# Gaea 2.0 splits from 1.X by Godot version, and the graph editor is the product

> Gaea is a procedural generation add-on for Godot 4 built around a node graph, with custom nodes as a first-class feature. Version 2.0 targets Godot 4.4 specifically and is labelled early development, while the videos in the README still show 1.X.

**gaea-godot/gaea** — Procedural generation add-on for Godot 4.

- Repository: https://github.com/gaea-godot/gaea
- Website: https://gaea-docs.readthedocs.io/
- Stars: 1,663 · Forks: 96
- Language: GDScript
- License: MIT
- Published: 2026-10-16 · Updated: 2026-10-16 · Language: en
- Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/gaea-godot-gaea

## The version split is drawn at Godot 4.4

Gaea 2.0 is described as an add-on for Godot 4.4, and the README is explicit about what happens on older versions. For 4.3 and below, use v1.X, which lives on a separate `1.X` branch of the same repository. The default branch is `2.0`.

So the addon is not forward-compatible across the whole of Godot 4. There is a hard cut at 4.4, and a project on 4.3 is not a 2.0 user with a slightly degraded experience; it is a 1.X user on a different branch.

There is also a maturity note attached to 2.0 that deserves to be read as stated: it is currently in early development and may not yet be optimized for larger, more complex projects.

The release history is consistent with that framing. Recent tags are v2.0.0-beta6 from 2026-03-24, v2.0.0-beta5.hotfix from 2025-09-20, and v2.0.0-beta5 from the same day three hours earlier. A hotfix tag issued hours after the release it fixes is a normal pattern for a beta line, and the `.hotfix` suffix keeps it visible in the tag list.

The last push was on 2026-10-14, so work continues even though the newest tag is from March. Licence is MIT, primary language is GDScript, and the topics are addon, godot-addon, godot4, procedural-generation and procgen.

## Installing means moving a folder, not resolving a dependency

The installation steps are three and the middle one is the whole of them.

1. Download the project files.
2. Move the `gaea` folder into your `/addons` folder within your Godot project.
3. Enable the addon through the project settings.

There is no package manager, no registry entry and no version constraint. The addon is a directory you place yourself, and the Godot editor's project settings toggle is what enables it. The practical difference between 1.X and 2.0 is which version you download.

The README does not document what happens if the 2.0 folder is used in a 4.3 project, so it is worth confirming your Godot version before copying it.

For documentation, the README points at gaea-docs.readthedocs.io, and the logo at the top of the file is fetched from a separate `gaea-docs` repository, which tells you the documentation lives outside this repository and is versioned separately from the code.

## The graph is the interface, and custom nodes are a supported path

The core idea section is short but it defines the design. Gaea uses a graph system to create a flow of customizable nodes, in both 2D and 3D. Creating custom nodes is described as easy, with the point being that you are not limited by what the addon ships.

That last clause is the one that matters for adoption. Most node-based tools are extensible in principle and closed in practice, because the node API is undocumented or internal. Here it is stated up front, and the repository layout backs it: alongside `addons/` and `demos` there is a `script_templates/` directory, which is where templates for generating new node scripts would live, plus a `testing/` directory.

So the intended workflow has two paths. Use the built-in nodes if they cover the terrain or cave you want, or write your own if they do not, using the script templates as a starting point. A project that outgrows the built-ins does not have to leave the addon.

The README's example images describe what the output looks like rather than the API: natural terrain with grass, sand and water, and a cave-like system compared to Nuclear Throne with chests, cacti and grass. The caves example is the interesting one, because cave generation is where node graphs typically fall apart: you need branching, not just noise, and the second example suggests the graph handles structures rather than only height fields.

Note that the image paths in the README point at `docs/2.0/assets/` in the gaea-docs repository, so the example material is versioned with the 2.0 docs.

## The videos show a version you would not install

The Videos section carries a note that is easy to skim past: the videos are currently outdated and show the 1.X version of Gaea.

The two links are a general tutorial on creating procedural generation in Godot 4 and a roundup of addons for Godot 4. Both reference assets under `docs/1.X/assets/` in the documentation repository, which confirms the version split across the docs too rather than just the code.

This matters more than a stale screenshot would. If you learn Gaea from a video and then install 2.0, the graph you built in your head may not match the editor you get. Node graph editors are unforgiving about this because the vocabulary is the interface: a new node type, a renamed socket, or a different inspector layout breaks the mental model faster than a menu rearrangement.

The alternative sources are the Read the Docs manual at gaea-docs.readthedocs.io, which is versioned with the branch, and the community. The README points at the Gamedev Graveyard Discord server for notifications, questions and other developers, which is also how you would find out about beta changes as they land.

The name origin is worth one line because it explains the scope claim. Gaea is the Greek personification of Earth, which the README frames as a nod to the terrain and world generation the addon brings to a toolkit.

## What the repository tells you about maintenance

The top-level entries describe a Godot project rather than a plain library, and a few of them are informative.

`project.godot` at the root means the repository is itself an open Godot project, which is how an addon can ship demos that you open directly and try before copying into your own project. The `demos` directory is there for that, alongside `addons/` for the addon itself.

`icon.svg` with a matching `icon.svg.import` is the Godot editor icon convention, confirming this is meant to appear as a project plugin in the editor.

The linting configuration is a Godot-specific tool: `.gdlintrc` for GDScript linting and `.godotrc` alongside it, which is a Godot-aware formatter configuration. A `.gitmodules` file is present at the repository root, although the documented installation instructions only describe copying the `gaea` folder.

There is a `CONTRIBUTING.md` and a `LICENSE` file at the root. The repository is not archived and the last push was on 2026-10-14, roughly seven months after the newest beta tag, so expect the tag list to lag the work.

The practical summary is that this is an active beta maintained alongside its own documentation repository, split by Godot version, with no stable 2.0 release yet. That is a reasonable thing to experiment with inside a side project and a poor foundation for a production game you need to ship.

## Conclusion

Adopt Gaea 2.0 if you are on Godot 4.4 or later and want terrain or cave generation driven by a node graph inside the editor, and you are willing to work from a beta that the README calls early development and not yet optimized for larger or more complex projects. Stay on the v1.X branch if you are on Godot 4.3 or below, since the README routes you there explicitly. Before committing a project to it, read the graph documentation at gaea-docs.readthedocs.io rather than the videos, because the README states those videos are outdated and show 1.X, and check that your Godot version is 4.4 or newer before you install rather than after.

## FAQ

### Which version of Godot does Gaea 2.0 require?

The README describes Gaea 2.0 as an add-on for Godot 4.4. For Godot 4.3 and below it directs you to the v1.X branch of the repository instead, so the addon has a hard version cut rather than being forward-compatible across all of Godot 4.

### How do I install the Gaea add-on in Godot?

Download the project files, move the `gaea` folder into your `/addons` folder within your Godot project, then enable the addon through the project settings. There is no package manager step, so nothing prevents putting the 2.0 folder into a 4.3 project.

### Can I write my own generation nodes for Gaea?

The README says creating custom nodes is easy and that you are not limited by what the addon has, so custom nodes are a supported path rather than a workaround. The repository includes a script_templates directory alongside addons/ and demos/, which is where templates for node scripts would sit.

### Are the Gaea tutorial videos current?

No. The README notes that the videos are currently outdated and show the 1.X version of Gaea, and their thumbnails are stored under the 1.X documentation assets. The current documentation is at gaea-docs.readthedocs.io, versioned per branch.

## Sources

- [gaea-godot/gaea on GitHub](https://github.com/gaea-godot/gaea)
- [License: MIT](https://github.com/gaea-godot/gaea/blob/2.0/LICENSE)
- [Project website](https://gaea-docs.readthedocs.io/)
- [README](https://github.com/gaea-godot/gaea/blob/2.0/README.md)
- [Releases](https://github.com/gaea-godot/gaea/releases)

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Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/gaea-godot-gaea