Unreal Enginevs
Unity
Unity: Largest game engine by market share (24% vs Unreal's 16%), dominant in mobile games and indie development. Powers 70% of top-grossing mobile games.
Unreal Engine
The world's most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool
As of 30 August 2026, Unreal Engine is free to use. Unreal Engine is a game engine developed by Epic Games. Softwr lists it under Entertainment. Unreal Engine is made by Epic Games Inc, launched in 1991, available on Windows, macOS, Linux, TV and console.
Overview
What Unreal Engine does
Unreal Engine is a game engine developed by Epic Games. It is used to create games, films, architecture, automotive and product design and visualization, broadcast and live event production, training and simulations, and other real-time applications.
What people use it for
- AAA game development
- Indie game creation
- Architectural visualization
- Film and TV production
- VR/AR experiences
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Unreal Engine.
- 5% royalty triggered on any project exceeding $1 million in gross revenue across all revenue sources
- Smaller mobile game ecosystem compared to Unity, with fewer optimized mobile libraries and live-ops services
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of Unreal Engine
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- Unreal EnginevsGodot Engine
Godot Engine: Free, open-source game engine with no royalties or licensing fees. Strong 2D capabilities and growing 3D support, ideal for developers avoiding licensing costs.
Pricing
What Unreal Engine costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Game Development
Free
- Nanite geometry
- Lumen global illumination
- Blueprint visual scripting
Non-Game Commercial
$1,850 /yr
- No royalties
- Enterprise features
Capabilities
Features
Real-time ray tracing
Nanite geometry
Lumen global illumination
Blueprint visual scripting
C++ programming
World composition
Animation systems
Audio engine
Visual Studio
Integration with Visual Studio
Perforce
Integration with Perforce
GitHub
Integration with GitHub
Maya
Integration with Maya
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
What is Unreal Engine's royalty structure?
Unreal Engine is free upfront with a 5% royalty on gross revenue worldwide after a project exceeds $1 million in lifetime gross revenue. This includes in-app purchases, advertising, and direct sales but excludes indirect revenue.
SourceWhat platforms can Unreal Engine target?
Unreal Engine supports PC, VR, AR, gaming consoles, and mobile devices. The royalty fee applies across all platforms.
SourceWhat are Unreal Engine's graphics capabilities?
Unreal Engine 5 features Nanite virtualized geometry and Lumen global illumination, enabling photorealistic AAA workflows. Nanite replaces traditional LOD systems with 128-triangle clusters and software rasterization for superior visual fidelity.
SourceDo non-game developers pay royalties?
No. Non-game commercial teams pay $1,850 per seat per year instead of royalties. This covers enterprise use cases outside traditional game development.
SourceBehind it
Who makes Unreal Engine
- Company
- Epic Games Inc
- Based in
- Cary, NC
- Founders
- Tim Sweeney
Timeline
Unreal Engine over time
- Launch2022-04-05
Unreal Engine 5 released with Nanite and Lumen for photorealistic graphics
Source - Milestone2017-07-25
Fortnite Battle Royale launched, providing massive revenue stream for Epic Games
Source - Licence change2014-02-25
Unreal Engine 4 made free with 5% gross revenue royalty, democratizing engine access
Source - Launch1998-05-01
Unreal game released, marking major breakthrough in real-time 3D technology
Source - Founded1995-01-01
Unreal Engine created by Tim Sweeney for first-person shooter game development
Source - Founded1991-01-01
Epic MegaGames founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems
Source
Keep looking
Where to go from Unreal Engine
- Unreal Engine alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- Unreal Engine pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- Unreal Engine badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Entertainment softwareThe full category
- Best Entertainment softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Entertainment software for
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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Unreal Engine, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
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