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Unity vs Unreal in 2024 – Which Game Engine Should You Choose?

February 25, 2024

Deciding between Unity and Unreal can be a difficult choice for game developers in 2024. Both engines have their strengths and weaknesses, and the “best” option depends on your specific project needs. In this extensive article, I’ll compare Unity and Unreal across various factors to help you determine which is the better fit for your game.

Overview of Unity

What is Unity?

Unity is a cross-platform game engine developed by Unity Technologies, first announced in June 2005 at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. It has been used to create games for consoles, mobile devices, computers, and websites.

Some popular games made with Unity include Hearthstone, Pokemon Go, Cuphead, and Beat Saber.

Key Features

Cross-platform publishing – Unity allows developers to easily publish to over 25 platforms including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, consoles, and websites. The ability to reuse code and assets saves significant time and money.
2D & 3D support – Unity has built-in tools for both 2D and 3D game development. Other engines often focus on one or the other.
Asset Store – The Unity Asset Store provides thousands of assets, projects, and tools created by the community. This can speed up game development and provide higher quality assets.
C# programming – Unity uses C# as its primary programming language. For many, C# provides a more approachable and productive programming experience compared to C++ which is used with Unreal.
Free version – Unity has a free version suitable for smaller teams and projects. Unreal’s licensing fees start at $1,500 per product, per quarter.

When to Use Unity

Some types of games that Unity excels at include:

2D games
Mobile games
Casual games requiring rapid iteration
Games using C# or a component-based architecture

Overview of Unreal Engine

What is Unreal Engine?

Unreal Engine is a suite of tools for game development created by Epic Games. First launched in 1998, it has become one of the most popular engines used today across industries like film and television.

Notable Unreal Engine games include Fortnite, Gears of War, Bioshock, and Mass Effect.

Key Features

AAA quality graphics – From advanced rendering features to its material editor, Unreal Engine is known for enabling high fidelity, photo-realistic graphics, especially for 3D games.
Blueprints – Blueprints allow games to be scripted visually without needing to write code. This can accelerate development for designers and artists.
C++ focus – Unreal uses C++ as its main programming language. For teams already proficient in C++, this provides a lot of control for low-level optimizations.
Robust toolset – Unreal provides a mature suite of tools for animation, VFX, rendering, audio, VR development, and more. Their integrations simplify complex tasks.
Marketplace – The Unreal Marketplace offers both free and paid assets and plugins. As with Unity’s Asset Store, this can supplement internal development efforts.

When to Use Unreal Engine

Some types of games that Unreal Engine excels at include:

High fidelity 3D games
Online multiplayer games
Games already using C++
Teams with budgets for licensing costs

Key Differences

Now that we’ve provided an overview of each engine individually, let’s directly compare them across some key factors:

Ease of Use

Overall, Unity has a more beginner-friendly editor and scripting language. The workflow lends itself well to rapid prototyping. Unreal Engine provides more power and customization for experts, but also comes with a higher learning curve.

2D Game Development

For 2D games, Unity still provides the strongest toolset and ecosystem. The workflow is oriented around 2D with features like sprites and tilemaps. Unreal Engine is more commonly used for 3D games.

Platform Support

Unity supports more platforms, especially mobile and web. Unreal Engine covers consoles, PC, and mobile natively. But Unity also supports 2D/3D web via WebGL, mobile web, VR web, Linux, and embedded systems.

Visual Fidelity & Performance

Unreal Engine offers higher potential visual fidelity, particularly for complex 3D games. However, Unity can produce great graphics as well with the right techniques and rendering pipeline.

Publishing & Monetization

For publishing and monetizing completed games, Unity provides more built-in support and services. These range from handling app store builds to ad networks and multiplayer infrastucture.

Ongoing Costs

Unity is more affordable for small teams or projects. Their free version is fully featured while Unreal Engine requires per-product licensing fees. For high revenue titles, Unreal Engine’s 5% royalty may be cheaper long term.

Which Should You Choose in 2024?

Based on the comparisons above, here are some guidelines for choosing between Unity and Unreal Engine:

For complete beginners, Unity is easier to learn and prototype with.
For refined 2D games like platformers or RPGs, lean towards Unity.
If you need a web or mobile web option, Unity is currently the only choice.
For ultra high fidelity 3D graphics on PC/consoles, Unreal Engine has the edge.
For mobile games, especially on Android/iOS, both engines now work very well.
If you have C++ experts but not C#, Unreal Engine aligns better.
With a fixed or low budget, Unity’s free tier makes the most sense.
For potential blockbuster games with revenue over $1m, Unreal Engine’s royalty may be preferable.

Of course, these suggestions are general guidelines only since both engines cover a lot of overlap now in 2024. For many games, either Unity or Unreal could work well – it comes down to your team’s specific skills and project needs. Prototyping a simple version of your game in each engine can go a long way in determining which feels best suited.

Both Unity and Unreal will continue evolving over time too. But hopefully this guide has broken down their fundamental differences to help choose between them for your next game! Let me know if you have any other questions.