Overview

• Speaking at Unreal Fest 2025, Sweeney said many studios target top-end hardware first and postpone low-spec testing, which he called the main cause of poor performance.
• He outlined new support that includes automated optimization across devices, expanded developer education, and optional assistance from Epic engineers, with Fortnite learnings applied to improve low-spec PC performance.
• Unreal Engine 5.6 has already shipped with shader compilation fixes, faster Lumen, and Nanite foliage improvements, with reported GPU gains up to about 25% and CPU gains up to about 35%.
• Recent releases such as Metal Gear Solid Delta and Mafia: The Old Country were criticized for stutter and low frame rates, illustrating that problems persist despite engine updates.
• Industry views remain divided, with some developers citing platform constraints like Xbox Series S memory and others, including Digital Foundry, noting UE5 can scale well when projects budget more time for optimization; titles like Hellblade II and Fortnite show strong results when tuned early.