Unity or Unreal? That’s the question! If you’ve ever wondered what the best game engine is, we invite you to figure it out with us. Let’s discover their pros and cons so it will be easier to decide which engine suits your project better.

We should say that the capabilities of the two engines are multifold. While both engines have the ability to create a wide range of games and deploy them to various gaming platforms, each one offers a set of features that are suited to particular projects. 

There are several key differences that we’re going to cover in this comparison. In the end, you’ll be able to answer the following questions yourself: is Unity better than Unreal engine for your project or vice versa? Let’s take it step by step. 

Versatility

As a game developer, you can’t always work with one particular game type only – you’re eager to experiment and conquer new heights! Therefore you’re more likely to opt for the flexible engine that caters to a wide range of games. Good news for you – both Unity and Unreal offer this. These are the different game types you can develop with Unreal or Unity. Take a closer look at them so it will be easier to choose the engine that suits your project best:

• 2D and 3D games. Both engines provide great capabilities to create high-quality and immersive graphics. However, Unreal is more optimal for 3D visuals. Unity lost the battle to deliver stunning visuals out of the box, but is more suitable for 2D games than unreal engine. However, if you’re making a 2d game it’s worth to consider other 2d engines as well, because both Unity and Unreal engine are mostly focused on 3d and some, even free, 2d-engines could easily beat both Unity and Unreal engine.
  
• VR and AR games. Both engines are capable of creating immersive worlds.
• Multiplayer. This is possible with both engines, although Unreal has integrated support and Unity doesn’t. In fact, Unity’s integrated multiplayer is abandoned  but there are 3rd-party frameworks for Unity which work and save the situation for Unity, but come with additional costs.
  
• Mobile. Unity is considered the best solution for mobile game development. However, Unreal Engine has improved its mobile support since the release of their flagship title Fortnite on mobile devices.
  

Coding

The very first thing you need to know is that both engines have a visual code editor – Blueprint in Unreal Engine and Prefab in Unity. In Unity, you write code using the C# language, while in Unreal, you use C++. 

When working with Unreal, users don’t require deep knowledge of codes or even a basic understanding of how to write them. Games can be developed through the tools in the integrated visual scripter called Blueprint. In other words, you can build a game using only blueprints because they are valid pieces of code. It takes just a few steps to make up nodes and connect them together to develop logic for a game. But keep in mind: the performance of blueprints is very poor and you can’t develop a complex high-performance game solely on blueprints.

Unity is more often selected by beginners as it’s easier to learn and utilize. Moreover, it features a very user-friendly interface and straightforward architecture. There are a lot of code examples in the internet and tons of plugins with sources, which can help you to learn how to code for Unity faster.

Industry Presence

Unity or Unreal? Once you get started with game development, choosing the right engine can seem like a real challenge. You should consider all of the details in order to make the right decision. 

Both engines are the two market leaders, but they’re used in different ways.

Unity is the best option for indie developers and mobile game projects. 

Unreal, on the other hand, is considered to be the main player in the AAA industry. 

Tutorials

When it comes to comprehensive learning resources, there is no winner. Unity, as well as Unreal, provide full documentation, tutorials, online courses, etc. Check out the lists of courses on Unity and Unreal that you may find useful:

Unity

• (Premium) Unity Game Development Mini-Degree
• Unity 101 – Game Development and C# Foundations
• (Premium) RPG Academy – From Zero to Creating Games
• How to Program in C# – by Brackeys
• C# Tutorial by Derek Banas
• C# Basic Series by Allan Carlos Claudino Villa
• (Premium – For Schools) Zenva Schools Unity Courses

Unreal

• (Premium) Unreal Game Development Mini-Degree
• Unreal Engine 101 – 3D Game Creation
• How to Program in C++ – by The Cherno
• Beginner’s Guide to Game Development with Unreal Engine by Daniel Buckley
• Creating Games For Beginners Using UE4 by DevSquad
• (Premium – For Schools) Zenva Schools Unreal Courses

Asset Store

With rapidly advancing technology, game developers can enjoy numerous perks, like the easily accessed ability to download assets for a game. Luckily both engines offer asset stores that allow users to download free and paid props, shading, textures, and many more. However, if comparing Unity engine vs Unreal engine, the Unity asset store takes the main prize since the number of assets you can download is matchless. Unreal Engine assets, however, are more oriented toward finished game productions. Many of them were previously used in AAA games; therefore, they provide a higher visual quality.

Pricing

Unreal Engine itself is free, but after your game is launched, UE is entitled to a 5% royalty fee on all game sales. Unity is also free, yet it offers a paid version called Unity Pro with a broader pool of advanced features.

Scripting

Unreal uses C++, whereas Unity goes with C#. C# often provides faster compile and iteration times. Still, there is no perfect solution for everyone. The best scripting language for your project is one that you’re used to unless you don’t mind challenges.

Graphics Quality

Unreal is the unconditional leader in terms of superb graphics production. The engine has ready-to-use tools that can be easily customized. Game artists can enjoy volumetric lights, post-processing, lens flares, accurate lighting, and shadows with a smooth falloff and a complete aesthetic. 

Unity doesn’t fall much behind Unreal. It’s also possible to achieve AAA-quality results, but it might take a bit longer. Unity still lacks the shading details. Although Unity supports normal maps, occlusion maps, base textures, and other standard shading features, it lacks the advanced material editor found in Unreal engine.

Easier to Use

Let’s talk about usability – which is better: Unity or Unreal? A majority of game developers all over the globe consider Unity to be a winner in terms of ease of use. The easy-to-learn and write C# coding language and the overall workspace layout make the difference. Unity is much simpler to “dive into” as compared to Unreal Engine, which requires stronger skills and broader experience.

Documentation & Training

Both Unity and Unreal have all-encompassing documentation on how to work with the engines, and with XR development in particular. But regular external training is still essential. 

Talking about quality training courses that add up to the real educational value, Unity developers are lucky to have a wider pool of options. Just for you to compare: the Udemy education platform offers around 2,200 courses for Unreal Development, while there are 5,500 courses focused on Unity.

Business and enterprise-oriented courses also tend to utilize the Unity3D environment as it provides a well-developed infrastructure and a lower entry point for beginners.

The Development Process

Both engines allow for advanced game and app development and even share many similarities, yet each platform has its distinctive features, too. Let’s cover the most significant ones to decide which meets your project’s requirements.

If choosing the most significant difference between Unity and Unreal, we would name the different programming languages the platforms use. 

Unity developers can use several languages, but C# is the primary one. 

Unreal Engine, on the other hand, provides a choice between C++ programming and Blueprint visual scripting. 

Debating whether C++ is better than C# or vice versa makes no sense. The choice should depend on the project’s specifics as well as the developers’ skills and experience. Needless to say that C# may be a bit easier for newcomers as C# code is simpler. 

One more fact for you to consider: Unreal Engine is capable of creating big code chunks automatically. However, they may seem a little complicated if you’re just learning development. Learning Blueprints isn’t that difficult, even for new developers. But to get the most out of UE it’s still recommended to learn C++ and combine Blueprint-based solutions with code.

Languages

Unreal or Unity – the choice depends on an extensive set of factors. As the two engines utilize different programming languages, you should take your team’s expertise into account to make sure they’ll be able to work with the chosen platform.

Unreal Engine uses C++, and Unity comes with C#. 

C# is considered to be more appropriate for game development as compared to C++. Additionally, C# may be an optimal solution for beginners as the language is easier to learn and work with. Well, C# brings some cool benefits. 90% of VR/AR development companies are using C#. Therefore the development community is rewarded with its largely documented code-base and a huge amount of tested solutions.

Community

Unity vs. Unreal Engine communities is another topic for hot discussions. It goes without saying the two industry leaders have vast and active communities. Although Unity has a much larger community with about 238K members, Unreal Engine’s community which is made up of 111K followers, is growing rapidly and is expected to outpace the number of Unity supporters.

Rendering

Rendering can optimize post-processing game development, so it’s worth considerable attention when selecting a gaming engine. Having compared the quality and speed of rendering, we can conclude that Unreal Engine is the winner in this category due to the industry-leading rendering speeds and exceptional quality of the rendered graphics. 

Performance

To provide an accurate and comprehensive comparison of the performance of the two engines, you need to take a lot of variables into account: the quality of textures, the number of objects in the games, the in-game world scale, and so on. 

Unity increases its execution time, whereas Unreal Engine does not. 

The distributed compilation is another distinctive feature to highlight. Incredibuild makes Unreal Engine even better by speeding up its code builds and shader compilations. There is no such integration with Unity, so it makes UE the winner again.

Many high-quality games available worldwide have been developed using the popular game development platform Unity. In this article, you can take a quick look at some of the highly-rated and compelling games created with Unity.

Kerbal Space Program

This is a popular simulation game developed by Squad and released in 2015. The game puts players in charge of the space program for the alien race known as the Kerbals. Players get access to an array of parts to assemble fully-functional spacecraft that can fly based on realistic aerodynamic and orbital physics. The players’ objective is to explore and conquer space by designing, building, and launching spacecraft that can safely carry Kerbals.

Praey For The Gods

This is an extreme adventure in a totemic universe where players are sent to the edge of a dying frozen land to explore and solve the secrets of a never-ending winter and defeat the enormous beasts that defend the territory.

Wasteland 2

In this game, players are challenged to deck out their Ranger squad with devastating weaponry, test the limits of their strategy skills, and bring justice to the Wasteland! The choices are yours, yet so are the consequences.

Temple Run Trilogy

The trilogy consists of fairly absorbing games with smooth and fluid gameplay. Why not take part in a marathon? Players can break it down into as many goes as they choose or do it all in one go – it’s completely up to them. They can also run, walk, cycle, or swim from the big monster. 

Unity game engine vs Unreal? It seems to be an eternal topic for discussion. And there’s no hard and fast answer to this question. Well, unless there’s context. What we mean is that the choice depends on numerous critical factors, such as the project’s scope, budget, requirements, expectations, game type, target platforms, etc. You need to take all of these and more into account before you decide on what you will use – Unreal or Unity. 

These are the basic recommendations, but you shouldn’t only rely on them. 

• If you’re a beginner developer – go with Unity.
• If your goal is achieving groundbreaking and extremely realistic visuals – go with Unreal.

To conclude, we want to say that the “Unreal engine vs Unity” question is technically left unanswered. There’s no best one as such. There’s only the best one for you and your project. It’s a matter of picking what suits your genre, platform, and style as well as matches your general requirements.

If you find it difficult to make the right decision – reach out to us, and we will help you out! Our specialists will offer an efficient solution as per your needs and develop a top-notch game – either with Unity or Unreal.