Epic Games' Unreal Engine and Unity Technologies' Unity together accounted for 79% of games released on Steam in 2024 and 57% of units sold. Unity powers just over half of Steam's titles by count, while Unreal Engine leads in sales, reflecting adoption by higher-selling studios and photorealistic 3D projects associated with Unreal Engine 5. Choice of engine depends on developer experience, the type of game targeted, and long-term plans. Unreal Engine originated in 1998 with a focus on AAA development and includes tools like Nanite and Lumen for detailed virtualized geometry and dynamic global illumination.
Unreal Engine vs Unity is a battle of two of the best game engines - and certainly the most popular. Together, Epic Games' Unreal Engine and Unity Technologies' self-named platform were responsible for 79% of the games released on Steam in 2024 and 57% of units sold (the difference between the figures is because of the number of big-selling AAA studios who still use their own engines).
But which game engine is right for you? That will depend on your experience, the type of game you want to make and your plans for the future. In the guide below, I'll compare Unity vs Unreal Engine on various criteria based on the conversations we've had with many game developers in interviews for the site. Hopefully, this might help you make your decision (if you've already used either program, please do share your own experience in the comments section at the bottom).
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