Unreal Engine Vs Unity For Beginners
Unity vs Unreal for Beginners: Which Is the Best Game Engine?
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The age-old question — Unity vs Unreal for beginners. Let's discuss!
If you want to become a game developer, you're already on the right track! Both Unity and Unreal are amazing game engines, each with its own pros and cons.
When picking a game engine as a beginner, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. Most importantly, you should choose an engine that's easy and fun to use.
Depending on your prior coding experience, some engines may feel too intimidating and force you to give up. Since game development is far from easy, starting with a more intuitive game engine can greatly increase your longevity in this industry.
Hopefully, this detailed guide will help you decide which game engine to go for. Topics that will be analyzed are ease of use, versatility, industry usage, cost, and graphics.
Without further ado, here's a head-to-head comparison of Unity and Unreal Engine.
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Key Features of Unity
Let's start with the game engine whose apps are used by 2 billion monthly active users — Unity.
So what does make Unity this widely used all across the game industry?
- Uses the easy to learn C# programming language
- Great cross-platform integration
- 2D and 3D development support
- Free until $100K in annual sales
- Large and active community
Just from the above-mentioned features, you can already see why Unity is so popular. The engine can be used by solo developers, small indie teams, and massive AAA studios.
Unity was released in June 2005 and has dominated the mobile and indie markets ever since. The engine initially used MonoDevelop code editor but has switched to using the much more powerful Visual Studio.
To many people's surprise, Unity was first announced as a Mac OS X-exclusive game engine. Soon enough, it became one of the best cross-platform engines with over 25 supported platforms.
Key Features of Unreal
Have you ever been carried away by stunning video game visuals? Well, there's a good chance that the game was created with Unreal.
Let's see what Unreal Engine has to offer for a game developer in 2021:
- High-end graphics
- 2D and 3D development support
- Uses the popular C++ programming language
- Engine code is open-source
- Fast offline rendering
- Free until $3000 in quarterly sales
Say hello to one of the most efficient game engines with stellar graphics. It's not surprising that so many AAA titles have been made using Unreal.
Unreal Engine was created by Epic Games in May 1998. It was first showcased in the extremely successful FPS game Unreal Tournament.
The latest and most graphically impressive release is Unreal Engine 4. The most striking quality of Unreal Engine games is immersiveness, thanks to fully integrated post processing and accurate lighting.
Although Unreal has mostly been known for its presence in the big game studios, the engine has become considerably more accessible in recent years. By making it 100% free until $3000 in quarterly sales, the developer Epic Games has made Unreal a force to be reckoned with even in the indie community.
Which Engine Is Easier to Use?
Ease of use is probably the most important factor when picking a game engine as a beginner.
Aside from personal preference, the user interface, coding language, visual scripting, and community support are all great indicators as to whether a game engine is easy to use.
User Interface
An intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface is incredibly important for a beginner developer.
As it turns out, the majority of game developers prefer Unity's interface over Unreal's. The simplistic design, especially for 2D development, makes Unity much less intimidating.
Unreal, on the other hand, has a steep learning curve, distracting pop-up windows, and a plethora of buttons. However, with every new iteration, Unreal Engine is becoming more and more user-friendly.
Winner: Unity
Coding Language
While Unity uses the more readable and beginner-friendly C# language, Unreal comes with the faster and more popular C++ language.
Disregarding industry preferences, the C# language is a lot better suited for people with little to no prior coding experience. Hence, Unity once again takes the cake for being the superior option for beginners.
The one saving grace of Unreal is that there are slightly more courses and tutorials online on how to use C++.
Winner: Tie
Visual Scripting System
Despite C++ being one of the hardest coding languages to learn, Unreal Engine 4 offers a visual scripting system called Blueprints.
Blueprints allow the user to connect nodes with different functions and not have to write any code. You can create entire games with just Blueprints and no knowledge of C++.
The Blueprints Visual Scripting system has been, by far, the most successful attempt by the developer to make Unreal Engine 4 more beginner-friendly. While mastering a programming language such as C++ is nonetheless very beneficial, it's also extremely difficult.
When we take a look at Unity, it has a similar but less developed visual scripting system called Bolt. Moreover, in the Unity asset store, you'll find Playmaker, a solid alternative to Blueprints. However, while Blueprints and Bolt are free tools, Playmaker costs $65.
Winner: Unreal
Support and Documentation
When it comes to evaluating Unity vs Unreal for beginners, the amount of documentation and community support should be strongly considered.
Lo and behold, Unity's documentation is significantly more straightforward than Unreal's. Furthermore, the Unity asset store offers many free tools, which can be very helpful for new developers.
Unity also currently has a bigger and more active community. Which means that finding a solution in a forum post regarding any of your problems should not be too difficult.
On the other hand, Unreal's community is mostly made up of industry professionals who don't have time to spend in forums and help out beginners.
Winner: Unity
Summary:
- All things considered, Unity is notably easier to learn than Unreal.
- You can also receive a great deal of support from the Unity community, which can be immensely valuable for a beginner.
- That said, Unreal is constantly becoming more user-friendly with things like Blueprints, which allow you not to write a single line of code.
Which Engine Is More Versatile?
Versatility is essential, as it allows you to branch out into other video game platforms and genres.
You may want to increase your reach by publishing your game across multiple platforms.
Fortunately, both Unity and Unreal are considerably versatile, with mobile, PC, console, and other popular platform support.
Additionally, it's best not to attach yourself to a single genre of games, as versatility can increase your employment opportunities. Lucky for you, both engines have 2D and 3D capabilities, virtual reality support, and much more.
How Versatile Is Unity?
Unity's cross-platform capabilities extend to a whopping 25 different platforms.
There's a reason why so many people associate Unity with accessibility and cross-platform integration. In fact, versatility is often the key differentiator in the Unity vs Unreal for beginners debate.
Unity, unlike Unreal, supports both 32 and 64-bit machines. It is also considered to be much better at building mobile games. With Unity, converting a PC game to Android or iOS is fairly straightforward.
Another aspect that Unity excels at is Virtual Reality. Many developers prefer Unity for VR, AR, and MR projects because of the ease of use and the longer support for these technologies.
How Versatile Is Unreal?
Unreal allows you to export games to 10 different platforms, which is more than enough for a beginner game developer.
There are two areas in which Unreal truly shines: 3D development and multiplayer games. The higher graphics, slightly better performance, and integrated multiplayer support are the reasons why so many popular FPS games are made using Unreal Engine.
Unreal is also constantly trying to make mobile game development more intuitive. It already has incredible rendering performance, making it possible for Epic Games to publish a game like Fortnite on Android and iOS.
Summary:
- Unity is the more versatile game engine due to its focus on cross-platform integration.
- Unreal, on the other hand, excels at 3D development and multiplayer games.
- Both engines support mobile game development, but Unity is a bit more user-friendly.
Which Engine Is Preferred by the Game Industry?
Industry usage is another crucial consideration when comparing Unity with Unreal Engine.
To begin with, both Unity and Unreal dominate the game industry. However, each engine appeals to a somewhat different market.
What Do AAA Studios Prefer?
When it comes to studios with big teams, Unreal Engine is more often than not their first choice.
This is where Unreal truly shines. Since the engine came out 7 years before Unity, there's a larger number of professional studios that are accustomed to Unreal.
What's more, Unreal is slightly faster, has more sophisticated graphics tools, and is open-source. Unreal Engine also has better scaling, and the C++ language is more optimized for big teams.
Popular AAA games that use Unreal include Fortnite, Dishonored, Bioshock, Gears of War, and many others.
Winner: Unreal
What Do Indie Studios Prefer?
The smaller the team size, the more likely it is to use Unity.
As we discussed before, Unity is significantly easier to master than Unreal. Which is why it is also a lot easier for an indie game company to find developers who are familiar with Unity.
The simplicity that comes with Unity is especially relevant for solo developers. While Unreal Engine offers you more tools, it can get overwhelming.
Furthermore, the Unity Pro version has no royalties. And the Unity asset store is more extensive and affordable than the Unreal marketplace.
Awesome indie games that were created with Unity include Hollow Knight, Cuphead, Getting Over It (solo developed), and thousands of others.
Winner: Unity
Summary: AAA studios prefer Unreal for its high graphics and efficiency. On the flip side, small to medium size teams prefer Unity due to its simplicity and amazing cross-platform integration.
Which Engine Is Cheaper?
While both engines are completely free to use, you may need to pay a percentage of your game's revenue once it gets published.
The best part about Unity and Unreal is that you only need to worry about pricing when your game is successful. If you're a solo developer, you may not even have to pay any royalties for your game.
Unity Pricing
There are three versions of Unity: Personal, Plus, and Pro.
The Personal edition is free and includes all of the features. It will stay free as long as your game does not make more than $100K per year. The only minor downside of the free version is that your game will have to have the "Made in Unity" splash screen.
Once your game starts making you more than $100K in a year, then you'll be forced to switch to the Unity Plus edition. The new plan will cost you $40 per month or $399 if prepaid yearly.
Finally, if your game is successful enough to make $200K plus a year, then you'll need to switch to the Pro plan. You'll have to pay either $150 monthly or $1800 yearly.
While the Plus and Pro editions do come with some benefits, the free plan is more than enough for any beginner game developer. However, if you want more analytics and diagnostics tools plus a customizable splash screen, then you can consider the $40 per month plan.
All in all, the pricing structure may sound complicated, but you're getting a very fair deal. Remember that Unity is completely free until you start earning more than $100K per year.
Unreal Pricing
As of the release of Unreal Engine 4 in March 2015, you can get the engine for free!
Where's the catch? Well, there's a royalty structure. Unreal takes 5% of your game's total revenue once it gets published.
However, Unreal does not take any royalties from the first $3000 of your game's quarterly sales. If you're just getting started in game development, then, for all intents and purposes, Unreal Engine is free.
One thing to note, the simpler Unreal pricing model is actually somewhat worse for successful game developers. Then again, the 5% cut is nevertheless quite fair.
Summary: Unity and Unreal offer free full versions of their engines. While Unreal takes 5% of your revenue past $3000, Unity only asks you to pay $40 monthly once your game makes more than $100K.
Which Engine Has Better Graphics?
The graphics also play a part in the Unity vs Unreal for beginners discussion.
Regarding AAA quality graphics, Unreal is the clear winner. You can simply take a look at Unreal Engine games such as Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Gears 5, or Final Fantasy VII Remake.
The main reason Unreal is so awesome for high-end graphics is that it comes with high-fidelity visuals straight out of the box. Unity, on the flip side, can achieve similar results but requires a lot more work.
Apart from many default post-processing effects, the lighting in Unreal looks a lot more natural and smooth.
Winner: Unreal
Do Graphics Even Matter for a Beginner?
While Unreal does have superior graphics, that should almost never be the main reason for choosing it over Unity.
For a beginner, ease of use is much more important than visuals. On top of that, Unity's graphics are quickly getting better and comparable to Unreal's.
As matter of fact, as long as you're not working in a AAA studio, the crazy high graphics are typically an overkill. Instead of trying to make the next Overwatch, you should put your focus on learning navigation and programming.
To add up, Unreal's graphics are significantly more impressive than Unity's. While that's a huge advantage for AAA titles, you should prioritize other aspects, such as ease of use. Lastly, keep in mind that both engines are becoming more user-friendly and on par in terms of visuals.
Conclusion
And the winner is…Unity! While both game engines have their strengths and weaknesses, Unity is much easier to use if you're just starting out.
That said, even though the Unity vs Unreal for beginners debate has been settled, you don't have to lock yourself into only one game engine. Once you get the hang of Unity, you can future-proof yourself by diversifying into Unreal.
Lastly, if you know that you will be applying to a AAA company that uses Unreal Engine, then you should prioritize mastering that engine instead. Just be aware that the higher graphics come with their own set of challenges.
Before you go download Unity or Unreal, please share this article with other aspiring game developers. Also, comment down below which engine is going to be your first entry into game development.
Unreal Engine Vs Unity For Beginners
Source: https://virtualtilt.com/unity-vs-unreal-for-beginners/#:~:text=While%20Unity%20uses%20the%20more,to%20no%20prior%20coding%20experience.
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