2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the world”s most popular game engine. We take a look back with you at some of the most beautiful titles of each generation.
You look at the calendar at noon on a Sunday and are almost shocked to fall off your gaming chair: the Unreal Engine is already 25 years old this year! A glance in the mirror only increases the shock. Hell, where did the grey hairs come from?!
To lighten the somewhat depressed mood, we would like to indulge in nostalgia with you. Because every generation of gamers has one thing in common, namely graphically impressive games that were realised with the Unreal Engine from Epic and made us freeze in awe in front of the screen.
We”ll show you which titles we remember as graphic boards or technological trailblazers. And which ones do you consider to be in the top league? Feel free to let us know in the comments, we”re really looking forward to it!
Table of contents:
- Unreal Engine 1 (1998 – 2002)
- Unreal Engine 2 (2002 – 2006)
- Unreal Engine 3 (2006 – 2014)
- Unreal Engine 4 (2014 – 2020)
- Unreal Engine 5 (since 2020)
Hey, where”s game XYZ?!
Before you express your outrage in the form of a rampant comment, please remember: Some graphics bombs with the Unreal Engine underpinning, including popular multiplayer titles from Epic Games themselves, are still on the index, which is why they don”t appear here. Silently light a candle for these games and keep them remembered this way.
Table of Contents
Unreal Engine 1 (1998 – 2002)
Let”s start with time travel. It all started in 1998. GameStar was still a fledgling star bursting with ambition when a game called Unreal prepared to change our hobby forever – not necessarily in terms of gameplay, but definitely in technical terms.
Because other development studios were able to license the Unreal Engine for their own projects. In the years that followed, countless titles appeared that made use of this possibility and ushered in a new era in terms of game graphics:
Unreal Engine 2 (2002 – 2006)
2002 saw the first games released with the then brand new Unreal Engine 2. The changes and improvements over the first iteration of the engine are too numerous to list them all, as work was actually done on every conceivable front.
The result is a long list of top-class fan favourites powered by Unreal Engine 2. Ubisoft in particular made heavy use of the game engine, implementing almost the entire Splinter Cell franchise with it, but see for yourself:
Unreal Engine 3 (2006 – 2014)
Few engines might be more iconic than the Unreal Engine 3 and for two reasons: Firstly, because of the sheer number of games based on the technology, and secondly, because of the infamous plastic look that was attached to many UE3 titles and frowned upon by many game fans.
Nevertheless, the fact that hardly any engine has produced as many legendary all-time favourites as the at times seemingly omnipresent Unreal Engine 3 outweighs the rest, which is why the following image gallery is all the more rich:
Unreal Engine 4 (2014 – 2020)
The era of Unreal Engine 4 is one that pretty much all of you should have experienced first-hand. No wonder, after all, it was only unofficially retired three years ago and new games are still being released that rely on its diverse capabilities.
One of the UE4”s greatest strengths is its flexibility and scalability. Whether it”s a game, a film or a scientific simulation, from a large indie project to a AAA blockbuster, the engine has been continuously enhanced over the years and has left a lasting mark on more than one industry:
Unreal Engine 5 (since 2020)
In early 2020, Epic introduced Unreal Engine 5 with a new tech demo that had it all. Thanks to the two new star features Nanite and Lumen, an unexpectedly large leap in graphics was presented compared to Unreal Engine 4 and since then gamers worldwide have been impatiently rubbing their hands.
Although the first – extremely beautiful – UE5 games have already been released, the really big graphics hits are still to come. So let”s take a look into the very near future:
Which version is your favourite?
We already announced it at the beginning of the article, now it”s getting serious: We want your opinion! First of all, we would like to know which iteration of the Unreal Engine was the best in your opinion so far.
Feel free to share your thoughts on the topic in a comment. Because we may be experts when it comes to gaming, but of course you are too! Which Unreal Engine games hold a special place in your hearts and, most importantly, why?
