Epic released Unreal Engine 5.

Almost two years after the initial announcement, Epic Games has officially launched the Unreal Engine 5, now available for developers to download.

Enhancements and Innovations

The updated engine boasts a slew of improvements, from enhanced performance to a revamped user interface. However, the most significant changes stem from several technologies designed to deliver more photorealistic visuals.

Key Features

Among these are Lumen, described as a “fully dynamic global illumination solution,” and Nanite, which Epic claims “enables developers to create games with an immense amount of geometric detail.”

Practical Tools

Additionally, there are more practical tools for developers, such as the ability to partition parts of an open world to facilitate independent work on specific areas. Overall, these tools are expected to streamline the creation of large-scale games. CD Projekt Red has already confirmed its use of this engine for the next installment in The Witcher series.

Successful Deployments

Although the engine has only recently become widely accessible to game developers, Epic has already rolled out several major projects on UE5. Last December, Fortnite transitioned to Unreal 5, and simultaneously, Epic released The Matrix Awakens, a stunning technical demonstration featuring Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in a vast open world populated by Metahuman characters.

“It’s great that we can experiment with feedback loops much earlier than anyone else,” said Epic’s CTO Kim Libreri to The Verge. “This is incredibly valuable for our clients, as it means they won’t have to go through the same ordeal. We’re not going to impose overly rigid workflows on all users. From that perspective, it’s fantastic, especially with something as significant as The Matrix technical demo or Fortnite.”

As part of today’s UE5 launch, Epic is also making a sample city from The Matrix Awakens available to game developers, albeit without the Hollywood stars. “I think we’ll see some really amazing things,” Libreri added.

Epic is also releasing a sample multiplayer shooter called Lyra, built on UE5, which bears a striking resemblance to Unreal Tournament. According to the developers, it could serve as a practical learning resource for game creators.