What is Unreal Engine 5? - A few mind-blowing examples
Unreal Engine 5 is truly mind-blowing, blurring the lines of real life and computer graphics, let's take a look at the capabilities of this powerhouse.
- Jameson Banks
Unreal Engine 5 is the latest development of the popular game engine, it’s a platform for game developers to build their gaming titles, Unreal Engine 5 has a few incredible features that can create photo-realistic graphics that players can experience in-game. If you are looking for a long-winded explanation of the technicalities, Perforce did an in-depth write up that you can find here.
Growing up in the 90’s and early 2000’s, I remember reading Game Informer magazine (R.I.P) – and often a new game would come out and be touted as having “next-generation” graphics. For instance, remember when the original PC version of Crysis came out, and it was touted as the most advanced graphics ever seen? Go watch some clips of Crysis 1…doesn’t seem so impressive now, does it?
Fast-forward to 2022, and the release of Unreal Engine 5 has truly astounded with it’s life-like graphics capabilities. It is no wonder that in the time of nigh Fusion Reaction, Artificial Intelligence, and Quantum Computers, that this stuff is possible. But it is truly impressive to see it in action.
Unrecord - Life like shooter that I swear was body cam footage..
The first 8 seconds of this video is indistinguishable from real life. When he walks into the building, the first shadow I saw finally gave my brain the signal to register this as “not-reality”. But the fact that for the first 8 seconds my brain was completely fooled, is quite impressive.
Unrecord is not launched yet, but if you want to add it to your stream wishlist you can click here
Tokyo Rain - Short video that gives me goosebumps...
Looking at this video, you can easily see how the plot of “The Matrix” could become real life. If I was suspended in goo with a feeding tube down my throat, I could imagine that the world I was walking around in to look a bit like this. On the plus side…in that scenario, I might finally learn Kung Fu.
The Matrix Awakens Demo.
Speaking of the Matrix – this clip from “The Matrix Awakens” demo is just insane..the highlighting, textures, and reflections on the cars are where I see Unreal Engine 5 really shining. Although, nothing is perfect…for example the lady that looks like she is riding a Segway in the background only to switch to walking when she is fully in the field of view. Considering it is just a demo, we can forgive a glitch or two. Speaking of glitches….when was the last time you experienced Deja Vu???
Project Grunt - if World of Warcraft 2 was on Unreal Engine 5.
As a big-time fan of World of Warcraft with 1000+ hours play time. I have a genuine curiosity for what “WoW 2” might look like if it is ever made. This short clip gives fuel to that imagination – even though the gameplay is closer to a third person melee fighting game in the mold of Elden Ring. The thought of entering Onyxia’s Lair with an engine such as Unreal 5 painting the scene in exquisite detail, gives me the strength to battle my depression, and live long enough to lead a raid into the welp filled cavern once again. Just remember to stay out of the fire, yeah?
Cyberpunk 2077 - an impresive display of UE5's capabilities.
Cyberpunk 2077 has a mod that utilizes the Unreal Engine 5, and although the landscape and motorcycle design make it an obvious digital creation, the video is still full of little details that are easy to appreciate. For example, I love the blur and stretching affect when the player speeds past the cars on the highway.
In conclusion, you can clearly see the power of this gaming engine, and as the industry continues to advance, I think we can assume that video games will become closer and closer to looking like real life. Is it exciting? Yes. Is it also scary to imagine some hypothetical scenarios where people choose, or are forced to live in a digital world rather than the real world? Also yes. But for now, lets look at the bright side, and witness these graphics boundaries being pushed to their limit.
Also, If you want to try Unreal Engine 5 for yourself, you can download it here.
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