Winamp is Back! Well, Sort Of.

According to the developer, everything is in place for RC1, and he plans to focus on adding more functionality and features. Those upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 will undoubtedly appreciate the improved compatibility provided here.

Winamp, the classic media player, has just received an initial RC1 (Release Candidate 1) installer, allowing users to download it.

Many individuals reminisce about Winamp, a media player from the late 1990s and early 2000s (it was first released in 1997) that allowed users to play MP3 files. Visualizations, interface skins, and other such features were included.

Winamp 5.9 RC1 Build 9999 is a revamped version of version 5.8, released in 2018.

According to the release notes (as spotted by Ghacks via Bleeping Computer), the release is the result of four years of development since the 5.8 release. There were two dev teams involved, as well as a hiatus period caused by a pandemic.

Despite the fact that there aren't a lot of alterations to the end user, migrating the entire project from VS2008 to VS2019 and getting it to build successfully was the hardest and most significant part, according to the devs.

According to the developer, everything is ready for the RC1 release, meaning that he can focus on adding more features. Those who have upgraded to Windows 11 will undoubtedly appreciate the enhanced compatibility with this app.

Your expectations should be tempered at this point.

There's still a lot of work to be done on Winamp, not only because of bolting on features, but also because of ironing out difficulties. Although 'extensive internal testing has already been conducted,' testing will still be necessary, and in fact 'all functions must be tested' (indicting that real-world usage may be limited to this point).

The current version is a Release Candidate, a functional preview of the final product that is still far from perfect. Consider that if you want to get on board with Winamp now; it's still some way from the final release version (which will come eventually, of course).

There are a variety of known bugs flagged by the developer, but according to user reports, a few antivirus programs identified the Winamp installer as a threat (including Bitdefender, according to user reports). However, these are false positives, and we’re confident the developer agrees.

There are some key improvements in this preliminary working release, such as better compatibility with Windows 11, as mentioned. The list of the characteristics that will make this new remastered application distinct from the old Winamp, however, is still pending.

Winamp is trying to be a platform that connects fans and artists, an assertion that was made in the previous version of the program. Since the program will apparently be tied to streaming music services in some manner, it must obviously do something different. These are very different times from 25 years ago, when MP3s were first introduced.

Beyond a spark of simple nostalgia, we won’t get all that excited until we see these new features rolling out and what they'll deliver for modern music lovers. It’s still far from clear exactly what Winamp will do differently.

We believe there will be a long wait before Winamp reveals its new angle, as time always does. According to all accounts, there is still a lot of bug fixing and polishing to be done before then.