As one of the most popular game engines on the market, Unreal Engine has been around for almost three decades. Throughout its history, it has undergone several iterations and updates to keep pace with the ever-evolving technology landscape. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the different versions of Unreal Engine and their key features.
Unreal Engine 1.0: The Beginning
Unreal Engine 1.0 was the first version of the engine, released back in 1998 by Epic Games. This early version was primarily designed for building 2D games, although it also had some basic support for 3D graphics. It was a command-line tool that required some technical expertise to use.
Unreal Engine 2.0: The Transition to 3D
In 2001, Epic Games released Unreal Engine 2.0, which introduced support for true 3D graphics. This version was still a command-line tool, but it had a more user-friendly interface and was designed to be more accessible to developers with less technical expertise. It also introduced new features such as physics simulation and AI capabilities.
Unreal Engine 3.0: The Rise of Epic Games Studios
Unreal Engine 3.0, released in 2006, was a major step forward for the engine. It introduced a number of key features that would become staples of the Unreal Engine, such as Blueprint visual scripting, which allowed non-technical users to create complex game logic without needing to write code. It also introduced physics simulation capabilities that were previously unavailable in previous versions.
Unreal Engine 4.0: The Dawn of Virtual Reality
In 2015, Epic Games released Unreal Engine 4.0, which was designed to be the ultimate game engine for modern games. It introduced support for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), as well as a number of other cutting-edge features such as real-time ray tracing and dynamic lighting. It also had a new user interface that made it easier to create complex game logic without needing to write code.
Unreal Engine 5.0: The Next Generation
In late 2020, Epic Games released Unreal Engine 5.0, which is the latest version of the engine. It builds on the successes of previous versions and introduces a number of new features that make it even easier to create complex games and experiences. These include improved performance, enhanced graphics capabilities, and support for real-time ray tracing at a larger scale.
Conclusion
Unreal Engine has come a long way since its inception in the 1990s. From its early beginnings as a command-line tool to its current status as one of the most powerful game engines on the market, it has undergone several iterations and updates to keep pace with the ever-evolving technology landscape. Today, Unreal Engine is used by developers all over the world to create everything from simple mobile games to complex AAA titles.