What Is Unreal Engine?

Unreal Engine is a widely used game engine known for its impressive versatility and power. Epic Games built the engine to provide developers with a full toolbox to create visually stunning, immersive 3D games and virtual experiences. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced developer, Unreal Engine offers extensive documentation, tutorials, and online resources to support your learning journey. With notable use cases like Fortnite, Rocket League, and Gears of War, Unreal Engine has established itself as a leading choice for game development, and it likewise assists in architectural visualization, virtual reality experiences, and film production.

What is Unreal Engine used for?

Unreal Engine is a powerful and highly regarded game engine developed by Epic Games and used for video game design. It provides developers with a comprehensive set of tools and technologies for creating interactive 3D graphics and immersive virtual experiences. The engine has been in development for over two decades and has evolved into a feature-rich and versatile platform.

More game developers are using Unreal Engine because of its capabilities, performance, and visual fidelity. The engine provides the necessary tools and workflows to create top-of-the-line games with impressive and realistic graphics. A few important features are dynamic lighting, enabling the use of distance field soft shadows and movable lights, and advanced physics simulations, allowing for fluid simulations, hair physics, destruction, and more. 

The build of Unreal Engine is on a modular architecture that allows developers to keep their code clean and compartmentalized. This lets developers easily update or add content to the game code without breaking the game. Unreal Engine also has a large collection of VFX capabilities and rendering tools, and it offers an extensive suite of additional features, including physics simulations, animation tools, audio systems, networking functionality, and a powerful visual scripting system called Blueprints that is accessible to those with limited programming experience. 

Capabilities like these suit the Unreal Engine to various applications beyond video game design. It supports developers in creating architectural visualizations, simulations, virtual reality experiences, music videos, and animated films.

Unreal Engine 5

Epic Games developed Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) as its new game engine to build upon the successes of Unreal Engine 4 (UE4). The company announced the new game engine in 2020 and offered a preview of the groundbreaking technology in early 2021. UE5 is a major update to UE4, introducing several new features and improvements. Some of these features include:

• Lumen: Lumen produces real-time, dynamic lighting. With Lumen, artists can create scenes with realistic lighting that changes as the player moves around.

• Nanite: This micropolygon geometry system pairs with UE5's Virtual Shadow Maps to let you create highly detailed worlds with striking visual fidelity.

• Temporal Super Resolution: This feature facilitates high resolution at low processing speeds for a better user experience.

• Animation authoring toolset: UE5's character and animation tool kit allows you to create, pose, animate, retarget, and adjust characters for different scenarios.

How to get Unreal Engine

Epic Games offers Unreal Engine for free through its official website. You can visit the Unreal Engine website, sign up for an Epic Games account if you don't already have one, and download the engine. You’ll gain access to all the features and tools needed to develop your own games and interactive experiences.

Epic Games also offers a commercial licensing option. If you release a commercial product that you built using Unreal Engine, you pay a 5 percent royalty fee after your product's lifetime revenue exceeds 1 million USD [1].

How to learn Unreal Engine

Various resources exist to help you begin learning Unreal Engine. Epic Games provides extensive documentation and learning resources on its official website. It offers step-by-step tutorials, guides, and sample projects to help newcomers start using the engine. The documentation covers everything from basic concepts to advanced topics, making it a valuable resource for developers of all skill levels.

Additionally, numerous online courses, video tutorials, and books focus on Unreal Engine. Platforms like Pluralsight and YouTube offer a wide range of tutorials and courses experienced instructors teach. These resources cover topics such as gameplay programming, level design, animation, blueprint scripting, and more.

Examples of Unreal Engine

Unreal Engine has been the foundation for numerous successful games and interactive experiences. A notable example is Fortnite, which Epic Games developed and published itself. Since its launch, Fortnite has transformed into a global sensation. Some attribute the game’s success not only to its addictive gameplay but also to the engine's capabilities, which allow for seamless multiplayer experiences, stunning visuals, and regular updates to keep the game fresh.

The Gears of War series, known for its intense third-person shooter gameplay, was also developed using Unreal Engine. The franchise has been lauded for its impressive graphics, cinematic storytelling, and engaging multiplayer modes. It has become one of the flagship franchises associated with Unreal Engine, showcasing its ability to deliver high-quality, action-packed gaming experiences.

Other popular games built with Unreal Engine include:

• BioShock Infinite

• Batman: Arkham Knight 

• Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

• Mortal Kombat 11

Unreal Engine works in non-gaming applications as well. For instance, architectural firms have utilized the engine to create realistic visualizations of buildings and environments. The engine's real-time rendering capabilities allow architects and designers to portray their work interactively. This has proven invaluable in presenting concepts to clients and stakeholders.

The film and entertainment industry also utilizes Unreal Engine for virtual production, where real-time rendering combines with live actors or motion capture to create virtual environments and scenes. This technology has been employed to make movies, TV shows, and commercials, enhancing the production process and enabling filmmakers to visualize and animate scenes in real time.

Similar design programs to Unreal Engine

While Unreal Engine is a powerful and widely used game engine, other video game design programs offer similar functionality, such as:

• Unity: A popular game engine that provides a comprehensive set of tools for game development. Unity offers a user-friendly interface, multi-platform support, and a strong community of developers. It has been used to create various successful games across different genres.

• CryEngine: Another notable game engine that focuses on high-quality visuals and realistic rendering is CryEngine. It has been used to develop visually stunning games and is particularly known for its capabilities in creating expansive outdoor environments. CryEngine provides advanced rendering features and comprehensive toolsets for game development.

• Godot Engine: This open-source game engine offers a user-friendly interface that supports multiple platforms. It emphasizes simplicity, accessibility, and a community-driven approach. Godot has gained popularity among indie developers due to its lightweight nature and the absence of licensing fees.

Each of these engines has its strengths, features, and community support. The engine you choose should ultimately depend on your project's specific requirements: the targeted platforms, the development team's preferences and expertise, and factors like budget and scalability needs. It's important to evaluate different engines to find the one best aligned with your project's goals.

Top companies that use Unreal Engine

Several top companies utilize Unreal Engine in their game development processes. Some notable examples include Epic Games (the developer of Unreal Engine), Electronic Arts, Activision, Nike, Sony, LEGO, and Harmonix. Unreal Engine's versatility and capabilities make it a preferred choice for both small indie studios and large game developers.

Pros of Unreal Engine

As you can see, Unreal Engine offers many benefits to game developers and professionals in various industries. Some notable pros of Unreal Engine include:

• Powerful and feature-rich, enabling the creation of visually stunning games

• Robust and flexible, supporting a wide range of platforms and devices

• Extensive documentation and learning resources 

• Strong community support and active development by Epic Games

• Blueprint visual scripting system for non-programmers

• Integration with third-party software and libraries

• Active marketplace for assets, plugins, and resources

Cons of Unreal Engine

Unreal Engine also has some potential drawbacks for you to consider. Possible cons of Unreal Engine include:

• Steeper learning curve compared to some other game engines since Unreal Engine uses the C++ programming language

• Higher system requirements for running and developing with Unreal Engine

• 5 percent royalty fees for developed products earning more than 1 million USD [1]

Get started in game development with Coursera

Unreal engine stands out as a leading game engine due to its versatility, advanced features, and robust developer support. Whether for game development, architectural visualization, or film production, Unreal Engine offers powerful tools and extensive resources, making it an invaluable asset across various industries.

If you’re interested in learning more about Unreal Engine or game development in general, completing a course or receiving a relevant certificate is a great place to start. On Coursera, you can enroll in some of the top programming and design courses in the world.

Check out the University of Colorado's C++ Programming For Unreal Game Development Specialization to apply your C++ skills to Unreal Engine game development in a more intermediate learning experience. By completing exercises and projects, you can build both console applications and Unreal Engine games, gaining practical experience throughout the four-course series. The estimated time to complete this course is two months when working ten hours weekly.