Cocos 4 Is Open Source — But Is It Time to Leave Cocos Creator 3.8?

Description and use

A solo developer running a WeChat mini‑game on Cocos Creator 3.8 decides whether to migrate to the newly open‑source Cocos 4, which separates the engine, IDE (PinK), and CLI, and rolls out mini‑game support gradually. They stay on 3.8 for current releases, evaluate Cocos 4 for new projects needing native targets or MIT licensing, and monitor PinK maturity and mini‑game rollout before migrating.

Problem

A solo developer running a WeChat mini‑game on Cocos Creator 3.8 must decide whether to migrate to the newly open‑source Cocos 4 ecosystem, which separates the engine, IDE (PinK), and CLI, and rolls out mini‑game support gradually.

Outcome

The developer chooses to stay on Cocos Creator 3.8 for current WeChat releases, while keeping Cocos 4 on the table for future projects that need native targets or MIT licensing, and watches PinK and mini‑game support maturation before migrating.

Workflow

• 1. Identify platform target (WeChat vs native/Steam).
• 2. If target is WeChat, stay on Cocos Creator 3.8 to avoid migration cost and instability.
• 3. If target is native/Steam or MIT requirement, evaluate Cocos 4 by testing PinK alpha and CLI features.
• 4. Monitor PinK activation code availability and mini‑game support progress.
• 5. Decide to migrate only after sufficient PinK maturity and stable mini‑game support, respecting the six‑month deprecation window.

Evidence

Cocos 4 is fully open source under the standard MIT license

Source

PinK is a new IDE. The Cocos Creator editor you know (and that I've shipped two projects on) is battle-tested. PinK is where visual editing is migrating — its maturity is unproven, and as of this writing it's shipping in alpha behind activation codes.

Source

The WeChat mini-game target is "gradual."

Source