Epic Games releases early access Unreal Engine 5 for game developers

Additional features and other improvements for all industries will be unveiled when the full Unreal Engine 5 launches

Quick read

➨ Unreal Engine 5 is coming in 2022

➨ This early access build has only been tested on game development workflows

➨ Visit Unreal Engine 5 website to get access

The story

Epic Games has unveiled an early access version of Unreal Engine 5 for game developers to begin exploring, ahead of a full release of the new 3D content creation platform in early 2022.

The company, which completed a $1 billion round of funding last month that took its equity valuation to $28.7 billion, stressed that this early access build has only been tested on game development workflows and represents an opportunity for game developers specifically to begin testing new features.

Epic promised additional features and other improvements for all industries in the full release in early 2022.

New features and tools in the early access version include:

➨ A new Nanite virtualised micropolygon system that enables users to create games with “massive, unprecedented” amounts of geometric detail

➨ Lumen, a fully dynamic global illumination solution for creating dynamic, believable scenes

➨ The new World Partition system, which changes how levels are managed and streamed, automatically dividing the world into a grid and streaming the necessary cells

➨ A powerful animation toolset

➨ MetaSounds, “a fundamentally new way of making audio” that offers complete control over audio DSP graph generation of sound sources, letting users manage all aspects of rendering to drive next-generation procedural experiences

➨ A revamped Unreal Editor, providing an updated visual style, streamlined workflows, and optimised use of screen real estate

➨ MetaHumans created in MetaHuman Creator are also compatible with Unreal Engine 5

Game developers will undoubtedly be keen to get their hands on this build of Unreal Engine 5.

All they have to do is visit the Unreal Engine 5 website to get access. They will also find a sample project, Valley of the Ancient, as well as a full list of resources, including comprehensive documentation, a community forum, quick start guides and a set of frequently asked questions.

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Images: Epic Games