Unity Vs Unreal Engine: Which is the Best Gaming Engine For Mobile Game Development?

Game development has come a long way and has become one of the fastest-growing industries.

The mobile game development services standards are high, and over time, the images and designs in the game look almost real.

When it comes to gaming applications, game developers use software development environments to develop interactive games, known as gaming engines.

There are various gaming engines available in the market.

But, the two best gaming engines are Unreal vs Unity for mobile games made popular games such as Pokémon Go (Unity 3D) and Fortnite (Unreal Engine) are developed using these best gaming engines.

These mobile engine games’ technology and skills in development and design are far better than others in the market.

According to the study by MarketWatch, global mobile game engine revenue will grow at 13% CAGR and will reach a valuation of $4464 billion by 2024 in comparison to USD 1760 million in 2019.

But still, there is confusion when it comes to choosing Unity vs Unreal for mobile games engine. Today, the Unity gaming engine has a 48% market share, whereas the Unreal gaming Engine has a 13% share.

But deciding on the best gaming engine based on market share is not enough because these mobile gaming engines offer impressive offerings, and your decision must depend on your development requirements.

What is Unity Gaming Engine

Unity gaming engine Launched in 2005 at Apple Inc’s WDC, Unity Technologies developed the Unity game development engine. It offers intuitive and easy-to-learn language code as well as supports more than 25 platforms.

Many users adopt the Unity game engine as it offers the users ability to create games & experience them in 2D, 3D, and virtual reality.

Other than the game industry, Unity mobile gaming engines are also used by other industries such as automotive, film, engineering, architecture, and construction.

History of Unity 

2005 | Unity launched for macOS

2007 | Unity 2.0 launched

2008 | Apple launched the app store and Unity give support to iPhones

2010 | Unity 3.0 launched with Android support

2012 | Unity 4.0 launched

2013 | Facebook adds SDK integration for Unity games

2015 | Unity 5.0 launched with improved HD graphics and audio and VR support

2017 | Unity 5.6 launched and integrated with 3D design tools

2018 | Unity launched with integrated machine-learning tools

2019 | DOTS released to improve processing

2020 | Unity introduced the augmented reality studio

2021 | Unity launched with enhanced multiplayer libraries

Features of Unity Game Engine

• Creating/Eliminating Game Objects

• Physics-oriented events

• Reliable tools for 2D & 3D game creation

• Access components

• Delivers existing and reusable assets available in the asset store to reduce development time

• Quality creation such as AAA visuals, HD

• Deployment to all platforms with a single click

Game Made with Unity Game Engine

Let’s see some of the most popular games using the Unity engine:

1. Pokemon Go

2. Call of Duty for Mobile

3. Monument Valley

4. Fall, Guys,

5. Hollow Knight

What is Unreal Engine

Launched in 1988 by Epic Games, the Unreal engine mobile games offer high-end graphics, has a high degree of portability, and support a range of platforms.

Compared to Unreal vs Unity for mobile games. Unreal engine for mobile games do not have a large community.

However, still, it is used by many game app development companies because it does not impose limitations on the game developers’ vision.

History of Unreal Engine

1998 | Unreal Engine launched

2002 | Unreal engine released enhanced rendering and integrated support for 3D libraries.

2006 | Unreal engine released games for Windows, PS3, and Xbox 

2010 | Unreal engine adds support for iOS and Android

2011 | Unreal Add support for adobe flash player for Wii U development

2013 | Unreal Collaborate with Mozilla for web-based games

2014 | Unreal engine implements monthly subscription payment model and 5% royalty fees

2022 | Unreal engine optimized with next-generation games console including PS 5 and Xbox X

Features of Unreal Game Engine

• Integration of pipeline

• Animation

• World Building

• Integrated media support

• Effects & Simulations

• Gameplay & Interactivity Authoring

• Platform support and onset tools

• Lightning, Rendering & Materials

• Developer tools

Games Made with Unreal Gaming Engine

Let’s see some most popular games made with the Unreal engine mobile:

1. Fortnite

2. Stars Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

3. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

4. Tetris Effect

5. Gears 5

Difference Between Unreal vs Unity

Similarities Between Unreal vs Unity for Mobile Games

When it comes to game development, both Unreal vs Unity for mobile games are considered to be top-rated gaming engines.

 Despite being ultimate rivals, these gaming engines share multiple traits that make them a bit similar as well.

For instance, both unreal vs unity for mobile games can be used to develop AAA games with visually enticing graphics and advanced render capabilities.

These gaming engines also provide support for built-in animation rendering and VR support that can help developers build high-performance VR-enabled games for their clients.

Keep in mind that when we are talking about the best gaming engine, both Unity vs Unreal for mobile games are worthy of sharing the same position.

However, choosing the best gaming engine in a battle of Unity vs Unreal for mobile games will mainly depend on your primary objectives and the kind of audience you want to target.

Unreal Engine vs Unity for mobile games can create AAA-quality graphics and have significant bridges between most industry-standard software.

Also, unity vs unreal engine mobile delivers a comprehensive toolbox including animation, VR Support, terrain editor, physics simulation &, etc. 

What platforms do Unreal vs Unity Mobile Games support?

Unreal Engine Mobile supports the following platforms:

• Windows PC

• Xbox One

• Nintendo Switch

• Windows PC

• Android

• VR

• PlayStation 4

• SteamOS

• MacOS

• Google Stadia

• HTML5

• IOS

• AR

• Linux

Unity supports all of these platforms and supports development for tvOS, GearVR, Daydream, and Apple ARKit

Differences Between Unreal vs Unity for Mobile Games

1. Unreal gaming engine is an available source, and Unity is a cross-platform game engine.

2. Unreal engine uses C++, and Unity uses C#. And the language that is considered suitable for game development is C#.

3. Unreal engine was launched in 1998, and Unity was released in 2005.

4. Both gaming engines deliver good and detailed documentation demonstrating their tools and features.

5. Unreal engine vs Unity for mobile have a vast community of active uses. However, Unity for mobile games has more additional clients and a user base.

6. Unreal Engine is free of cost, but you own royalties to them, whereas Unity game engine is free, but the complete version requires a one-time fee of $1500 or $75/month.

7. Unity offers an extensive range of mods, i.e., 31000 assets compared to unreal, which is 10000.

8. Unreal Engine Mobile has an open-source gaming engine with a straightforward development process, and Unity for mobile games, on the other hand, does not offer open-source code; but it can be purchased.

9. Unreal supports faster rendering, whereas rendering is slow in the case of Unity with slow processing of projects.

10. Unreal Gaming Engine is preferred over Unity due to its quality of graphics.

Which one to choose? Unreal Engine vs Unity for Mobile Games 

Before choosing between Unreal engine vs Unity engines for mobile games, it is crucial to decide about your requirements, say what type of game to develop, such as 2D, 3D, virtual reality, etc.

The first and foremost requirement is to go with a noble game development idea with a high revenue generation with quality graphics.

It would help if you decided on all these aspects before you came up with selecting the best gaming engine.

Once you have finalized the game development idea and requirements, the next is deciding on the gaming engine and sports app development companies.

Key Factors for an Optimal Gaming Engine

Below are some of the things to look into before choosing the best gaming engine for mobile games.

1. Game Engine Graphics

Gaming is nothing without graphics, and mobile game development professionals give the best gaming experience through innovative game design and development.

And the best gaming engine for graphics is unreal game engine 4 due to its capability to design stunning and high-quality graphics with state-of-the-art 2D and 3D rendering approaches.

And unity game development engines are not lacking behind in the case of high-level graphics, but the development process sometimes slows down.

Unreal Engine delivers high-fidelity graphics and high performance to let developers create and yield great visuals for mobile games.

In contrast, Unity can also build high-quality visuals but requires more struggle to get the assets right.

Thus, high performance and quicker effects blended with great visuals make Unreal Engine more popular than Unity, especially for big game productions.

2. Performance

Performance comes into play when we need to evaluate two-game engines side by side. Unreal Engine uses C++, while Unity uses C# as a programming language.

C++ delivers more developer control over memory management, and C# does not allow control of the memory management system.

While on the other hand, the Unreal engine mobile games deliver myriad and amazing visual graphics and effects as well as features.

Unity requires plugins to facilitate features to create impressive FX, animation, cinematics, etc.

3. Developer/Designer

Designer and developer requirements are quite distinct.

Developers mostly look for a Unity engine as it is easy to access, offers excellent assets packaging, and result in real-world-like visuals.

At the same time, graphic designers look for visual quality and a controllable platform. Thus, both game engines are on the same level in functionality and capabilities.

4. Assets Stores 

To develop 3D assets from scratch, you need to use 3D modeling software such as Blender, Maya, or 3ds Max; other assets are available on the Assets Store.

Both gaming engines have asset markets from where you may purchase objects, environments,pre-made 3D models, and so on.

The number of assets in the Unreal Engine is around 10,000, whereas Unity Asset has around 31,000+ 3D assets.

Unreal assets are acquainted with finished game productions. If you plan to develop a game with an appropriate fantasy or sci-fi setting, go for Unreal Engine 4.

And if you want to develop a VR application for business, where graphics quality isn’t important as relevance and iterative development, go with Unity.

Therefore, Unity 3D asset store is advanced in the case of assets, and Unreal Engine is catching up.

5. Pricing

Both Unreal vs Unity engines have some free parts, and others are chargeable.

The full version of Unreal Engine 4 is free of cost if your game revenue is less than $3,000 /quarter; if more than 5% of the game’s gross revenue, you need to pay the additional fee.

The Unity Gaming Engine has a free personal plan that both individuals and small businesses can use.

It offers two kinds of packages for larger businesses; plus, packages are used for businesses with revenue less than $200K in 1-year before purchase.

The package is available on both monthly and annual subscriptions, monthly charges are $35 per month, and the annual subscription is priced at $299 on a prepaid basis.

Unreal Engine 4 is free and has no Pro version, but a royalty fee of 5% is connected to it if revenue exceeds $3000 in a quarter. Thus, developers and designers might rely on this model.

Apart from that, there are separate charges for iOS or Android game development. Thus, if you are planning a big app, then Unity 3D is a great option, but

Unreal Engine is best with a simple or practical plan. But it depends on your preferences and your choice of yours.

Which is Harder Unreal Engine vs  Unity for Mobile Games?

Whether Unreal engine vs Unity engine is a major concern among new developers and businesses looking to hire Unreal vs Unity game development companies.

There are thousands of developers working on Unreal vs unity platforms.

The recent versions of the gaming engines are well-optimized. So it is easier to work on both platforms.

But still, there will be confusion about which platform to choose.

Still, many devs who have worked with both options concede that Unity is easier because it has simplified and understandable C# language.

Conclusion

Without Unreal vs Unity engine two-game development tools, game development would be hard to imagine.

Both have pros and cons, but the choice depends on the project’s requirements.

Unity is known for its user performance development support, huge base, and for making 2D and 3D simulations.

On the other hand, unreal Engine is favored for building big games due to the beautiful graphics it offers.

Hiring a game app development company can be pretty overwhelming, specifically when forming your game plan.

So, it is best to carefully study these platforms and understand which platform can fulfill your app requirements.

Both Unity vs Unreal for mobile game engines is great game-creation tools alike. It will be quite easy to decide the best gaming engine for your gaming idea according to the above parameters.

However, both these gaming engines are almost free, and if required, you can download both and test them out.