When to expect next-gen games? Epic reveals Unreal Engine 6 release dates

Markus Wassmer from Epic Games announced on the Unreal Engine blog that early access to the Unreal Engine 6 will begin in late 2027, with a full release 12–18 months later.

This means that games fully utilizing the capabilities of UE6 will only appear in a few years.

Unreal Engine 6 will combine the directions of Unreal Engine 5 and Unreal Editor for Fortnite. Epic plans not just to improve graphics, but to overhaul many outdated systems. Some solutions from UE4 and UE5 will gradually be replaced with new tools.

One of the main changes will be the transition to Verse as the primary scripting language. Developers are also promised easier code and content transfer between projects and platforms. However, the transition from UE5 to UE6 may be more complex than the migration from UE4 to UE5.

The engine will feature deep integration of AI models like Claude and Gemini. They will help create levels, adjust lighting, work with animations, particles, and other elements. During the presentation, it was shown how AI can furnish a virtual apartment or change the time of day in a scene based on a prompt. However, the final decision will always rest with the developers.