Epic Games releases the UE5. From now on, developers will be able to draw from the full range and conjure up real NextGen graphics with Lumen, Nanite and co.
It’s been almost two years since the Unreal Engine 5 was presented and announced, to everyone’s complete surprise. With the tech demo Lumen in the Land of Nanite, the developer Epic demonstrated the graphics power of its new game engine in an impressive way.
The demo with its extremely detailed landscapes and objects ran in real time on the PlayStation 5 and not on a high-end PC of the time. In the meantime, there is a whole series of freely explorable worlds to marvel at, first and foremost The Matrix Awakens, which can hardly be distinguished from reality.
But that was all just the beta. As of today, the full version of the Unreal Engine 5 is available to interested parties and game developers.
We therefore take a closer look at what the biggest and most important innovations of UE5 are, which games are available, which have already been announced and what we can look forward to with regard to the graphics.
Table of Contents
The most important features of the Unreal Engine 5
Lumen
Lumen is responsible for the so-called dynamic global illumination, i.e. indirect, diffuse light, shadows and reflections. It calculates in real time how light rays interact with objects, for example which colour they take on after hitting a surface, and how they reflect it on any number of other objects. Reflections are also a general focus.
Lumen uses ray tracing technology for this purpose. If available, it uses special hardware such as that installed on Nvidia’s Geforce RTX 2000/3000 and AMD’s Radeon RX 6000. Otherwise, the real-time ray calculation can also be carried out via software.
Nanite
Nanite is responsible for the geometric calculations in the Unreal Engine 5. This allows millions of so-called polygons, which are the small polygons that make up virtual objects, to be rendered simultaneously and pixel-precisely in real time, which should enable an unprecedented wealth of details and objects.
In addition, Nanite automatically adjusts the level of detail (LOD) when zooming in on objects, for example. Until now, the LOD had to be set manually by the developers.
Temporal Super Resolution
The Unreal Engine 5 offers its own scaler with Temporal Super Resolution (TSR). This creates one resolved image at a time from a series of low-resolution ones, which can significantly increase the frame rate. Developers can thus dispense with the implementation of, for example, AMD’s FSR or Nvidia’s DLSS. However, we strongly assume that DLSS in particular delivers the significantly better image quality.
In addition, the Unreal Engine 5 offers developers a wide range of possibilities for creating game worlds and characters, for example (World Partition), Large World Coordinates and (Animation Authoring). A new sound engine called (MetaSounds) is also designed not only to make it easier for designers, but to make sounds and noises in games sound even more realistic.
What games are there?
The list of games that already support Unreal Engine 5 is still quite manageable. Actually, it’s only Fortnite, but if you add the elaborate tech demo The Matrix Awakens for Xbox and PlayStation, there are still two. What other games have already been announced for the Unreal Engine 5
You can also see the city from The Matrix Awakens on the PC with the release of the first full version of the Unreal Engine 5
The City Sample is available for free download in the Unreal Marketplace, but in contrast to the consoles, the UE5 developer environment must be installed. To do this, simply start the Epic Launcher and switch to the Unreal Engine tab in the left-hand menu.
Another so-called sample is Lyra Starter Game. The project can also be downloaded for free
Are true NextGen and photorealism finally coming to games?
There is no clear and simple answer to this. Developers certainly have the ability to create very believable and almost photorealistic worlds, as the various tech demos, most notably The Matrix Awakens, impressively demonstrate.
Turning this into a complete game, however, is another matter altogether. Even though Unreal Engine 5 makes it much easier for developers to implement high-quality assets than was previously the case, it is still a cost issue for studios.
In addition, game developers will probably continue not to orient themselves towards the latest high-end hardware. The goal is to appeal to the widest possible audience for their games and thus earn money. This is in stark contrast to tech demos, which specifically exploit the current possibilities of hardware and software.
But even if we will only see photorealism in a few games, we can look forward to a big step forward in terms of graphics in upcoming titles. Take a look at our best demos and trailers.
Unreal Engine 5: These 8 tech demos show you the graphics power of the new version
You want to know what kind of worlds Unreal Engine 5 can create? We have 10 impressive tech demos for you that you have to see
The Unreal Engine 5 has been released in its final version on 5 April 2022. This means it should only be a matter of time before numerous game developers worldwide realise their projects with the new version and create impressive worlds.
How impressive? Well, of course we can’t tell you that conclusively yet. But a good foretaste is already provided by numerous tech demos that were created with the help of the Early Access version of UE5. We have picked out ten particularly impressive examples for you.
Contents list:
- The Market of Light
- Demon’s Gate
- Project Grunt: Orgrimmar Gate
- Inspired by Death Stranding
- The Carpenter’s Cellar
- Mysterious Cave
- Crash Site
- Photorealistic Interior
Will games really look like this? At this point, it’s impossible to predict how much developers will be able to tease out of Unreal Engine 5. Just compare the first UE4 games with today’s titles. In any case, always keep in mind that many technical aspects of a real game are not present here and therefore do not eat up any hardware power: AI, physics, game logic and more. Keep that in mind when watching such demos.
The Market of Light
The very first tech demo is something special. Not only can you watch it over and over again in a video, but you can even play it yourself!
In The Market of Light, you are transported to the market that gives it its name in a Tuscan setting. Your task? You have to find several light orbs. Some of them can even be so small that they hide among the fruit and vegetables on display. A great opportunity to demonstrate the impressive detail density thanks to the Nanite technology.
Demon’s Gate
It is almost certain that the number of fantasy role-playing games making use of Unreal Engine 5 will be somewhere between 1,000 and uncountable. And what might that look like? Demon’s Gate gives you a foretaste.
Here you get all the features of UE5, including Nanite and Lumen. Dungeons, ruins, mysterious runes: no matter where you look, you won’t be disappointed. It makes you want to grab your axe to defend yourself just in case! The result makes us dream of a new The Elder Scrolls in this look.
Project Grunt: Orgrimmar Gate
The graphics of World of Warcraft have been modernised again and again over the years and can therefore still be quite convincing with their style. But it’s obvious that the engine is aged, and in this day and age so much more is possible even in the MMO genre.
Gates of Orgrimmar lets us dream of exactly that. A World of Warcraft in the Unreal Engine 5? You can see how that might look in the video above. But one thing is clear: at least in this vision, fans would have to do without the beloved comic book look.
World of Warcraft: This is how impressive the MMO would be in Unreal Engine 5
Inspired by Death Stranding
The Unreal Engine 5 is likely to be a major step forward in large game worlds in particular. So the idea of recreating already existing open worlds with the new possibilities is obvious. That’s what the artist behind the YouTube channel Sciontidesign thought and imitated Death Stranding without further ado.
Hideo Kojima’s open world adventure, originally released for the PlayStation 4, already knows how to inspire with its expansive grassy plains. The tech demo plays to the same strengths and skillfully captures the spirit of the original.
The Carpenter’s Cellar
Are you keen DIYers? Does the sight of a hammer, saw or screwdriver make your heart swell? Then this demo is for you!
The Carpenter’s Cellar shows you the cellar of a craftsman. This is where the Lumen lighting technology flexes its muscles. The objects shown captivate with a high degree of detail, which is why the dust in the musty cellar air almost tickles our nostrils.
Hardly distinguishable from reality: You have to see this Unreal Engine 5 demo
Mysterious Cave
Close your eyes and imagine: You are walking along the coast all alone. The sea roars against the cliffs at full speed. The air whips around your ears and you feel yourself becoming more relaxed with every step. Suddenly you discover a crevice in the rock, the natural entrance to a cave. You don’t know why, but your steps steer you inside as if by remote control.
What do you find inside? That’s what this Unreal Engine 5 demo shows you. Pay particular attention to the level of detail of the rock walls, which is achieved thanks to Nanite.
Crash Site
Postapocalypse – the word alone is enough to give many gamers goosebumps. Whether it’s Fallout, Rage or Wasteland, this setting is known for interesting characters, a harsh environment and a distinctive look.
The tech demo Crash Site isn’t long, but it will pepper your ears with the atmosphere of the end of time from the very first second. Do you already catch yourself thinking about a character climbing the tower above the plane? Then you’re just like us!
Photorealistic Interior
The term photorealistic is overused, especially in the field of tech demos. In some cases, however, you just can’t think of a more appropriate word to describe what is being shown. This is also the case with Photorealistic Interior.
What you get to see? Just a few extracts from a flat. It doesn’t sound very exciting, but it’s a great way to show off the lighting features of Unreal Engine 5. If you are unsure whether this passes for photorealistic, just do the test: sit back, squint your eyes and ask yourself: Could you still tell without a doubt whether the video shows a real flat or not?
Unreal Engine 5 is able to make better use of hardware resources. After all, the tech demo Lumen in the Land of Nanite runs on a PS5 and not, say, a high-end computer with Geforce RTX 3090 Ti].
What do you think? Do you think Unreal Engine 5 heralds a new era in gaming graphics? Drop us a line in the comments
