Sometime early in 2022, Unreal Engine 5 will release to provide a truly next-gen graphical experience for the new PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles. Unreal Engine 5 is meant to be the premiere game engine experience, with a host of features that bring visual design and animation to the next level. One of the engine’s big draws is Nanite, a virtualized micropolygon geometry system that allows for assets to be imported at their highest quality, and for the engine to intelligently render as much detail as the player can perceive at that moment. Lumen helps by being a fully dynamic global illumination solution, MetaSounds handles audio sources, and the MetaHuman Creator will allow designers to quickly populate their worlds with high-quality characters.
It didn’t take long for users to make some impressive displays of the Early Access UE5’s power. One particular display that has the community talking is a recreation of Whiterun’s Western Watchtower from The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. This was made by freelance asset designer Chris G, who goes by Hall 00117 on YouTube. While it’s just a recreation of the area around the watchtower and the tower itself, it stands in such stark contrast to Skyrim itself that several hundred thousand viewers have gone on to view it. Skyrim is a decade old now, and its Special Edition is five, so it’s not hard to see just how far graphical technology has come. This has sparked the discussion of what other games could benefit from being remade in Unreal Engine 5.
Fortnite
Fortnite has already been confirmed to be remade in Unreal Engine 5 once the engine fully launches. Still, as it is meant to do, it will show off everything that’s possible in Unreal Engine 5. Massive fields with varied geography, plant and animal life, a wide variety of structures dotting the play area, and even particle effects on certain elements are all a part of Fortnite’s regular gameplay, and UE5 excels in rendering all of them.
The game's massive amount of different materials and cosmetic pieces will really show off what the engine is capable of. Finally, and most importantly for Fortnite, MetaSounds will ensure that players can make out where and what every sound in their vicinity is. It’s only fitting that the most popular game in the world is also one of the best-looking and sounding — at least, from a technological standpoint.
Fallout: New Vegas
In addition to the Western Watchtower render, Chris G has also recreated Goodsprings from Fallout: New Vegas. While a full Skyrim remake may be unnecessary given its many releases, Bethesda’s other decade-old classic could benefit from more love. New Vegas was built on an infamously outdated engine in a very short period of time, and UE5 would solve many of its problems with little issue. The only problems concerning this dream game are Bethesda and Obsidian’s sour relationship getting in the way of development (which could be smoothed over by Microsoft owning them both), and the inability of the game’s tremendous number of mods to work with a remake.
Dark Souls
While it already had a remaster with some technical upgrades, Dark Souls could go further. FromSoftware’s action-RPG masterpiece is well-known for its stunning art design and surprisingly large-feeling world, but Unreal Engine 5 would push it to greater heights. One only needs to look at Bluepoint’s Demon’s Souls Remake to see how good FromSoftware’s games can look on modern hardware. Learning the engine would benefit FromSoftware in the future as well, if it intends to continue making larger games like Elden Ring.
Metroid Prime
Nintendo is not known for using Unreal Engine, but for the sake of adapting Metroid Prime (and showing off a hypothetical Switch Pro), having Retro Studios bring its classic first-person shooter metroidvania back would merit the use of UE5. Metroid Prime, much like Dark Souls, stands above its sequels in many fans’ eyes thanks to its use of a truly open map rife with opportunities for exploration. Retro also nailed the lighting, textures, and atmospheric effects of the game's environment on the GameCube, so porting Prime to a modern engine would elevate it more.
Assassin’s Creed 2
Ubisoft has been trying to make its games bigger and better for a long time. Unreal Engine 5’s ability to manage chunks of expansive geography will help with that, and what better way to test it out than with a remake of the fan-favorite Assassin’s Creed 2. AC2 contains a mixture of huge, detailed cities with tons of people and natural countryside, allowing every part of UE5 to flex its rendering power. It could be a solid step on the way toward Ubisoft games feeling more organic and interesting as a whole, and would definitely generate assets that could be used in games to come.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
In a franchise full of acclaimed games and expansions, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas remains one of the highest acclaimed entries in the series. This owes a lot to its likeable cast, the sheer variety of activities the player could do, and the diverse feeling its world presents. The one issue the game has is its severely dated graphics, and that can be solved easily with an Unreal Engine 5 facelift. With a lot of time between now and Grand Theft Auto 6, another stop in San Andreas could be just what the fans need.
Deus Ex
The original Deus Ex is beloved even today for being the pioneer of the “immersive sim” genre, a type of first-person shooter that includes significant roleplaying opportunities and multiple viable playstyles for proceeding through a game. The one real problem with this classic is that, frankly, it’s ugly. Deus Ex’s attempts at realistic characters do not hold up by today’s standards, which is where Unreal Engine 5 comes in. The improved character models, animations, and environments would allow the game’s plentiful good traits to shine through, and, hopefully, drum up interest for a continuation of the Deus Ex franchise.