This is a video discussing and displaying the evolution of Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, from the initial Unreal Engine tech demo of 1996 to the upcoming release of Unreal Engine 5 and Metahuman Creator. We sure have come a long way, haven’t we? The early graphics look so antiquated I just assumed the Youtube video was still buffering because I still live with 1996 internet speeds. Some timestamps:

0:00​ Unreal Engine 1
0:22​ Unreal Engine 2
0:52​ Unreal Engine 3 (2004)
02:26​ Unreal Engine 3 (2011)
03:49​ Unreal Engine 4 (2013 PS4 Demo)
05:16​ Unreal Engine 4 (2019)
06:31​ Unreal Engine 5 (2021 PS5 Demo)
08:56​ Metahuman Creator

What does the future hold? My guess is even sicker graphics. Or, who knows, maybe we’ll devolve back to pixelated 8-bit graphics. I mean, technology is cyclical after all. “Who told you that?” The guy who just installed the VHS player in my carriage.

Thanks again to my dad, who informed me his favorite games are the ones where he gets to wield a trusty shotgun.