diff --git a/lib/core/updater/github_releases_client.dart b/lib/core/updater/github_releases_client.dart
index d262040e..e1f61a36 100644
--- a/lib/core/updater/github_releases_client.dart
+++ b/lib/core/updater/github_releases_client.dart
@@ -49,13 +49,7 @@ class GitHubReleasesClient {
       throw const GitHubReleasesException('Unexpected GitHub Releases list payload');
     }
 
-    for (final entry in decoded) {
-      if (entry is! Map<String, dynamic>) continue;
-      if (entry['draft'] == true) continue;
-      return parseGitHubRelease(entry);
-    }
-
-    throw const GitHubReleasesException('No published releases found');
+    return pickNewestRelease(decoded);
   }
 
   Future<String> downloadText(String url) async {
@@ -71,6 +65,34 @@ class GitHubReleasesClient {
   void close() => _httpClient.close();
 }
 
+/// The release with the highest version in a `/releases` list, for the Beta
+/// channel (#1493).
+///
+/// The API lists releases by creation date, not by version: with `0.5.0-beta.2`
+/// followed by a hotfix `0.4.20`, the first entry is the hotfix and the newer
+/// beta would never be offered. Drafts and tags that are not versions are
+/// skipped; a stable release outranks a pre-release of the same version. Only
+/// the first page of the API is read.
+UpdateManifest pickNewestRelease(List<dynamic> releases) {
+  Map<String, dynamic>? best;
+  UpdateVersion? bestVersion;
+  for (final entry in releases) {
+    if (entry is! Map<String, dynamic>) continue;
+    if (entry['draft'] == true) continue;
+    final tag = entry['tag_name']?.toString();
+    final version = tag == null ? null : UpdateVersion.tryParse(tag);
+    if (version == null) continue;
+    if (bestVersion == null || version.compareTo(bestVersion) > 0) {
+      best = entry;
+      bestVersion = version;
+    }
+  }
+  if (best == null) {
+    throw const GitHubReleasesException('No published releases found');
+  }
+  return parseGitHubRelease(best);
+}
+
 /// Parses a single GitHub release object into [UpdateManifest].
 UpdateManifest parseGitHubRelease(Map<String, dynamic> json) {
   final tagName = json['tag_name']?.toString();
diff --git a/test/core/updater/github_releases_beta_test.dart b/test/core/updater/github_releases_beta_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..10e6a787
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/core/updater/github_releases_beta_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+import 'dart:convert';
+
+import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+import 'package:http/http.dart' as http;
+import 'package:http/testing.dart';
+import 'package:querya_desktop/core/updater/github_releases_client.dart';
+import 'package:querya_desktop/core/updater/update_manifest.dart';
+
+Map<String, Object?> _release(String tag, {bool draft = false}) => {
+      'tag_name': tag,
+      'draft': draft,
+      'published_at': '2026-10-01T00:00:00Z',
+      'body': '',
+      'assets': const <Object>[],
+    };
+
+// The Beta channel reads `/releases`, which is ordered by creation date; the
+// answer must be the highest version, whatever the order (#1493).
+void main() {
+  group('pickNewestRelease', () {
+    String newest(List<Map<String, Object?>> list) =>
+        pickNewestRelease(list).version;
+
+    test('a hotfix published after a beta does not hide the newer beta', () {
+      expect(
+        newest([
+          _release('0.4.20'),
+          _release('0.5.0-beta.2'),
+          _release('0.5.0-beta.1'),
+        ]),
+        '0.5.0-beta.2',
+      );
+    });
+
+    test('a stable release outranks its own beta', () {
+      expect(newest([_release('0.5.0-beta.1'), _release('0.5.0')]), '0.5.0');
+      expect(newest([_release('0.5.0'), _release('0.5.0-beta.3')]), '0.5.0');
+    });
+
+    test('pre-release numbers compare as numbers: beta.10 is above beta.2', () {
+      expect(
+        newest([_release('0.5.0-beta.2'), _release('0.5.0-beta.10')]),
+        '0.5.0-beta.10',
+      );
+    });
+
+    test('a leading v is ignored', () {
+      expect(newest([_release('v0.4.19'), _release('v0.4.21')]), '0.4.21');
+    });
+
+    test('drafts and tags that are not versions are skipped', () {
+      expect(
+        newest([
+          _release('0.9.0', draft: true),
+          _release('nightly'),
+          _release('0.4.19'),
+        ]),
+        '0.4.19',
+      );
+    });
+
+    test('nothing usable is "No published releases found"', () {
+      expect(
+        () => pickNewestRelease([_release('0.9.0', draft: true), _release('x')]),
+        throwsA(isA<GitHubReleasesException>().having(
+          (e) => e.message,
+          'message',
+          'No published releases found',
+        )),
+      );
+      expect(() => pickNewestRelease(const []),
+          throwsA(isA<GitHubReleasesException>()));
+    });
+  });
+
+  group('GitHubReleasesClient.fetchLatest', () {
+    GitHubReleasesClient clientFor(List<Map<String, Object?>> releases) =>
+        GitHubReleasesClient(
+          httpClient: MockClient((request) async {
+            expect(request.url.toString(), kGitHubReleasesListUrl);
+            return http.Response(jsonEncode(releases), 200);
+          }),
+        );
+
+    test('the Beta channel returns the highest version of the list', () async {
+      final manifest = await clientFor([
+        _release('0.4.20'),
+        _release('0.5.0-beta.2'),
+      ]).fetchLatest(channel: UpdateChannel.dev);
+      expect(manifest.version, '0.5.0-beta.2');
+    });
+  });
+}