FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
Unreal Engine (UE4) is a complete suite of creation tools for game development, architectural and automotive visualization, linear film and television content creation, broadcast and live event production, training and simulation, and other real-time applications.
We offer a choice of licensing terms depending on your use of Unreal Engine.
- Unreal Engine End User License Agreement for Publishing: This license is free to use and incurs 5% royalties when you monetize your game or other interactive off-the-shelf product and your gross revenues from that product exceed $3,000 per quarter.
- Unreal Engine End User License Agreement for Creators: This license is free to use and 100% royalty-free; you can use it to create internal or free projects, or to develop linear content or custom projects for clients, but not for publishing off-the-shelf offerings.
- There are also options for custom licenses. Contact us to inquire about a custom license for either games or non-games use.
Get Unreal Engine here, and with one free download access all engine features, the full suite of integrated tools, and the C++ source code for the entire engine. You’ll find documentation, tutorials, and support resources, plus tons of free content, including templates, sample games, and complete projects to quickly get you on your way to building anything you want!
Epic regularly releases new versions which include updates, improved features, community contributions, and bug fixes. We also share live changes to source code through GitHub.
You can access C++ source code via GitHub here.
What is the Unreal Engine End User License Agreement (EULA) for Publishing?The Unreal Engine End User License Agreement for Publishing is a legal document that you’re agreeing to when you choose one of two standard ways to sign up for the Unreal Engine. It governs your use of the Unreal Engine, and also describes your rights and obligations when you build games or other interactive off-the-shelf products using the engine. This license is free to use and incurs 5% royalties when you monetize your game or other interactive off-the-shelf product and your gross revenues from that product exceed $3,000 per quarter.
Download the EULA as a PDF here.
The official version of the EULA is in English only, but we currently have a Japanese language EULA, a Korean language EULA, and a Chinese language EULA available for reference purposes.
(エンドユーザーライセンス契約書の正式な原本は英語版となりますが、参考として日本語参考訳EULA、韓国語参考訳EULA、中国語参考訳EULA、をご用意しております。)
EULA 공식 버전은 영어만 인정되나, 현재 참고용으로 일본어 EULA, 한국어 EULA, 중국어 EULA가 제공되고 있습니다.
EULA 的官方正式版本仅以英文提供，但我们也准备了 EULA 的日语版本，韩语版本和中文版本以供参考。
What is the Unreal Engine End User License Agreement (EULA) for Creators?The Unreal Engine End User License Agreement for Creators is a legal document that you’re agreeing to when you choose one of two standard ways to sign up for the Unreal Engine. It governs your use of the Unreal Engine, and also describes your rights and obligations when you create projects using the engine. This license is free to use and 100% royalty-free; you can use it to create internal or free projects, or to develop linear content or custom projects for clients, but not for publishing off-the-shelf offerings.
Download the EULA as a PDF here.
The official version of the EULA is in English only, but we currently have a Japanese language EULA, a Korean language EULA, and a Chinese language EULA available for reference purposes.
(エンドユーザーライセンス契約書の正式な原本は英語版となりますが、参考として日本語参考訳EULA、韓国語参考訳EULA、中国語参考訳EULA、をご用意しております。)
EULA 공식 버전은 영어만 인정되나, 현재 참고용으로 일본어 EULA, 한국어 EULA, 중국어 EULA가 제공되고 있습니다.
EULA 的官方正式版本仅以英文提供，但我们也准备了 EULA 的日语版本，韩语版本和中文版本以供参考。
What support resources are available?View the Support page for the most comprehensive information regarding how you can get help and information for development with the Unreal Engine.
If you're a custom licensee (meaning you have a UE4 license agreement with Epic other than the free EULA), you should ask your questions at the Unreal Developer Network (login required).
What platforms are supported?Unreal Engine enables you to deploy projects to Windows PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, MacOS, iOS, Android, AR, VR, Linux, SteamOS, and HTML5. You can run the Unreal Editor on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
Xbox One, PlayStation 4, NIntendo Switch, and Google Stadia console tools and code are available at no additional cost to developers who are registered developers for their respective platform(s).
Does Epic really give everyone the entire C++ source code for UE4?Yes. Access to full C++ source code for UE4 is included from the moment you create an account and install the engine. You can download source code from
GitHub, and you will continue to receive regular updates, including access to live source code changes. Even if you don’t plan to modify the source, it’s super-useful to have it available to understand and debug interactions between your C++ code and the engine’s C++ code!
How do I submit Unreal Engine code changes back to Epic?GitHub is our channel through which a growing number of contributors can fork and modify the engine. Source code changes you check in at GitHub will be visible to the community. If you submit a pull request to Epic, we'll review it and consider inclusion of your code into mainline UE4. If we ship your contribution, we'll gladly add your name to the credits in the engine.
What are Epic MegaGrants?Epic Games has committed $100,000,000 to provide financial grants to creative, noteworthy, and innovative projects built in and around Unreal Engine or projects that enhance the open-source 3D graphics ecosystem.
Grants range from $5,000 to $500,000, and cover a variety of endeavors from enterprise or media and entertainment projects, game development, educational or student uses, and software tool development. No matter what size grant you receive, you will continue to own your IP and will be free to publish however you wish.
What can I do with my grant money?Whatever will make your project successful. If you are requesting more than $25,000, we want to hear about how you plan to use the funds. If your planned use of the funds changes over the course of your project, that is perfectly fine.
When do I get my grant money?For grants up to and including $25,000, you will receive the entire grant amount in a single payment.
For larger grants, funds will typically be paid out over several installments, depending on the size of the grant and complexity of your project. We’ll let you know about installment timing when your grant is approved, and will check in with you periodically throughout the life of your project. We’ll never tell you how to use money granted to you, but we do want to see continued planning, progress, and viability in your project prior to payout of an installment.
With some large and complex projects, Epic may procure services for your use as part of the grant, if doing so would be efficient in bringing your project to fruition.
The MegaGrant may have tax implications for you. We recommend you check with a tax professional familiar with your local tax laws to understand the tax implications to you.
Do I have to pay the money back at a later date?Absolutely not. We will never ask you to pay back any money that Epic has paid you under Epic MegaGrants. This is not an investment on Epic's part, nor is it a loan. This is our way to give back to the incredible community and reward excellence.
Why would Epic do this?Simply put, we succeed when you succeed. We’re incredibly proud of the UE4 community and want to do what we can to grow that community. Epic wants to help you focus more on creation and worry less about keeping the lights on.
Who and what are we looking for?We’re looking to support anyone doing amazing things with UE4 or for the 3D graphics ecosystem. To ensure that Epic Mega Grants delivers the most value to the community, here are a few considerations:
- Games: Please submit game projects that are past the idea/design phase and have at least some form of working prototype. A link to a video of your working prototype would be ideal.
- Media & entertainment: We welcome applications for film, television and other visual media, location-based entertainment, and live events.
- Enterprise: We’d love to see your UE4 projects in other non-gaming verticals, including architecture, automotive, manufacturing, simulation, product design, advertising, VR/AR, and more. For complex projects, we are looking for more detailed project plans and prototypes.
- Education: Research, educational curricula and course development, student projects, and university programs using or related to UE4 are all eligible. Any other UE4 projects undertaken by students or educators are also eligible to apply. Please note that for institutions, we only accept submissions from degree-granting schools and educators at such schools.
- Tools and open-source development: You can submit an application for a new tool, plans to port existing tools to UE4, or creating tools that integrate existing software with UE4. You can also submit a new open-source tool (including tools that provide interoperability) or any enhancement for existing open-source projects related to 3D graphics. For new tools, we would like to see a detailed plan or, if available, a prototype.
If you don’t know which of these categories your project falls into, please apply. The more details you can provide about your project, the easier it is for us to evaluate it.
Is my non-UE4 project eligible?Yes. If your project is built in another engine or toolset and you want to move it to UE4, you are eligible to apply for an Epic MegaGrant. If you want to develop a project that enhances open-source 3D content creation, whether or not it integrates with or relates to UE4, you are also eligible.
I'm in. What's next?Submit your application via the
form on the Epic MegaGrants page and tell us about your project. Send us videos, links, and any other info you think will help us see why your project is awesome.
How is my project going to be evaluated?We evaluate each project based on quality and unique appeal, by how much it will benefit the UE4 and the 3D graphics community and ecosystem, and whether we think the work is viable.
Is this limited to developers in the United States?No. If we can legally make payment to you, you are eligible. The grant is considered income to you, which is likely subject to tax based on where the activity is performed. We recommend you check with a tax professional familiar with your local tax laws to understand the tax implications to you.
Why are you no longer offering Unreal Studio?As of Unreal Engine 4.24, the features of Unreal Studio have been incorporated into Unreal Engine and are now available to all users for free. The most notable feature is Datasmith, a workflow toolkit that enables you to efficiently aggregate and optimize 3ds Max, Revit, SketchUp Pro, Cinema 4D, and a wide range of CAD and BIM data in Unreal Engine. Other features include static mesh editing, basic UV projections, jacketing and defeaturing optimization tools, and a Variant Manager.
How can I access support?The support community dedicated to Unreal Studio has concluded along with the beta program. Support for these features is now folded into the existing channels for Unreal Engine. Community support is available through AnswerHub and our forums, and custom licensee support is available on the Unreal Developer Network.
What is Twinmotion?Twinmotion is a visualization tool that empowers you to quickly and easily produce high-quality images, panoramas, and standard or 360° VR videos from design data. It’s been specifically designed for architecture, construction, urban planning, and landscaping professionals. See all of the features and find out more on the
Twinmotion home page.
What am I allowed to do with Twinmotion?You can use Twinmotion to create stunning visualizations for any purpose—whether you’re a professional working in a commercial environment, a hobbyist working on a personal project, or a student or educator getting to grips with real-time design visualization.
How do I get Twinmotion?You can download the software for free on the
Twinmotion website. If you do not already have an Epic Account, you’ll need to create one. From there, you’ll be prompted to download the Epic Games Launcher, which will give you access to Twinmotion.
What software is supported by Twinmotion?Twinmotion features direct one-click synchronization with ARCHICAD and Revit. You can also bring in data from virtually all 3D content-creation programs, with support for importing FBX, SKP, C4D, and OBJ files.
How is Epic’s version of Twinmotion different from the Twinmotion 2019 version previously available from Abvent?The new version of Twinmotion from Epic Games offers the following improvements over Twinmotion 2019:
- Glow Effects now contribute to global illumination.
- Direct Link for ARCHICAD and Revit is now faster and more robust.
- Performance has been improved for playback, scene opening, and video export.
- All users can now access a shared library for team collaboration, a feature previously only available in Twinmotion Team.
A few features were removed or changed:
- It’s no longer possible to browse the BIMobject catalog directly from within Twinmotion; however you can still access the catalog in a separate browser window and download the assets for use in Twinmotion.
- The TwinLinker Cloud Presentation platform is no longer available.
- Branded assets have been removed from the included asset library, and in most cases replaced with generic ones.
- H264 video encoding is now handled directly by the OS instead of using dedicated encoders.
We expect that most customers will benefit from switching to the new version.
What learning materials are available?Twinmotion is very intuitive and easy to use, and, as such, most people find that they can learn the majority of its functionality through simply exploring the interface. For reference, you can consult our
online help playlist; press F1 while using any feature in the software to bring up the associated video. We plan to add further videos, articles, and other materials to support your learning experience in the coming months.
How long will Twinmotion be available for free?Twinmotion will be free to download until we release our next version, anticipated to ship in the first quarter of 2020; after that, you will be able to keep using the free version indefinitely. The new version and subsequent releases of Twinmotion will be available as a paid-for product.
What if I had already purchased Twinmotion?Customers who purchased Twinmotion prior to May 13, 2019 will be provided a free upgrade to the next paid version of Twinmotion released by Epic (anticipated to ship in the first quarter of 2020).
In addition, Epic will refund previous purchases of Twinmotion (or the maintenance and support agreement provided by Abvent) made by end users of Twinmotion between January 1, 2019 and May 13, 2019. Please request a refund by providing a receipt of your purchase prior to August 31, 2019. Refund requests can be submitted on our
support site.
If you have any questions about how to receive the benefits of a maintenance and support agreement you’ve previously purchased from Abvent, please visit our
support site for assistance.
What's the Twinmotion EULA (End User License Agreement)?The
Twinmotion EULA is a legal document which you’re agreeing to when you sign up for Twinmotion. It governs your use of Twinmotion. Download the EULA as a PDF
here.
The official version of the EULA is in English only, but we currently have available a Japanese language EULA, a Korean language EULA, and a Chinese language EULA for reference purposes. Download the reference EULAs as PDFs here: Japanese, Korean, Chinese.
EULA 的官方正式版本仅以英文提供，但我们也准备了 EULA 的日语版本，韩语版本和中文版本以供参考。点击此处下载PDF版EULA： 日文版、韩文版、中文版。
エンドユーザーライセンス契約書の正式な原本は英語版となりますが、参考として日本語参考訳EULA、韓国語参考訳EULA、中国語参考訳EULAをご用意しております。こちらから参考訳EULAのPDFのダウンロードが可能です。 日本語、韓国語、中国語
EULA의 공식 버전은 영문으로만 제공되고 있으나, 현재 참조용으로 일본어 EULA, 한국어 EULA, 중국어 EULA를 제공해 드리고 있습니다. 다음 링크에서 참조용 EULA를 PDF 문서로 다운로드하세요: 일본어, 한국어, 중국어.
If I release a commercial game or other interactive off-the-shelf product, what royalties are due to Epic, and when?Under the terms of the Unreal Engine EULA for Publishing, you are generally obligated to pay to Epic 5% of all gross revenue after the first $3,000 per game or other off-the-shelf interactive product per calendar quarter, regardless of what company collects the revenue. For example, if your product earns $10 from sales on the App Store, the royalty due is $0.50 (5% of $10), even though you would receive roughly $7 from Apple after they deduct their distribution fee of roughly $3 (30% of $10).
Royalty payments are due 45 days after the close of each calendar quarter. Along with the payment, you must send a royalty report on a per-product basis. For more information, see our Release page.
Why does Epic think it’s fair to ask for a percentage of a developer’s product revenue?Our aim is to provide powerful tools, a scalable and productive workflow, advanced features, and millions of lines of C++ source code that enable developers to achieve more than they would otherwise be able to, so that this structure works to everyone’s benefit.
In this business model, Epic succeeds only when developers succeed using Unreal Engine. Many of the industry’s leading developers and publishers have signed up to license Unreal Engine with royalty-based terms over the years, and now this level of access is open to everyone. And, don't forget, we continue to offer custom terms.
Do I need to report royalties forever?No, you only need to report royalties when you are making more than $3,000 per quarter from your product. If your game or other interactive off-the-shelf product is no longer is being sold, or no longer makes that amount of money, no royalty reports are due.
What if my project requires custom licensing terms?If you require terms that reduce or eliminate the 5% royalty in exchange for an upfront fee, or if you need custom legal terms or dedicated Epic support to help your team reduce risk or achieve specific goals, we’re here to help. Contact us to inquire about a custom license for either
games or
non-games use.
Can I ship a game that supports mods using the Unreal Editor or source?Yes, and we have designed the Unreal Editor and launcher to accommodate this. We aim to build a unified UE4 development and modding community. Here is how this works: You’re free to release your game through any distribution channels of your choosing, however the UE4 Editor (including modified versions) and code may only be distributed through official Epic channels (e.g. the UE4 launcher for binaries, and GitHub for source), to users who have accepted the EULA.
Epic has opened up the Epic Games launcher to developers who wish to ship games supporting mods using the Unreal Editor. This is a great opportunity for games to inspire and benefit a rapidly-growing UE4 mod community. For an example of this process in action, see the Unreal Tournament tab within the UE4 launcher: it hosts the game, the editor, and a marketplace for user-created content. If you’re interested in pursuing this route for your project, contact us.
What if my product is released through a publisher or distributor?You’re free to release Unreal Engine products through a publisher or distributor, and the EULA gives you the right to sublicense the necessary parts of the Unreal Engine to them so they can release your product.
When negotiating terms with publishers, please keep in mind that the royalty remains 5% of the product's gross revenue after the first $3,000 per game per calendar quarter from users. In this scenario, feel free to refer your publisher to Epic during discussions, as it may be advantageous to all if the publisher obtains a custom-negotiated, multi-product Unreal Engine license covering your product.
What if my product obtains crowdfunding via Kickstarter or another source?Royalties are due on revenue from Kickstarter or other crowdfunding sources when the revenue is actually attributable to your product. For example, if the user is required to purchase a particular funding package to obtain access (now or later) to your product, or if that package gives the buyer benefits within the product such as in-game items or virtual currency.
Here’s an example of what we mean by “attributable”: Assume you provide two tiers of offers, a signed poster for $20, and a signed poster plus game access for $50. No royalties are due on ancillary products like posters, so no royalty is due on the $20 tier. On the $50 tier, the user is paying for the poster with a $20 value, and that implies that the remaining $30 of value is attributable to the product. So, for each $50 tier sale, you’d pay a royalty of $1.50 (5% of $30).
Are any revenue sources royalty-free?Yes! The following revenue sources are royalty-free:
- Ancillary products, including t-shirts, CDs, plushies, action figures, and books. The exception is items with embedded data or information, such as QR codes, that affect the operation of the product.
- Consulting, work-for-hire services, and in-house projects using Unreal Engine. This applies to using the engine to create architectural, automotive, or other visualizations, as well as consultants receiving a development fee for creating custom projects.
- Non-interactive linear media, including movies, animated films, and cartoons distributed as video.
- Amusement park rides and live installations.
- Truly free games and apps (with no associated revenue).
What modifications can I make to the source code?You can extend it, modify it, fork it, or integrate it with other software or libraries, with one exception: You can’t combine the Unreal Engine code with code covered by a “Copyleft” license agreement which would directly or indirectly require the Unreal Engine to be governed by terms other than the EULA.
- Unacceptable Copyleft licenses include: Software licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), Lesser GPL (LGPL) (unless you are merely dynamically linking a shared library), or Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
- Acceptable Non-Copyleft licenses include: Software licensed under the BSD License, MIT License, Microsoft Public License, or Apache License.
Can I share Unreal Engine source code or tools with others?You can share the source code or tools, along with any modifications you’ve made, with anyone who is an Unreal Engine licensee who is authorized to access the same version of the engine as yours, e.g. the 4.x.x version number of your installed build.
Can I share code snippets online?UE4 licensees are permitted to post engine code snippets (up to 30 lines) in a public forum, but only for the purpose of discussing the content of the snippet.
What happens when I send feedback to Epic?Epic welcomes your feedback and code or other content submissions. If you send code and/or content to us, you need to have all the necessary rights to send it to us. However you send it, we will own it, and can (but don't have to) use it in the engine. Regardless of whether we use it, you can still use it (as long as it is in a way allowed by the EULA).
At any given time you are welcome to see our development roadmap and vote on the features you’re most interested in seeing next!
Why is Unreal Engine especially well-suited for computer science programs?Because UE4 includes full C++ source, students have 100% visibility into the workings of one of the world’s leading-edge software projects. Students can learn from the design of UE4, and carry out their research in areas such as graphics, simulation, physics, and computer vision by extending the engine, while leveraging all of its existing capabilities. This is an amazing way to build real-world experience and a strong resume!
What are the benefits of becoming an Unreal Engine Academic Partner?The main benefit of becoming an Unreal Engine Academic Partner is the ability for the institution to promote themselves as an Unreal Engine school. An Unreal Engine Academic Partner is then listed on our website and becomes a resource for students looking to find a school where they can learn Unreal Engine. The Academic Partner may use the Unreal Engine logo in promoting their courses.
What are the requirements for becoming an Unreal Engine Academic Partner?1. The applicant must be an official post-secondary school of higher education, including colleges, polytechnics, and universities offering accredited academic degrees. At this time, professional training centers are not eligible.
2. The institution must have been teaching Unreal Engine for more than six months. We are only seeking institutions with well-established UE4 curricula.
3. The school has an instructor allocated to teaching Unreal Engine.
4. The program is offering one of the below accredited degree types:
University or college level certificate
Associates Degree
Undergraduate Degree
Master's Degree
How will I know if my university is approved?When you submit your application, each submission is carefully reviewed by one of our Unreal Education team members. Once we have determined that your institution is eligible, we will notify you upon approval.
What do I do if my university is not approved?Unfortunately, with the amount of applications we receive for the Academic Partner program, we cannot provide individual feedback for each submission. We encourage you to continue using our educational resources, which are listed below. We put our best efforts into developing quality content for the educational community, and you are welcome to use these resources even if you are not an Unreal Engine Academic Partner.
Does UE4 support moddable games?Yes! Unreal Engine has been designed with modding in mind. The complete source code, easy-to-use tools,
modding forums, tutorials and documentation we provide for developing games are also available to your game's modding community to take full advantage of! We've also designed Unreal Engine's business terms to be friendly to modding.
Why are mods interesting?An active mod community can take a game far beyond the scale and scope that a developer can achieve alone, and have a multiplicative effect on the game's community engagement and success. Many of us at Epic got our start in the mod communities surrounding early games like Quake, Unreal, and Half-Life, and now we're proud to provide tools and business terms enabling game developers to take modding to the next level!
How should I distribute the editor to mod developers?Create a GitHub fork of Epic's UE4 repository and place your editor binaries there, and create a tutorial page telling users how to install it into their existing installation of your game and get started. In time, we'll provide a more user-friendly means of distributing binaries.
Can I distribute C++ source to mod developers (and should I)?You're free to redistribute all of Epic's UE4 source, and your modifications and extensions to it, to the UE4 community, through a fork of Epic's UE4 GitHub repository. Of course, you're also free to not redistribute any source, if that's what you prefer.
Generally, source code is of interest to a smaller and more hardcore developer community than the Unreal Editor and its user-friendly interface for Blueprint visual scripting and other systems. We recommend starting with a release of mod tools, and considering source later as your community gains momentum.
Are there any restrictions on how I can distribute mods for my game?No. As a game developer, you can distribute your game's mods through any channels you like, and you can give mod makers permission to distribute their mods through whatever channels you choose. Mods can be distributed directly to your customers online, or through a publisher, or through services such as Valve's Steam Workshop.
Can mods be sold?It is up to the developer of each moddable UE4-based game to decide whether and how mods may be sold for that game. If the game developer chooses to control the curation and sale of mods to users, then the EULA's royalty terms (section 4) apply to the game developer's revenue. If the game developer allows mod developers to sell their own mods directly to users, then those terms apply to the mod developer's revenue.
Can assets be used from the UE4 Marketplace for mod development?Yes, mod developers are free to purchase UE4 Marketplace content for use in their mods, and to redistribute that content to the general public as part of their playable mods (in the form of object code and cooked content).
However, mod developers may only share commercial Marketplace content in source code or uncooked form within their mod development team. This content format mustn't be released to the community at large, as Marketplace developers are relying on selling it to earn their livings.