Our digital informative digest covers the lifecycle and peculiarities of video game development, as well as key topic-related issues, and this article is dedicated to one of the most relevant issues faced by experienced pros and those just about to join the game design & development industry. And this issue is the choice between Unity or Unreal 5? Which of these two popular game-making tools is the best, their distinctive features, pros and cons, and, most importantly, which is more suitable for your needs? Let’s get to the bottom of it. Unity & Unreal 5 basics We will not delve into the detailed background of the Unity and Unreal creation and evolution. If you want to study the subject in detail, there are a lot of specialized sources for you to explore. The main goal of this guide is to identify the pros and cons of dealing with these tools and center on the key point, which one, Unreal 5 or Unity is more suitable for your current goals? Starting with the essentials both game engines share a solid and lengthy story of evolution and exploitation. Unreal Engine was developed and launched in 1998, and presented to the public alongside FPS “Unreal”, the debut game of its creators, Epic Games Studio. Its peculiarity, besides the unprecedented visual performance, was that for the first time, players were allowed to modify the game for free. This was a real breakthrough in the game industry in the late 90s. Unity was founded in Denmark in 2004 and was intended to serve as a universal and accessible tool for video game development. It immediately appealed to numerous indie studios and became a global market maker. Even now in 2023, over 50% of titles across all platforms are built on Unity. Currently, Unity and Unreal are sharing the majority of the World`s video gaming market. But which one of them is preferable? Let’s find out. Affinities between Unity & Unreal engine Unreal & Unity provide their users with a complete software development environment that is crucial for game designers and programmers in creating their products. They easily allow you to develop your products for any popular gaming platform such as PC, PlayStation, Xbox One and Series X, and Nintendo Switch, as well as freely compatible with most operating systems, namely, all supported Windows versions, MacOS, Linux and other freeware OS, iOS, and Android. This flexibility allows you to create mobile games or cross-platform titles, as well as easily port games from one platform to another. Unity & Unreal has multiple common features: 2D & 3D games support 2D and 3D graphics rendering engine Characters’ movement control physics integrated toolkits VR implementation toolkits Sound design and Animation plugins AI and scripting tools Wide possibilities for Networking and Streaming Product memory usage steering It follows that both engines, Unreal and Unity, are universal tools for creating an MVP game from scratch. But what is the fundamental difference between them? For what reasons certain developers choose Unreal while others prefer Unity? Keep reading and you’ll find out. Differences Between Unreal Engine & Unity The key difference between Unity and Unreal is their coding language, While Unity exploits C# language both for the main tool and plugins, Unreal combines C++ and Blueprint (Unique Epic Games language). But that’s not the only difference between the engines. For your convenience, we offer a detailed table to study. COMPARISON UNREAL 5 UNITY ENGINE User-friendlines Steeper learning curve Integrated features that make Unity easy to use Open Source Yes No Performance Distributed execution features for greater performance May issue some troubles with scaling Graphics Top-notch graphics with volumetric lights, material editor, physically-based rendering, post-processing and global illumination Decent graphics with global illumination, post-processing, and physically-based rendering. Volumetric lights and some other features available through various plugins Mobile apps support May experience some problems with support, especially on Android-based mobile devices Many built-in advanced mobile apps support features Multiplayer support Integrated multiplayer support Multiplayer support through third-party plugins AI support Advanced AI with behavioral trees for characters and NPCs Limited AI support Game saving system Built-in Requires third-party plugins Chaos destruction system Built-in Requires custom code or third-party plugins Complex animation logic Built-in Also requires the implementation of the third-party plugins In a nutshell, Unreal 5 core coding functions are much more generic than Unity can offer. But thanks to the multitude of plugins you can easily add everything you need to the basic Unity package. Moreover, both engines have their own distinct pros and cons, which are described below. Unity vs. Unreal: head-to-head comparison So which engine is better? To find out, we will compare them on particular points, essential for high-quality game development. User-friendlinessThanks to the integrated core C# coding language Unity is more user-friendly than Unreal where in addition to C++ users will also have to master the Blueprint in order to gain clearance to all engine features. Payment plansThe pro version of the Unity engine will cost you 75$ per month while the Unreal 5 Engine is free but if your game made on its basis is released in stores, you’ll have to pay a 5% royalty fee on all product sales to Epic Games. VFX QualityUnreal 5 is capable of creating nearly real-life realistic visualizations of the characters and game environment which is crucial in creating games with a strong emphasis on the VFX aspect and that’s why Unreal is highly favored by the AAA games developers. RenderingSimilar to the supremacy in the visual part, the Unreal Engine provides the highest possible rendering speed and the ultimate overall visual quality of the product. AnimationAs you can guess from the previous two points, thanks to the ultimate rendering possibilities and the supreme quality of graphics – animations in games made with Unreal 5 are considered the best possible in nowadays. CollaborationUnity is the undisputed leader with 63% of the global games market. (13% goes to Unreal). Accordingly, more studios and developers create their projects with Unity, which leads to a greater number of potential employees for your studio, or a wider selection of job offers if you are a prospective job seeker. As we can see, there is no unconditional leader, each of the engines has its own weaknesses and strengths and what works for one may not work for another and vice versa. Let’s step away from the technical aspect for a moment and take a look at the most popular video games made with Unity or Unreal and try to figure out which engine is preferable for a particular genre. The most popular titles were made with Unreal 5 or Unity. Top games coded in Unity Disco Elysium – One of the most acclaimed and awarded RPGs in recent years. Angry Birds – one of the most popular mobile franchises ever. Pillars of Eternity – RPG created by Obsidian Entertainment which inherits the Baldurs Gate and Icewind Dale series. Hearthstone – a most popular trading card game made by Blizzard Entertainment. Rust – FPS MMORPG Survival named “one of the cruelest games on the internet”. Escape from Tarkov – Hardcore FPS Battle Royale/Survival Cities: Skylines – a new fresh word for traditional city-builders. Subnautica – an open-world survival adventure game. Wasteland 2 – the sequel to the classic 1980s RPG which gave birth to the Fallout title. Pokemon GO – the most popular augmented reality mobile game which builds a virtual bridge between the real and the digital worlds. Best Unreal Engine games Fortnite – battle royale made by Unreal Engine creators – Epic Games The Matrix Awakens – rather a remarkable demonstration of Unreal Engine 5’s outstanding capabilities than a full-fledged video game released for PlayStation and Xbox consoles Resident Evil 4 – the recharged and reloaded 4th chapter of the acclaimed Capcom survival horror franchise. Layers of Fear – a narrative-driven first-person psychological horror thriller. Mortal Online 2 – an open-world PVP/PVE sandbox. It is worth mentioning that Unreal 5 was released not long ago and the number of available games on it is quite limited. But the number of upcoming titles is awe-inspiring. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl, The Witcher 4 and Tomb Raider are only a few of those AAA games currently being created on the Unreal 5. Unreal or Unity: Summary Which of them is better and which one to choose for your current purposes? The fact is that there is no unambiguous leader among these two tools. Each of them is quite versatile and has its own pros and cons. Therefore, the choice should be based on your current capabilities and the goals you are pursuing. Choose Unity if you are: Choose Unreal if you are: New to coding Experienced professional and up for a challenge Eager to make a 2D/mobile game Your choice is FPS or VFX-oriented game Looking for a job in game dev, and the studio uses Unity All about top-notch visuals Planning to release your product on different platforms After a job in a major studio that is focused on developing AAA projects Regardless of your choice, we hope you found our article helpful and it has clarified the basic features of the Unreal 5 and Unity engines.
Our digital informative digest covers the lifecycle and peculiarities of video game development, as well as key topic-related issues, and this article is dedicated to one of the most relevant issues faced by experienced pros and those just about to join the game design & development industry. And this issue is the choice between Unity or Unreal 5? Which of these two popular game-making tools is the best, their distinctive features, pros and cons, and, most importantly, which is more suitable for your needs? Let’s get to the bottom of it. Unity & Unreal 5 basics We will not delve into the detailed background of the Unity and Unreal creation and evolution. If you want to study the subject in detail, there are a lot of specialized sources for you to explore. The main goal of this guide is to identify the pros and cons of dealing with these tools and center on the key point, which one, Unreal 5 or Unity is more suitable for your current goals? Starting with the essentials both game engines share a solid and lengthy story of evolution and exploitation. Unreal Engine was developed and launched in 1998, and presented to the public alongside FPS “Unreal”, the debut game of its creators, Epic Games Studio. Its peculiarity, besides the unprecedented visual performance, was that for the first time, players were allowed to modify the game for free. This was a real breakthrough in the game industry in the late 90s. Unity was founded in Denmark in 2004 and was intended to serve as a universal and accessible tool for video game development. It immediately appealed to numerous indie studios and became a global market maker. Even now in 2023, over 50% of titles across all platforms are built on Unity. Currently, Unity and Unreal are sharing the majority of the World`s video gaming market. But which one of them is preferable? Let’s find out. Affinities between Unity & Unreal engine Unreal & Unity provide their users with a complete software development environment that is crucial for game designers and programmers in creating their products. They easily allow you to develop your products for any popular gaming platform such as PC, PlayStation, Xbox One and Series X, and Nintendo Switch, as well as freely compatible with most operating systems, namely, all supported Windows versions, MacOS, Linux and other freeware OS, iOS, and Android. This flexibility allows you to create mobile games or cross-platform titles, as well as easily port games from one platform to another. Unity & Unreal has multiple common features: 2D & 3D games support 2D and 3D graphics rendering engine Characters’ movement control physics integrated toolkits VR implementation toolkits Sound design and Animation plugins AI and scripting tools Wide possibilities for Networking and Streaming Product memory usage steering It follows that both engines, Unreal and Unity, are universal tools for creating an MVP game from scratch. But what is the fundamental difference between them? For what reasons certain developers choose Unreal while others prefer Unity? Keep reading and you’ll find out. Differences Between Unreal Engine & Unity The key difference between Unity and Unreal is their coding language, While Unity exploits C# language both for the main tool and plugins, Unreal combines C++ and Blueprint (Unique Epic Games language). But that’s not the only difference between the engines. For your convenience, we offer a detailed table to study.
In a nutshell, Unreal 5 core coding functions are much more generic than Unity can offer. But thanks to the multitude of plugins you can easily add everything you need to the basic Unity package. Moreover, both engines have their own distinct pros and cons, which are described below. Unity vs. Unreal: head-to-head comparison So which engine is better? To find out, we will compare them on particular points, essential for high-quality game development. User-friendlinessThanks to the integrated core C# coding language Unity is more user-friendly than Unreal where in addition to C++ users will also have to master the Blueprint in order to gain clearance to all engine features. Payment plansThe pro version of the Unity engine will cost you 75$ per month while the Unreal 5 Engine is free but if your game made on its basis is released in stores, you’ll have to pay a 5% royalty fee on all product sales to Epic Games. VFX QualityUnreal 5 is capable of creating nearly real-life realistic visualizations of the characters and game environment which is crucial in creating games with a strong emphasis on the VFX aspect and that’s why Unreal is highly favored by the AAA games developers. RenderingSimilar to the supremacy in the visual part, the Unreal Engine provides the highest possible rendering speed and the ultimate overall visual quality of the product. AnimationAs you can guess from the previous two points, thanks to the ultimate rendering possibilities and the supreme quality of graphics – animations in games made with Unreal 5 are considered the best possible in nowadays. CollaborationUnity is the undisputed leader with 63% of the global games market. (13% goes to Unreal). Accordingly, more studios and developers create their projects with Unity, which leads to a greater number of potential employees for your studio, or a wider selection of job offers if you are a prospective job seeker. As we can see, there is no unconditional leader, each of the engines has its own weaknesses and strengths and what works for one may not work for another and vice versa. Let’s step away from the technical aspect for a moment and take a look at the most popular video games made with Unity or Unreal and try to figure out which engine is preferable for a particular genre. The most popular titles were made with Unreal 5 or Unity. Top games coded in Unity Disco Elysium – One of the most acclaimed and awarded RPGs in recent years. Angry Birds – one of the most popular mobile franchises ever. Pillars of Eternity – RPG created by Obsidian Entertainment which inherits the Baldurs Gate and Icewind Dale series. Hearthstone – a most popular trading card game made by Blizzard Entertainment. Rust – FPS MMORPG Survival named “one of the cruelest games on the internet”. Escape from Tarkov – Hardcore FPS Battle Royale/Survival Cities: Skylines – a new fresh word for traditional city-builders. Subnautica – an open-world survival adventure game. Wasteland 2 – the sequel to the classic 1980s RPG which gave birth to the Fallout title. Pokemon GO – the most popular augmented reality mobile game which builds a virtual bridge between the real and the digital worlds. Best Unreal Engine games Fortnite – battle royale made by Unreal Engine creators – Epic Games The Matrix Awakens – rather a remarkable demonstration of Unreal Engine 5’s outstanding capabilities than a full-fledged video game released for PlayStation and Xbox consoles Resident Evil 4 – the recharged and reloaded 4th chapter of the acclaimed Capcom survival horror franchise. Layers of Fear – a narrative-driven first-person psychological horror thriller. Mortal Online 2 – an open-world PVP/PVE sandbox. It is worth mentioning that Unreal 5 was released not long ago and the number of available games on it is quite limited. But the number of upcoming titles is awe-inspiring. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl, The Witcher 4 and Tomb Raider are only a few of those AAA games currently being created on the Unreal 5. Unreal or Unity: Summary Which of them is better and which one to choose for your current purposes? The fact is that there is no unambiguous leader among these two tools. Each of them is quite versatile and has its own pros and cons. Therefore, the choice should be based on your current capabilities and the goals you are pursuing.
Regardless of your choice, we hope you found our article helpful and it has clarified the basic features of the Unreal 5 and Unity engines.
On average it can take around three to six months to explore Unity’s core functionality. It could be less if you already have C# and Javascript knowledge. Unreal Engine does require a more extensive knowledge base. The engine itself is fairly easy to learn but it may take from a few months to a few years to master all of its features, depending on your needs and the game you want to create.
If your goal is to create a cross-platform game, then Unity is a better choice for these purposes due to its relative ease of adoption, as well as because of its vast worldwide community that unites, among others, a lot of indie and beginner developers and coders.
If it’s 2D content you’re creating, then Unity is your choice. It has a much simpler user interface and well-developed integrated 2D tools. Unreal also can be used for 2D game making, but its creators aren’t prioritizing this feature set and favor genres like 3D shooters or massive open-world Adventures focused on the VFX component.
If you’re a beginner looking to develop & publish your first game, Unity’s user-friendliness and royalty-free pricing structure is a more attractive option than the Unreal Engine which is more suitable for large-scale projects and major studios with a corresponding number of specialists on board.
For professional teams, Unity and Unreal payrolls for skilled coders are roughly the same. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that Unity developer is a multifaceted role. While it mostly covers coding, sometimes it includes help with the world-building and character development. On the other side if you’re eager to build your career in a major studio recall that there are far more AAA teams using Unreal Engine. But in the end, the high-tier specialist payroll is going to be about the same regardless of engine and mostly depending on title success and sales revenues.
