Unreal Engine 5.5 Preview is now available.

The preview build is available to download from the Epic Games launcher and GitHub. You may have to update or restart the launcher for the new build to appear.

⚠️ Preview builds are still under heavy and active development, and are therefore considered unstable. If you want to test an existing project, I highly recommend making a copy first.
October's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.

Another month, another batch of free assets on the Unreal Marketplace. Everything linked below is free to download until November 5, 2024. I recommend claiming all of them, even if you do not need it right now — you might someday.

October's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.
Following several delays, Fab is finally launching in October.

This transition will come with many changes, so I recommend reading the full announcement from Epic. For those short on time, here are the highlights:

  • Fab will launch in mid-October with a wide variety of assets for Unreal Engine, Unity, and dozens of DCC tools, as well as UE5 and UEFN integrations, a real-time 3D viewer for inspecting assets, multiple license types, tiered pricing, and AI transparency. Sellers will earn 100% revenue share on products using Fab's Standard License until the end of 2024. After that, Fab will offer the 88/12 revenue share Epic has become known for.
  • Unreal Engine Marketplace will no longer be available when Fab launches. Current sellers can begin migrating their products today. New sellers can sign up and begin uploading their products to Fab in early October. Product ratings will be migrated, but reviews and questions will not.
  • Sketchfab Store will be replaced by Fab when it launches. Sketchfab.com will otherwise remain intact for now. Sellers can begin migrating their eligible models to Fab in early October. Product ratings will be migrated, but reviews and comments will not.
  • Quixel Megascans content will move from Quixel.com and Bridge to Fab when it launches. Content will remain free for everyone under Fab's Standard License until the end of 2024. In 2025, Fab will begin charging for Megascans, though some content will remain free. You will retain access to any content previously acquired through Quixel.com and Bridge.
  • ArtStation Marketplace will move to Fab in 2025, and sellers will be able to migrate their assets ahead of launch. All other parts of ArtStation will remain where they are.
Epic and Coursera created a new Unreal-centric game design course.

It's called the Epic Games Game Design Professional Certificate, and it's designed for beginners who want to learn the skills necessary to become a game developer. With 90+ hours of content and 10+ hours of hands-on learning, the course covers a wide array of topics from game design, level , and Blueprint scripting, to visual development, audio design, and UI.

You can evaluate the course with a 7-day free trial, but completing it and earning the certification requires a Coursera Plus subscription.

September's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.

Another month, another batch of free assets on the Unreal Marketplace. Everything linked below is free to download until October 1, 2024. I recommend claiming all of them, even if you do not need it right now — you might someday.

September's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.
Unreal Engine 5.4.4 hotfix has been released.

The update is available now on the Epic Games launcher and GitHub. Check out the official forum thread for more details about the fixes included.

August's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.

Another month, another batch of free assets on the Unreal Marketplace. Everything linked below is free to download until September 3, 2024. I recommend claiming all of them, even if you do not need it right now — you might someday.

August's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.
Early bird registration is open for Unreal Fest Seattle.

Tickets are available at an early bird price of $499 until August 15, then the price will go up to $549. Epic has also negotiated special rates for local hotels in the area. Details available at the link above.

Unreal Engine 5.4.3 hotfix has been released.

The update is available now on the Epic Games launcher and GitHub. Check out the official forum thread for more details about the fixes included.

July's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.

Another month, another batch of free assets on the Unreal Marketplace. Everything linked below is free to download until August 6, 2024. I recommend claiming all of them, even if you do not need it right now — you might someday.

July's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.
Unreal Engine 5.4.2 hotfix has been released.

The update is available now on the Epic Games launcher and GitHub. Check out the official forum thread for more details about the fixes included.

June's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.

Another month, another batch of free assets on the Unreal Marketplace. Everything linked below is free to download until July 2, 2024. I recommend claiming all of them, even if you do not need it right now — you might someday.

June's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.
May's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.

Another month, another batch of free assets on the Unreal Marketplace. Everything linked below is free to download until June 4, 2024. I recommend claiming all of them, even if you do not need it right now — you might someday.

May's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.
This post apocalyptic NYC environment is 50% off on Unreal Marketplace.

The sale lasts until May 15, 2024. The asset pack by Leartes Studios includes over 650 unique meshes and eight drivable vehicles, all optimized for game projects.

This post apocalyptic NYC environment is 50% off on Unreal Marketplace.
Unreal Engine 5.4.1 hotfix has been released.

The update is available now on the Epic Games launcher and GitHub. Check out the official forum thread for more details about the fixes included.

The call for proposals is now open for Unreal Fest Seattle.

Submit your proposal here before 11:59 PM PDT on May 22, 2024. Speakers will receive free hotel accommodation and a free pass for the event, which is scheduled to take place September 30—October 3, 2024. Venue and other info to be announced.

General registration is open for Unreal Fest Prague 2024.

Get your tickets here. The early bird discount is over, so passes are now $350. Additionally, the full session schedule is now available, so you can see all the topics that will be covered. I think the most compelling talk listed is "The Unfeatured Features of Unreal Engine in 2024" by Chris Murphy. That one is bound to be full of useful tips and tools you didn't know existed!

Unreal Engine 5.4 is now available.

You can download it now on the Epic Games Launcher and GitHub. This is a pretty significant release featuring many new features, including modular control rigs, adaptive tessellation for Nanite, a new motion design mode, and much more.

Perhaps more importantly, this also means the new licensing model is now in effect. The new pricing only applies once you upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.4. You can continue using Unreal Engine 5.3 or older under the previous terms, so choose carefully!

If you are upgrading, brew a cup of coffee or tea and check out these resources while you wait:

Unreal Engine 5.4 is now available.
Get early bird pricing for Unreal Fest Prague 2024.

Early bird tickets for Unreal Fest Prague 2024 will be available until April 23 at a discounted rate of $298. After that, tickets will cost $350. The ticket is valid for the full two-day conference and covers access to all sessions, mixers, meals, and the Unreal Fest Party. Get your tickets here.

April's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.

Another month, another batch of free assets on the Unreal Marketplace. Everything linked below is free for the month of April. I recommend claiming all of them, even if you do not need it right now — you might someday.

Stylized - Clay Forest Village Pack by Studio Kobo
Clouds Lighting System by Lukerr
UCreate - Gothic Cathedral Asset Pack by MichalSornat
Ancient Golem by StanislavGeivah
Watermills / Nature Environment + ULAT by Leartes Studios

April's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.
Velarion's products are 50% off on Unreal Marketplace.

The seller spotlight sale lasts until March 29, 2024 at 9:00 AM ET. Velarion's products include a variety of otherworldly matte painting skyboxes, landscapes, and environments.

Browse the sale →

Velarion's products are 50% off on Unreal Marketplace.
Unreal Engine 5.4 Preview is now available.

The preview build is available to download from the Epic Games launcher and GitHub. You may have to update or restart the launcher for the new build to appear.

⚠️ Preview builds are still under heavy and active development, and are therefore considered unstable. If you want to test an existing project, I highly recommend making a copy first.
Epic Games has launched a redesigned Unreal Engine website.

Going beyond a fresh coat of paint, the new site is part of a long-term effort to unify all the products and resources in their ecosystem so they are easier to use and discover.

The Unreal Engine landing page has been significantly reworked and features a lot more useful links and information than before. Unreal documentation has all been migrated to the Epic Developer Community, which means you can now search the docs, tutorials, and forums all in one place.

Read the official announcement to learn more.

Epic Games has launched a redesigned Unreal Engine website.
Epic Games launcher will end support for old Windows versions in June.

Epic has announced that the launcher will no longer support Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10 32-bit starting in June 2024. Users on these operating systems can continue to use the launcher after this date, but will no longer receive updates.

In order to continue receiving updates, you will need to be running Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows 11, or macOS 10.13 or higher.

The March Unreal Marketplace sale is live.

Over 2,000 products are on sale for up to 50% off until March 21, 2024 at 9:59 AM EDT.

Browse the sale →

The March Unreal Marketplace sale is live.
The licensing model for Unreal Engine is changing in April.

Epic Games has revealed the details of the new pricing model for non-game industries that was first announced at Unreal Fest 2023. The new pricing will roll out in late April alongside Unreal Engine 5.4.

I highly recommend reading the official blog post for all the details, nuances, and FAQs, but here are the key points you need to know:

  • Nothing is changing for game developers
  • Starting with Unreal Engine 5.4, eligible companies* who are not creating games will need to pay a new subscription priced at $1,850 per seat annually. This subscription includes Unreal Engine 5.4+, Twinmotion, and RealityCapture.
  • The subscription does not include Epic Direct Support via UDN, which will be available to studios purchasing more than ten seats for an additional $1,500 per seat annually.
  • If you're not ready to upgrade and pay the subscription, you can continue to use previous versions under the existing licensing terms.
  • You will be able to subscribe to Twinmotion or RealityCapture individually at $445 per seat annually and $1,250 per seat annually, respectively.
  • Unreal Engine 5.4, Twinmotion, and RealityCapture will remain free to use if you're a student, educator, hobbyist, or if your company earns less than $1 million in annual gross revenue.

*You are required to pay for seats if your company generates over $1 million in annual gross revenue, does not create games, and does not create applications that are licensed to third-party end users and rely on Unreal Engine code at runtime.

Epic has announced a new "collaborative art jam" called Project Titan.

Created in partnership with Amazon Web Services, Project Titan will give artists the opportunity to collaborate on a large open world game over the course of 10 weeks. The challenge is open to everyone, so students and experienced veterans alike are encouraged to join.

This is a rather unique challenge, and there are a lot of moving parts. Here are the key points you should know if you are interested:

  • Epic has created a base open world landscape. It is up to artists to fill it with characters, props, structures, etc.
  • Artists will collaborate via a Perforce server hosted by Epic on AWS. Participants will receive login credentials when the challenge begins.
  • Epic staff and "other games industry experts" will be offering support along the way.
  • You cannot use purchased assets.
  • You cannot use any AI image or model generation tools.
  • You cannot use other artists' existing concepts as a basis for your 3D work.
  • The final result will be released as a free open world sample project.

The project will kick off with an Inside Unreal livestream on March 28. This will be followed by weekly progress update livestreams starting on April 5 and concluding June 7 when the challenge ends.

You can register on ArtStation under one (or all) of five disciplines. Read each challenge page for full details and FAQs.

Epic has announced a new "collaborative art jam" called Project Titan.
March's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.

It's that time of month again! All of the assets below are free to download from the Unreal Marketplace for the month of March. I recommend grabbing everything, even if you don't need it — you might someday.

Modular Medieval Town with Interior

Wily Pumpkin

Get it now →

Ultimate Farming

CropCraft Studios

Get it now →

DLC In Blueprints V3

Komodobit Games

Get it now →

Primitive Characters

Bugrimov Maksim

Get it now →

Renovation Simulator

Manudog

Get it now →
Epic Games has formally announced its plans for GDC 2024.

There is a lot to look forward to if you are planning to attend the conference:

  • The State of Unreal keynote kicks things off on March 20 at 9:30 AM PDT
  • 3 days of tech talks and sponsored sessions
  • A booth packed with swag, snacks, demos, and more

You can view all the details and tech talk schedules here.

Additionally, Epic Games is collaborating with ArtStation to host a community showcase at their booth. If you want your work to be included, head to ArtStation and fill out the submission form by February 25, 2024.

Epic Games has formally announced its plans for GDC 2024.
The February Unreal Marketplace sale is live.

Over 2,000 products are on sale for up to 50% off until February 22, 2024 at 9:59 AM EST.

The February Unreal Marketplace sale is live.
February's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.

It's that time of month again! All of the assets below are free to download from the Unreal Marketplace for the month of February. I recommend grabbing everything, even if you don't need it — you might someday.

Replicated Building System

Atlas Studio

Get it now →

Stylized Modular Crystal Mine

Scale 3D

Get it now →

Fantasy Interior Environment

Leartes Studios

Get it now →

Stats & Achievements Integration

Artur

Get it now →

Advanced CRT TV - VCR - VHS Effects

CemTezcan

Get it now →
Epic has announced six Unreal Fest events for 2024.

Starting in May, the conference is coming to the Gold Coast, Prague, Seattle, Seoul, Shanghai, and Tokyo.

Preliminary details for the lineup, including opportunities to speak at the Gold Coast and Prague conferences, can be found here.

Epic has announced six Unreal Fest events for 2024.
The January 2024 Unreal Marketplace sale is live.

I almost missed this one! The January Marketplace sale is currently under way. Over 2,000 products on sale for up to 50% off until January 24, 2024 at 9:59 AM EST.

The January 2024 Unreal Marketplace sale is live.
Verse is not coming to Unreal Engine in 2024.

In response to an X post by UEFN developer Warforge, Tim Sweeney stated that Verse is not coming to Unreal Engine 5 in 2024. Perhaps more intriguing, Tim also offered a rare glimpse into his vision for Unreal Engine 6.

For now, it seems, Tim will be ready to increase the version number when UE5 supports not only Verse, but the ability to more readily contribute to an ecosystem of Fortnite-like experiences, ushered in by new standards and technologies as yet seen.

January's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.

It's that time of month again! All of the assets below are free to download from the Unreal Marketplace for the month of January. I recommend grabbing everything, even if you don't need it — you might someday.

Clouds & Skies

Leeyo Atelier

Get it now →

Gathering Resources - Advanced System

sizzoNNz

Get it now →

Ithris Cemetery

Rasmus Bagner

Get it now →

Line of Sight Dynamic Mesh

BarushColi

Get it now →

Fantasy Bundle Environment Kit 3 in 1

Denys Rutkovskyi

Get it now →
The winners of the 2023 Epic MegaJam have been announced.

The announcements were made during an Inside Unreal livestream on November 30 – VOD available here. Since the list was not published elsewhere following the stream, and Epic is on holiday break until January 7, 2024, here is a list of all the winners along with links (or UEFN island codes) to their projects.

Best Overall - UE

Best Overall - UEFN

  • 1st place - Time Heist (Island Code: 9430-2471-5714)
  • 2nd place - The Oregon Trek (Island Code: 7356-5730-2460)
  • 3rd place - Rail Riders (Can someone help me find the island code for this one?)

Best Overall - Student

Modifiers

The Unreal Marketplace Holiday Sale is live.

Your wallet isn't safe yet: Epic is closing out 2023 with the Marketplace Holiday Sale. Over 24,000 assets are up to 70% off until December 31, 2023 11:59 PM EST.

Browse the sale

Update your Perforce server now to patch critical vulnerabilities.

Microsoft has reported four vulnerabilities in Perforce Helix Server, a popular version control system in the game industry – and one many of you probably use at work.

It's worth reading the article if you're interested in the nature of the vulnerabilities, their severity, and how they were discovered. Otherwise, just make sure your Perforce admin updates Perforce Server to version 2023.1/2513900 as soon as possible to patch the vulnerabilities. You can download the latest version here.

Hat tip to @mastercoms over on our Discord server.

December's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.

It's that time of month again! All of the assets below are free to download from the Unreal Marketplace for the month of December. I recommend grabbing everything, even if you don't need it — you might someday.

LUSH: Stylized Environment Set

PolyPeak 3D

Get this for free →

Modular Victorian Gouse

ZhenyaChistovsky

Get this for free →

Greek Island

Scale 3D

Get this for free →

Easy Combo Buffering

BP Systems

Get this for free →

Procedural NPC Crowds V2

Komodobit Games

Get this for free →
Epic's Black Friday Creator Sale starts today.

The sale spans three platforms: Unreal Engine Marketplace, ArtStation, and Sketchfab.

Thousands of assets across all three stores are up to 70% off until December 3, 2023 11:59 PM EST. Browse the sale at each store below.

Unreal Marketplace
ArtStation Marketplace
Sketchfab

November's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.

It's that time of month again! All of the assets below are free to download from the Unreal Marketplace for the month of November. I recommend grabbing everything, even if you don't need it — you might someday.

Modular Gothic/Fantasy Environment

Stormcrow Studios

Get this for free →

Low Poly Town

PolyArt3D

Get this for free →

Grocery Store Props Collection

JessyStorm's Assets

Get this for free →

Survivors Roguelike - Multiplayer Game Template

Monster Tooth Studios

Get this for free →

Defender: Animated Dialogue System

Game Dev Voyager

Get this for free →
The Epic v. Google trial has begun.

The trial started this morning, and The Verge is liveblogging it right here if you want to follow the proceedings.

In 2020, Epic Games filed civil antitrust lawsuits against Apple and Google, arguing that their respective iOS and Android app stores were unlawful monopolies. Epic v. Apple already had its day in court, and now, more than 3 years later, Epic v. Google has finally gone to trial.

The outcome of this trial may have significant implications for the future of Android. If Epic has their way, Google will make it easier to use third-party app stores, sideload apps, and use non-Google payment processors, which would open the door to many new options for Unreal developers who publish on Android.

Epic is launching new incentive programs for the Epic Games store.

Today, Epic Games is launching the Epic First Run program they announced back in August. At the same time, they announced another, similar program – Now On Epic – that incentivizes developers to bring their back catalogs to the Epic Games Store. Both programs are opt-in and offer ways to temporarily boost your revenue share from 88% to 100%. Here's a brief rundown of how they both work.

Epic First Run

  • Earn 100% revenue share for 6 months in exchange for Epic Games Store exclusivity
  • Open to developers and publishers with eligible products launching on or after October 16, 2023
  • Participating developers must launch exclusively on Epic Games Store and remain exclusive for 6 months
  • Revenue share returns to 88%/12% when the exclusivity period ends

Now On Epic

  • Earn 100% revenue share for 6 months in exchange for bringing your back catalog to Epic Games Store
  • Open to developers and publishers with eligible products launched on another third-party PC storefront or subscription service before October 31, 2023
  • Eligible products will receive 100% revenue share for their first 6 months on the Epic Games Store
  • Revenue share returns to 88%/12% after 6 months
  • If you have three or more eligible products, you must bring at least three of them to Epic Games Store
  • If you have less than three, you must bring all of them
  • You must enroll before December 31, 2024
  • All eligible products must be released on the Epic Games Store before June 30, 2025
The October 2023 Unreal Marketplace sale is live.

Over 2,000 assets on the Unreal Marketplace are available at 50% off until October 15, 2023 at 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time.

There are some great environments for horror games, like an abandoned school and a spooky medieval town, plus a lot of useful tool kits, characters, and more.

Check out the sale here.

The October 2023 Unreal Marketplace sale is live.
Unreal Fest 2023 livestream recordings are now available.

You can watch the opening session along with livestream recordings from all 3 days of the conference. For now, the livestreams are only grouped by day. So, for example, if you want to watch a session that was streamed on day 1, you have to find which of the 3 livestreams it was part of and seek to the session you want in the video.

Epic will eventually release separate recordings of nearly all the sessions from the event, including the ones that were not livestreamed.

View the opening session and livestream recordings

This video from Valve reveals how game visibility works on Steam.

Narrated by Erik Peterson from the Steam business team, the video walks through all the different ways Steam chooses what games to show to players, including a break down of which sections of the store are curated vs. algorithmic/personalized.

Highly recommended for anyone who has published or wants to publish a game on Steam; especially independent developers who are working on publishing their first game.

Octobers's batch of free Unreal Marketplace assets is available.

It's that time of month again! All of the assets below are free to download from the Unreal Marketplace for the month of October. I recommend grabbing everything, even if you don't need it — you might someday.

Dreamscape Nature : Tower - Stylized Open World Environment

Polyart Studio

Get this asset for free →

Deep Elder Caves

Alexander Sychov

Get this asset for free →

Gladiator Arena Environment Kit

Denys Rutkovskyi

Get this asset for free →

EP Master Materials

A-Mod Studio

Get this asset for free →

NPC Optimizator - Automatic optimize NPC for your game

Space Raccoon Game Studio

Get this asset for free →
The Unreal Engine roadmap got a new Forward Looking tab.

The tab looks to be a way for them to share tentative plans for features they are working on without committing to a specific version or ship date. The tab features a prominent disclaimer:

This board reflects some of our current Unreal Engine development paths and we intend to update it regularly. This is not a commitment on which release or date any features could ship. All plans are tentative and subject to change without notice.

There's a lot of interesting stuff here, like a next-generation terrain solution, UMG style sheets, and a design overhaul for the conten browser.

Take a look for yourself. Worth bookmarking!

We're hosting a community Q&A with Snowcastle Games.

Update: Unfortunately, this event has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. Once we confirm a new date and time, we will let you all know. Apologies for the late notice.

We're collaborating with Epic Games to bring you another Community Q&A! This time our guests will be Snowcastle Games, an independent game studio from Oslo, Norway. They will be talking about their experience in the industry, working in art and design, and how they transitioned to Unreal Engine in their day-to-day workflows.

Bring your questions tomorrow at 9:00 AM Pacific Time in our Discord server.

See you there!

The 2023 Epic MegaJam theme is "ANTIQUATED FUTURE".

Reminders:

  • Register for the jam right here
  • Hang out with other participants on our Discord server (join the #challenges channel and look for the pinned Epic MegaJam 2023 thread)
  • Have fun, and good luck!
The 2023 Epic MegaJam theme is "ANTIQUATED FUTURE".
Introducing Epic MegaJam Office Hours.

Come join us for a surprise Epic Office Hours on our Discord server!

To help you prepare for the Epic MegaJam, some UE evangelists will be hanging out with us here, talking about how to get started with Unreal, and doing Q&A for you all. All you have to do is join the server and click the green Join Now button at the top of the app. It should take you straight to the event.

Hope to see you there!

Unreal Engine 5.3 is now available.

You can download it now on the Epic Games Launcher and GitHub. As usual, this release contains a laundry list of new features and improvements. Some highlights:

  • Multi-process cooking
  • Virtual Shadow Maps are now production ready
  • Cinematic-quality volumetric rendering (experimental)
  • Orthographic rendering (experimental)
  • In-engine skeletal editor (experimental)
  • Enhancements to Nanite, Lumen, Temporal Super Resolution, and much more

Here are some useful links while you wait for it to download.

Unreal Engine 5.3 is now available.
Unreal Marketplace is celebrating 9 years with a big sale.

Damn. Can you believe it's been around for that long? Anyway, the sale ends September 4, 2023 8:59 PM Pacific Time, so don't miss out on the deals.

Browse the sale