DevOps for Game Devs: New Unity CLI + GitHub Actions

DevOps for Game Devs: New Unity CLI + GitHub Actions - YouTube

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A walkthrough demonstrates the new free Unity CLI, showing how to create and open projects, install editor versions, run unit tests, and view results locally. The tutorial then wires the CLI into a GitHub Actions workflow that checks out code, installs the Unity CLI and editor, activates a Unity license via repository secrets, runs edit-mode tests, uploads results as artifacts, and returns the license.

Cost and licensing notes cover Unity Pro seat limits and GitHub Actions free-tier minutes, with a mention that building Unity projects via the CLI is a logical next step.

Questions this post answers

How do I run Unity unit tests automatically in GitHub Actions using the new Unity CLI?
Set up a GitHub Actions workflow that checks out the repo, installs the Unity CLI using the same install command from Unity's Linux documentation, installs the required editor version, activates a Unity license using repository secrets for email, password, and serial number, then runs 'unity test' with flags like edit mode and no-graphics, uploads the resulting test-results file as an artifact, and finally returns the license so future runs aren't blocked. Track new CI/CD tooling like Unity CLI workflows alongside other DevOps updates on daily.dev.

Is the new Unity CLI free to use?
Yes, the Unity CLI itself is free to use for most users, and pairing it with GitHub Actions keeps automation costs low since GitHub Actions offers free minutes as well, reportedly around 2,000 minutes per month for private repos and effectively unlimited for public repos. A Unity Pro license may still have limited seats requiring you to unseat unused devices in Unity ID. Developers weighing free versus paid game dev tooling can follow updates like this on daily.dev.

How do I create a new Unity project from the command line using the Unity CLI?
Use the 'unity projects create' command, providing a project name, a path, the desired editor version such as 6.5.9, and a template like com.unity.template.urp. The CLI will prompt whether to link the project to a Unity Cloud project, then generate the project without automatically opening it or adding it to Unity Hub, both of which must be done separately. Follow practical command-line workflows like this Unity project setup on daily.dev.