Is Unreal Engine 5 still too advanced for PC games?

Image from Black Myth Wukong, a video game made in Unreal Engine
(Image credit: Game Science Interactive Technology)

Unreal Engine 5 is becoming the game engine of choice for many studios. It has a host of benefits, as we note in our guide to the best game development software, and it allows developers to do things that weren't possible before. But it also has its downsides, particularly when it comes to performance.

While the big consoles can cope with Unreal Engine 5 games, it's a different story for PCs. Even the best laptops for game development can struggle with resource-hungry Nanite and Lumen, and PC gamers still often complain of hazier, unstable visuals. One developer suggests we might need to wait for the next generation of components before they catch up.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

TOPICS
Joe Foley

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.

Read more
A still from an Unreal Engine 5.5.3 tech demo with a Blade Runner and Cyberpunk style
Stunning Unreal Engine 5.5.3 tech demo channels Blade Runner and Cyberpunk vibes
Clair Obscur Expedition 33; fantasy characters float in a dark sky, a god-like creature is seen in the distance amidst lighting and flames
Using Unreal Engine 5 “can be a trap”, says the dev behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
An NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card above a grid of green bending lines
8 things I learned about NVIDIA's new tech at CES 2025
An image from the Witcher 4 trailer
The biggest winner of The Game Awards? Unreal Engine 5
Using Unreal Engine 5 Metahuman Animator
How Unreal Engine 5’s MetaHuman tech has enabled River End Games to elevate its storytelling for Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream
Still Wakes The Deep review; an oil right in the fog
The 8 best uses of Unreal Engine in 2024
Latest in Tech
Apple Watch 10 deal
Apple Watch 10 prices plummet to lowest ever after legal battle ends
Galaxy Book4 Pro deal
Save $750 (yes, really) on the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro for a limited time
A liquid silver Xiaomi 15 on a desk
I've had the Xiaomi 15 for a week, and I never want to see a Samsung or iPhone ever again
best iPhone 16e Prices
These are the best iPhone 16e Prices: Apple's latest affordable handset
iPhone Fold render
If these iPhone Fold specs are real, count me out
Image from Black Myth Wukong, a video game made in Unreal Engine
Is Unreal Engine 5 still too advanced for PC games?
Latest in News
Facebook alegria art style
These are the outdated graphic design trends that creatives wish would disappear
Apple Watch 10 deal
Apple Watch 10 prices plummet to lowest ever after legal battle ends
Volvo logo over an image from a Volvo AI advert
Volvo's shocking AI advert looks like a bad student project it couldn't afford to finish
An image from a Super Mario animation made in Blender
Heartwarming Blender Super Mario animation is so perfect it could have been made by Nintendo
Galaxy Book4 Pro deal
Save $750 (yes, really) on the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro for a limited time
Image of cheese naan from Monster Hunter Wilds
The photoreal food in Monster Hunter Wilds is making people drool