pi. If you haven’t upgraded yet, I strongly recommend you do. For a more granular breakdown of the differences, check out our head-to-head comparison: Kodi 22 ‘Piers’ vs. Kodi 21 ‘Omega’: The Definitive 2026 Upgrade Guide

Key Upgrades in Kodi 22 ‘Piers’ You Need to Know About

The jump to Kodi 22 “Piers” brings significant under-the-hood improvements that directly enhance the user experience:

• Native PipeWire Support on Linux: A dream come true for Linux users, this provides full integration with the modern PipeWire audio server, offering superior low-latency sound management and higher quality audio output.
• Improved AV1 Hardware Decoding: Support for hardware-accelerated AV1 decoding has been optimized, ensuring silky-smooth 4K and 8K playback on the latest GPUs and SoCs without hammering your CPU.
• Refined Estuary v2 Interface: The default skin has received several usability tweaks, improving navigation on touchscreens and with remote controls, featuring more intuitive and accessible menus.
• New Metadata Engine: A new scraper system has been implemented that uses improved algorithms to identify and download artwork, synopses, and other content information with much greater accuracy.
• Expanded HDR Compatibility: Enhanced support for high dynamic range formats like HDR10+ and Dolby Vision (Profile 8), enabling video playback with superior picture quality on compatible TVs.

Security & Privacy in Kodi: A Non-Negotiable Priority for 2026

Kodi’s ecosystem is as powerful as it is open, which means security and privacy fall squarely on the user’s shoulders. In 2026, with increased ISP traffic monitoring and aggressive geo-blocking, using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is no longer an option—it’s a necessity.

A VPN encrypts all your internet traffic, giving you three critical advantages when using Kodi:

1. Anonymity and Privacy: Your ISP can’t see what content you’re watching or what sources you’re accessing, protecting your digital privacy.
2. Bypass Geo-Blocks: It allows you to access legitimate platforms and content that might be restricted in your country by changing your virtual location.
3. Security on P2P Networks: If you use addons that rely on the BitTorrent protocol, like Elementum, a VPN hides your real IP address from other peers on the network.

Protecting your connection is paramount. Always ensure you’re using trusted security tools to keep your streaming activities private and secure.

The Road to Kodi 23 ‘Quintessence’: What’s Next on the Roadmap?

Development on the Kodi GitHub never sleeps. While “Piers” solidifies its position as the stable release, the team is already hard at work on the next major update: Kodi 23, with the provisional codename “Quintessence.” Although it’s still in the early stages, developer discussions point to some highly ambitious structural changes.

Here are some of the key initiatives on the Kodi 23 roadmap:

• New Playback Engine: A partial rewrite of the video engine is being explored to optimize resource usage and improve audio/video sync, especially with next-generation codecs.
• Cloud Gaming Integration: There’s talk of natively integrating launchers for cloud gaming services, transforming Kodi into an even more comprehensive entertainment hub.
• Modular & Secure Addon System: A new framework for addons that would better isolate them from the system core (sandboxing), boosting security and preventing a faulty addon from crashing all of Kodi.
• VVC/H.266 Support: Preparing the groundwork for AV1’s successor, the Versatile Video Coding codec, which promises the same quality at half the bitrate.

Kodi Alternatives in 2026: Is There Life Beyond the King?

While Kodi remains the champion of customization, the market offers several excellent Kodi alternatives in 2026, each with its own strengths:

While these alternatives are fantastic, Kodi is still unmatched for users who demand total control over their interface, players, metadata, and a nearly infinite community of addon developers.

Conclusion: The Future of Kodi in 2026 is Brighter Than Ever

To sum it up, the current state of Kodi in 2026 is excellent. The project has not only weathered the technical storms of 2025 but has emerged stronger with an exceptionally stable v22 “Piers” and a promising future with the development of v23. Kodi remains, and looks set to remain for a long time, the ultimate tool for any movie, TV show, and streaming enthusiast seeking a powerful, free, and fully customizable solution.