There are two major “free” game engines available right now – Unity and Unreal 4. Godot is certainly gaining some traction among developers but has yet to win over the larger development studios (this will likely change over time). The Unreal game engine began in 1998 with a game fittingly titled Unreal.
Since then, the Unreal game engine has had four major updates, with the most recent being in 2014 with the fourth release. Many extremely successful games (and series) have used the Unreal engine, and we’ve included more to our list that you may wish to check out. You might be surprised to learn which games are running on UE4, but make no mistake, they’re all worth trying!
Updated on March 25, 2023, by Jeff Drake: Even though the Unreal 5 engine has been out for three years, many game developers continue using the Unreal 4 engine. This is partly due to familiarity, but also because it’s a stable platform. That, and for most games the features added to version five (like the light-affecting Lumen component) aren’t necessary. It will be interesting to see just how much longevity the Unreal 4 engine has when it’s finally retired. This update adds four additional games to the list, three of which are considered the best in their respective series by many.
An Evo event doesn’t feel complete unless a Marvel Vs. Capcom game is involved. In addition to being one of the best fighting game series, it’s also one of the most exciting to watch in a tournament. The highly chaotic, yet incredibly technical, action in this tag-team fighter will keep you coming back again and again.
The only complaint gamers have regarding this game is the roster of available characters. Some felt it was missing characters that are considered staples, like Wolverine.
23 Shin Megami Tensei 5
Shin Megami Tensei is one of the longest running game series out there. It even has three beloved spin-off series — with the Persona games being the most famous among them. This game is one part RPG, one part Pokemon; however, instead of having cute little Pokemon to fight in your stead, you use demons.
As the story unfolds, you will find yourself in an alternate version of modern-day Tokyo joining in the ancient clash between angels and demons. The game-world the developers were able to create for this game using the Unreal 4 engine is breathtaking at times.
22 Dragon Quest 11
Ever since the first Dragon Quest was given away free with a Nintendo Power subscription, the game has held a spot in the heart of gamers. Each generation has their own memories with this series. Dragon Quest 11 continues the tradition of combining a compelling story with well-balanced turn-based combat.
Like the other Dragon Quest games, 11 gives you a large world to explore. Unlike games like Skyrim and Dark Souls, this world is filled with vibrant colors that make the world feel more living.
21 PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or PUBG, is one of the premier player-vs-player battle royale games available. Despite its graphics starting to look a bit aged, PUBG still has an enormous following of loyal players. It’s also one of those games where the person shooting at you might be a major celebrity.
This game is so popular it was used to make Blackpink’s Ready For Love music video, and the game even featured an online Blackpink concert. The game even has Blackpink items for purchase when you’re ready to shut it down.
20 Octopath Traveler
Its hard to believe this classic-style JRPG is running on UE4, but it’s true. Perhaps that might be the reason for its gorgeous graphics, complete with bloom and stellar lighting effects. The game features highly detailed 2D graphics that border on photo-realism — think 3D Dot Game Heroes.
Judging by the success of Octopath Traveler, we’d love to see more RPGs of this caliber get the same treatment. It’s the perfect blend of old and new. Critics and players both praised Octopath Traveler for its photorealistic game-world, as well as its innovative plot and battle system.
19 Batman: Arkham City (Return To Arkham)
Anyone who has played Batman: Arkham City knows it is one of the best gaming experiences money can buy. It is very close to being a perfect game, and many would argue it is by far the best superhero game ever made.
When the time came to port this masterpiece to the PS4 and Xbox One, the game engine chosen was the Unreal 4 engine. Aside from the frame rate being capped at 30 fps, there were very few complaints about the Return to Arkham ports.
18 Ark: Survival Evolved
Ark relies heavily on UE4 to create those stunning vistas and lighting effects that really help pull off the immersion. The day and night cycle is a particular highlight of the engine’s ability to render light realistically.
Unreal Engine 4’s handling of Ark definitely shows that developers are just starting to push this game engine to its fullest capabilities. The Unreal 5 engine has some significant improvements over the UE4, particularly in global lighting, but Ark proves that there’s still life left in the Unreal 4 engine.
17 Conan Exiles
Another survival title that makes great use of UE4 is Conan Exiles, and in some ways, the visuals are even better than those in Ark. Once again, the day and night cycle is a particular highlight, with morning sunrises casting super-realistic lighting across each landscape.
What a pity there isn’t more to do in Conan Exiles, otherwise the strength of UE4 would have been put to better use. Fans look forward to seeing if Funcom will continue to pump brand-new content into the game.
16 Kingdom Hearts 3
The Kingdom Hearts series was destined to be great. The series produced many fast-paced action-adventure games with engrossing stories. The games feature many beloved Disney characters. It was also developed by Square Enix, who almost never fail to deliver.
Using the Unreal 4 engine allowed Square, with the help of Disney, to make Kingdom Hearts 3 look almost exactly like the animated films from which the game took inspiration.
15 Final Fantasy 7 Remake
It’s gotten to the point in gaming where remakes are starting to get eye-rolls when announced. The market has become saturated with them. Occasionally though, a remake comes along that becomes beloved by gamers seemingly before it’s released, and then after its release completely justifies this pre-launch fandom.
A project such as a Final Fantasy 7 remake is a serious undertaking — not just in monetary terms either. A project like this has legacy attached to it; Final Fantasy 7 is arguably the best Final Fantasy game of all time. A poorly made remake would have (possibly) tarnished the Final Fantasy 7 nostalgia many gamers carry in their hearts, irrevocably. Fortunately that didn’t happen. What game engine did Square decide on for this enormous development? That’s right, Unreal 4.
14 Gears 5
The popular Gears of War series has always been big on great graphics, and Gears 5 harnesses the power of UE4 to make sure that trend doesn’t stop anytime soon.
When you’re slugging it out with grotesque baddies, it pays to have a great engine powering the visuals. The developers of the Gears series have traditionally used the Unreal engine for their games; there’s a reason for that, the developer of Gears of War is none other than Epic Games. The next entry in the main Gears series will almost certainly the Unreal 5 engine.
13 Dragon Ball FighterZ
This is one game that truly lived up to the hype. Dragon Ball FighterZ is a tag-team fighting game from Arc Systems and Bandai. The game features the characters from the very popular Dragon Ball Z manga/anime series. The game borrows a lot from other fighting game franchises – namely the Marvel Vs Capcom series.
The player chooses from the available characters to form a three-person team; and may switch them out at any time or summon a team member to perform an assist. The game’s colorful graphics, precise controls, and well-balanced roster of characters have earned it many gaming awards for Best Fighting Game.
12 Little Nightmares 1 & 2
The Little Nightmares games are fantastic puzzle-action titles that have sold millions of copies worldwide, yet many gamers have never heard of this series. These games are side-scrollers set in a 3D world, a style often labeled as 2.5D.
Little Nightmares, as the name suggests, are also considered horror games. The developers did a wonderful job using the Unreal 4 engine’s lighting effects to give the games a foreboding feel, and consequently, give the player a sense of isolation and peril.
11 Borderlands 3
How many gamers remember the attempted boycott of this game? Probably not many, as the fun-factor of Borderlands 3 makes it easy to forgive the actions Take-Two Interactive took to protect the game’s secrets from being revealed pre-launch — they sent private investigators to a YouTuber’s house when he was suspected of leaking game info.
Borderlands 3 uses the colorful, yet gritty graphics the series is known for and continues the storyline of the previous Borderlands games. It even features the voice-acting of several celebrities like Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller) and Ice-T. The biggest complaint about Borderlands 3 on Metacritic revolves around its digital download version being an Epic Store exclusive. Borderlands 3 won an award in 2019 for Best Multiplayer Game.
10 Observer
Out of all the games on this list, Observer is most likely the one many readers will not have heard of. This is a shame because the game is an exceptionally fun psychological thriller with a cyberpunk setting.
The game is set in the city of Kraków in 2084; with the player taking on the role of a special detective called an “Observer”. As an observer the player can link with the minds of NPCs in order to look for clues and advance the game’s story. The protagonist’s appearance was modeled after actor Rutger Hauer; who also lent his voice-acting talent for the character’s dialogue. Hauer’s phoned-in performance and the overuse of jump-scares are the game’s biggest negatives.
9 Sea Of Thieves
Pirate games are always popular, permitting they are not poorly made. Who doesn’t enjoy steering their own pirate ship across the open seas in search of adventure and ships to plunder?
Sea of Thieves is a massive multiplayer pirate game that uses the Unreal 4 engine. This game first debuted in 2018 and still has a large player base, as Rare’s title has continued to evolve following its somewhat polarizing launch. In fact, Sea of Thieves received a Pirates of the Caribbean DLC update on June 22, 2021, showing that the game is still very much going strong.
8 Tetris Effect
Most gamers were probably not expecting Tetris Effect to be as fun as it is. Tetris was a fun puzzle game, but it’s also a relic of gaming’s past that seems out of place among modern titles like GTA and Breath of the Wild. To give the game a fresh look, developer Monstars Resonair made the game as visually dazzling as possible.
The game features impressive particle effects that are driven by the player’s actions, and coalesce to form the vibrant backgrounds that provide some of the most gorgeous visuals gamers will ever experience. Seriously, this game is hypnotically beautiful. The game also incorporates a rhythm element similar to games like Rez and Child of Eden.
7 Shenmue 3
Shenmue 3 is a game that fans of the series (and there are many) waited almost twenty years to play. The game was crowd-funded on Kickstarter, and it was one of the most successful projects the site has ever hosted — raising over two million dollars in under seven hours. Most fans of the series agree the game was worth the long wait.
However, the game was criticized for not setting itself apart from its predecessor enough. In Shenmue 3, you once again control the series’ protagonist Ryo Hazuki as he attempts to uncover the truth about his father’s murder. The developer Ys Net reportedly chose the Unreal 4 engine because it allowed them to produce early prototypes much faster.
6 Robo Recall
Robo Recall was made by Epic Games, the creator of the Unreal game engine, so it’s no surprise the game is well-made. This is a VR game created for use with the Oculus Rift and Quest. In Robo Recall the player is a robot service specialist tasked with destroying rogue robots that have been attacking civilians.
The gameplay has a very arcade feel to it and is one of the better games made for the Rift and Quest. The game is incredibly immersive and fast-paced; with nice touches like being able to quick draw the pistols holstered on the character’s hips.
5 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
After the controversies surrounding Star Wars: Battlefront 2, and its use of randomized loot boxes and a partial pay-to-win model, many were left wondering if this was the end of Star Wars games. The Force Unleashed games were fun, but also a little disappointing.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was seen as redeeming the franchise, in video games anyway. The Unreal 4 engine allowed the developers to provide some breathtaking set-pieces for lightsaber duels. The highly detailed game-world is also quite impressive.
