This post summarizes the first Playground team meeting of 2026, held on January 9, 2026, in the #playground Slack channel.
Announcements
UI Updates
Three UI improvements shipped in December based on community feedback:
- Unsaved Playground warning – alerts users before losing work
- Launch WordPress Playground panel – new dedicated panel for launching instances
- Quick links – fast access to frequently visited pages
Read the full post (also available in Portuguese).
PHP-WASM Package Split
WordPress Playground now offers individual php-wasm packages for each PHP version (7.2–8.5). This modular approach allows developers to load only the PHP version they need, reducing bandwidth. Existing code remains compatible. Learn more.
Blueprints Library Preview
The internal blueprints library now includes visual previews, allowing users to see blueprint results directly from Playground before launching.
Dynamic CJS Imports
Dynamic imports for published CommonJS modules are now available.
Standalone Block Demo Page
A new standalone demo page (playground-block-demo.html) brings the Playground Block plugin’s functionality to playground.wordpress.net. Features include:
- Multi-file project editing (PHP, JS, JSX via esbuild-wasm)
- Real-time WordPress previews
- URL parameter configuration for full-page and embedded views
Documentation
New translations added: Bengali (@noruzzaman), Portuguese (@André Ribeiro), and Japanese (@shimomura tomoki).
Community
Contributor badges awarded to @SirLouen, @Mehraz Morshed, and @Sohilbhai Ghanchivahora.
Contributor Updates
@fellyph shared progress on:
- A PHP learning tool using php-wasm
- Documentation updates for non-developers, including two new guides: “WordPress Playground for non-developers” and “Testing themes and plugins”
- Video guides for runCLI and Git Actions (PRs under review)
- UI screenshot updates and front-end cleanups
Open Floor
The team asked: What would you like to see in Playground in 2026?