There’s no doubt Unreal Engine (UE) is a juggernaut in the video game design and entertainment industry. Since 1998, Unreal Engine has powered iconic games like Fortnite, Gears of War, Borderlands, Batman Arkham, and films like Matrix Resurrections and The Planet of the Apes franchise by continuing to push the software’s innovation with each iteration. But if you’re one of the millions of UE users, you probably are always looking ahead to what’s next. So, when will the next Unreal Engine version come out? And what will Unreal Engine 6 change for artists?
In this article, we’ll keep you abreast of the latest news and how it affects users like you.
The latest on Unreal Engine 6. No release date confirmed
- Verse will be built-in Unreal Engine 6
- Unreal Engine 6 will be metaverse focused
- Unreal Engine 6 will enhance the creator economy
What is Unreal Engine 6?
Unreal Engine 6 will be the next edition of the 3D game engine and creation software developed by Epic Games. The platform, created by Epic Games, is one of the most popular software for video game design and visual effects (VFX), featuring a range of tools for creating immersive 3D environments, including advanced graphics, rendering capabilities, and physics simulations.
Epic Games’ latest release of the software (Unreal Engine 5) supported virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) development, making it a popular choice for creating cutting-edge immersive experiences.
Unreal Engine 6 release date.
Status: No release date confirmed yet.
Unfortunately, Unreal Engine 6 has no official release date yet. But based on Epic Games' historical releases, we can decipher a window of time when it will come out (call us the UE Nostradamus).
On average, UE versions have been released every 4.5 years, with the longest gap between versions four and five (seven years). Unreal Engine 5 was announced in May 2020 and fully released in April 2022. So, expect Epic Games to announce Unreal Engine 6 at least one to two years before its public launch.
Based on our calculations, that could be anywhere between 2026-2030. Be patient. It will be worth the wait.
What will make Unreal Engine 6 different?
While we don’t have much to go on about what Unreal Engine 6 will include, a subtle Tweet from Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, gave users a hint about what’s to come.
A thread about whether developers should invest time in learning the Verse or C++ programming language conjured a response from Tim that had us all pontificating if Unreal Engine 6 is closer than expected.
From Tim’s subtle hints, Unreal Engine 6 will have Verse built into the software and incorporate the metaverse into its features. Specifically, Unreal Engine will focus on the creator economy and open up asset design and features to developers (which is good news for you).
The rest is yet to come for Unreal Engine 6. But stay tuned because we expect more exciting news to continue to trickle in from Epic Games or, apparently, Tim’s X account.
Unreal Engine 6 isn’t here yet, but keep creating.
You don’t need to wait for Unreal Engine 6 to make something epic. Get started creating a new world or idea with Cargo.
Cargo is an asset browser plugin that gives you access to over 15,000 premium 3D models and materials from KitBash3D (that’s us). With 1-click import to Unreal Engine 5, powerful search and filtering, and a vast library of 3D assets from various genres, Cargo houses one of the largest asset libraries for Unreal Engine 5.
