Unreal Engine

aid: unreal-engine
name: Unreal Engine
description: >-
  Unreal Engine is Epic Games' real-time 3D engine for games, film,
  broadcast, architecture, simulation, automotive, and live events. The
  engine is shipped as a downloadable editor, source on GitHub (under the
  Unreal Engine EULA), and a deep C++ and Blueprint API surface rather than
  a public REST API. The developer-facing surface includes the Unreal C++
  API reference, the Blueprint visual scripting API, the Online Subsystem
  (OSS) abstraction over platform backends, the Pixel Streaming framework
  for streaming Unreal apps over WebRTC, the Render Hardware Interface
  (RHI), the Slate UI framework, and a plugin and Marketplace ecosystem
  (now Fab). Programmatic backend integration for Unreal-built games is
  typically delivered via Epic Online Services (EOS), profiled separately.
  This profile documents Unreal Engine as an SDK and tooling surface rather
  than as a REST API.
image: https://kinlane-productions2.s3.amazonaws.com/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
url: https://www.unrealengine.com
created: '2024-01-01'
modified: '2026-05-23'
specificationVersion: '0.19'
type: Index
access: 3rd-Party
tags:
  - 3D
  - Blueprint
  - C++
  - Game Development
  - Game Engine
  - Pixel Streaming
  - Plugin
  - Real-Time
  - Rendering
  - RHI
  - SDK
  - Unreal Engine
  - WebRTC
apis:
  - aid: unreal-engine:unreal-engine-cpp-api
    name: Unreal Engine C++ API
    description: >-
      The Unreal Engine C++ API is the primary programmatic surface of the
      engine. It is shipped as engine source on GitHub (under the Unreal
      Engine EULA) and documented as a per-module class reference covering
      Actors, Components, GameFramework, Subsystems, Slate, RHI, Renderer,
      AnimGraph, Niagara, Chaos, AI, and more. Developers extend the engine
      by writing C++ classes and modules in their project or as plugins.
    image: https://kinlane-productions2.s3.amazonaws.com/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
    humanURL: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/cplusplus-in-unreal-engine
    baseURL: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine
    tags:
      - C++
      - SDK
      - Source
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/cplusplus-in-unreal-engine
      - type: APIReference
        url: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/API
      - type: GitHubRepository
        url: https://github.com/EpicGames/UnrealEngine
  - aid: unreal-engine:blueprint-visual-scripting
    name: Unreal Blueprint Visual Scripting
    description: >-
      Blueprints are Unreal Engine's visual scripting system. Blueprint
      nodes wrap the underlying C++ API, letting designers and programmers
      build gameplay, UI, and tooling logic without writing C++. The
      Blueprint API surface mirrors much of the engine's UFUNCTION-exposed
      C++ surface.
    image: https://kinlane-productions2.s3.amazonaws.com/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
    humanURL: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/blueprints-visual-scripting-in-unreal-engine
    baseURL: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine
    tags:
      - Blueprint
      - Scripting
      - Visual Scripting
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/blueprints-visual-scripting-in-unreal-engine
  - aid: unreal-engine:online-subsystem
    name: Unreal Online Subsystem (OSS / OSSv2)
    description: >-
      The Online Subsystem is Unreal's abstraction over platform online
      backends (Steam, PlayStation, Xbox Live, Nintendo, EOS, Google Play,
      Apple GameCenter, Discord). It exposes a consistent C++ interface
      for identity, sessions, friends, presence, achievements, leaderboards,
      voice, store, and entitlements that maps onto platform-specific or
      EOS-backed implementations.
    image: https://kinlane-productions2.s3.amazonaws.com/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
    humanURL: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/online-subsystem-in-unreal-engine
    baseURL: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine
    tags:
      - Achievements
      - Cross-Platform
      - Identity
      - Online Services
      - Sessions
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/online-subsystem-in-unreal-engine
  - aid: unreal-engine:pixel-streaming
    name: Unreal Pixel Streaming
    description: >-
      Pixel Streaming streams an Unreal Engine application running on a
      server to remote browser clients over WebRTC. The framework includes
      a Pixel Streaming plugin in the engine, a signalling and matchmaker
      service ("Cirrus" / "Frontend"), a UE Pixel Streaming Infrastructure
      reference deployment, and a JavaScript client library for browser
      integration. Used for in-browser product configurators, automotive,
      digital twins, and cloud-rendered games.
    image: https://kinlane-productions2.s3.amazonaws.com/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
    humanURL: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/pixel-streaming-in-unreal-engine
    baseURL: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine
    tags:
      - Browser
      - Cloud Rendering
      - Pixel Streaming
      - Streaming
      - WebRTC
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/pixel-streaming-in-unreal-engine
      - type: GitHubRepository
        url: https://github.com/EpicGamesExt/PixelStreamingInfrastructure
  - aid: unreal-engine:render-hardware-interface
    name: Unreal Render Hardware Interface (RHI)
    description: >-
      The Render Hardware Interface is Unreal's abstraction over graphics
      APIs (Direct3D 11/12, Vulkan, Metal, OpenGL ES). Engine and plugin
      developers write rendering code against the RHI rather than directly
      against a GPU API, and the RHI maps that code onto the active backend
      at runtime.
    image: https://kinlane-productions2.s3.amazonaws.com/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
    humanURL: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/graphics-programming-overview-for-unreal-engine
    baseURL: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine
    tags:
      - D3D12
      - GPU
      - Graphics
      - Metal
      - Rendering
      - RHI
      - Vulkan
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/graphics-programming-overview-for-unreal-engine
  - aid: unreal-engine:unreal-plugins-and-fab
    name: Unreal Plugins and Fab Marketplace
    description: >-
      Unreal Engine has a first-class plugin architecture and a content
      and code marketplace. The historical Unreal Engine Marketplace was
      consolidated into Fab, Epic's unified content marketplace for
      Unreal, Twinmotion, RealityCapture, and beyond. Plugins extend the
      editor and runtime in C++ and Blueprint and ship with their own
      Plugin Descriptor (.uplugin) manifest.
    image: https://kinlane-productions2.s3.amazonaws.com/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
    humanURL: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/plugins-in-unreal-engine
    baseURL: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine
    tags:
      - Fab
      - Marketplace
      - Plugins
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/plugins-in-unreal-engine
      - type: Marketplace
        url: https://www.fab.com
common:
  - url: https://www.unrealengine.com
    name: Unreal Engine Website
    type: Website
  - url: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine
    name: Unreal Engine Documentation
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://dev.epicgames.com/community/unreal-engine
    name: Unreal Engine Community
    type: Community
  - url: https://dev.epicgames.com/community/unreal-engine/learning
    name: Unreal Online Learning
    type: Learning
  - url: https://forums.unrealengine.com
    name: Unreal Engine Forums
    type: Forum
  - url: https://github.com/EpicGames/UnrealEngine
    name: Unreal Engine on GitHub
    type: GitHubRepository
  - url: https://github.com/EpicGamesExt
    name: Epic Games Ext on GitHub
    type: GitHubOrganization
  - url: https://www.fab.com
    name: Fab Marketplace
    type: Marketplace
  - url: https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace-guidelines
    name: Marketplace Guidelines
    type: Guidelines
  - url: https://www.unrealengine.com/eula
    name: Unreal Engine EULA
    type: License
  - url: https://www.unrealengine.com/blog
    name: Unreal Engine Blog
    type: Blog
  - url: https://www.unrealengine.com/release-notes
    name: Unreal Engine Release Notes
    type: ReleaseNotes
  - url: https://issues.unrealengine.com
    name: Unreal Engine Public Issue Tracker
    type: IssueTracker
  - url: https://www.unrealengine.com/support
    name: Unreal Engine Support
    type: Support
  - url: https://www.youtube.com/@UnrealEngine
    name: Unreal Engine on YouTube
    type: YouTube
  - url: https://x.com/UnrealEngine
    name: Unreal Engine on X
    type: X
  - url: https://www.facebook.com/UnrealEngine
    name: Unreal Engine on Facebook
    type: Facebook
  - url: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/unreal-engine
    name: Unreal Engine on LinkedIn
    type: LinkedIn
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: [email protected]