Last week, Epic released Unreal Engine 5 for early access, along with a sample demo project - Valley of the Ancient - for developers to explore. Crucial to UE5 are two fundamental new technologies: Nanite, which aims to deliver something akin to 'infinite detail' and Lumen, a state of the art global illumination solution. At its maximum 'epic' settings, the demo targets 1080p at 30 frames per second on PS5 and Xbox Series X. However, another new technology - Temporal Super Resolution (TSR) uses smart upscaling to deliver a convincing 4K presentation. This is cutting-edge stuff and having now spent some time with UE5 on PC, we have some impressions and initial performance numbers.
Wave goodbye to Early Access because MetaHuman Creator 5.6 is now fully integrated into Unreal Engine and ready to go. The new MetaHuman update brings unmatched fidelity, a large scan database, and advanced authoring workflows for faces, bodies, and clothing. Use tools like the expression editor to assist with facial expressions and the groom tool to reconfigure the fine details of your character's hair. What's more, MetaHuman Animator now generates real-time animation from almost any camera or audio source. Now, MetaHuman characters and animation work seamlessly in any Engine, including Unity, Godot, Maya, Houdini, and Blender.
Unreal Engine 5.6 is here! Build super-high-fidelity, large-scale open worlds that run smoothly at 60 FPS on current-generation hardware and discover true engine-first animation, rigging, and MetaHuman authoring workflows. Access essential tools faster, stay organized, and take advantage of powerful procedural and cinematic updates—everything you need to reach production sooner.
Unreal Engine 5 is the most popular game engine of 2025. Of course, it has its flaws, particularly concerning Nanite and Lumen, but the Epic logo is prominent among the most popular titles. Recent hits to feature UE5 include Clair Obscure, Oblivion Remastered, Runescape, Delta Force, Fragpunk, Split Fiction, InZOI, etc.
TIL Unreal Engine is owned by Epic