unity-addressables-design

Every LoadAssetAsync or InstantiateAsync call returns a handle that must be released via Addressables.Release or Addressables.ReleaseInstance. Forgetting to release keeps the AssetBundle in memory indefinitely, and using GameObject.Destroy on an instantiated instance does not decrement the refcount.

Addressables 2.9.1 removed all non-Async obsolete methods like LoadAsset and Instantiate, replaced IList<object> multi-key overloads with IEnumerable, and added the SceneReleaseMode enum for scene loading. LegacyResourcesLocator and diagnostic event types were also removed.

Unity 6 ships Addressables 2.9.1, which removed all [Obsolete] non-Async methods such as LoadAsset, Instantiate, LoadScene, and Initialize. Replace each with its Async counterpart, and convert IList<object> key arguments to IEnumerable.

No, WaitForCompletion throws on WebGL builds because the JavaScript backend cannot synchronously pump async operations. Use await handle.Task or the Completed event instead, and guard any WaitForCompletion usage with platform conditionals.

Serialize a closed subclass like AssetReferenceGameObject rather than the open generic AssetReferenceT<T>, which Unity cannot serialize. Load with LoadAssetAsync and release with ReleaseAsset on the same AssetReference, never mixing with Addressables.Release on the cached handle.

SceneReleaseMode exists only in Addressables 2.9.1 and defaults to ReleaseSceneWhenSceneUnloaded, matching 1.22.3 behavior. Use OnlyReleaseSceneOnHandleRelease when you want the bundle to stay resident after unload, but you must then call Addressables.Release manually.