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The recent Rocket League Paris Major event brought a massive announcement with the reveal of Unreal Engine 6. Those in attendance got to see a few sneak peeks at how Unreal Engine 6 would improve Rocket League, and the visual upgrades are huge. As exciting as the announcement was, there weren’t really any other details shared about what the engine’s focus would be on. It’s already clear that it aims to overhaul visuals, but that shouldn’t be the only goal.
Developers using Unreal Engine 5 has become a standard in the industry now. However, that rollout was fairly slow, and it only recently became widespread. Epic Games’ current version of the engine launched out of early access in 2022, so there may be a few more years before the next gen’s official release date is announced. Even though there will probably be a long wait ahead, the Unreal Engine 6 announcement is still intriguing. The engine could lean even harder into photorealism, but I really hope it doesn’t.
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Unreal Engine 5 Has Already Proved That Photorealism is Possible
Yes, Unreal Engine 5’s graphics can be really impressive, but it has also painted many games in the industry with a little bit of sameness. There are a few things that gamers have grown to expect when it comes to games that use Unreal Engine 5, with one of those being performance issues. Granted, there have been a lot of developers that have used Unreal Engine 5 well. Games like The Finals and Split Fiction are a few that first come to mind. It can be a fantastic tool when developers don’t rely too heavily on the engine’s presets. The Nanite geometry and Lumen lighting can really bog down a game, though, and it often serves as a reminder that realistic-looking worlds might be less important than in-game worlds that feel real.
Put the consoles in the correct order.
Put the consoles in the correct order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
These concepts sound like the same things, but they really aren’t. A game can look visually beautiful and incredibly realistic but be stuck in a static state. On the flip side, a low-poly game can have minimal graphics but a world that is brimming with life and personality because of how reactive it is. This is hopefully the route that Epic Games chooses to go with its planned engine upgrade. The Unreal Engine 5 pros and cons have become clear after its handful of years in the spotlight, and the developers working on the project have enough community feedback to really right some of its wrongs.
Building Worlds Gamers Can Get Lost In
Instead of trying to make everything look lifelike, everything should feel lifelike. Pivoting away from photorealism and diving deeper into simulation density is the key to making this happen. Some of the most realistic games of the past few years have felt that way because of their dynamic worlds. It isn’t always because they look realistic.
Focusing on features like dense traffic, NPC crowds, and just how a game’s world flows and comes together in a more natural way are what could really make Unreal Engine 6 a game-changer. Going harder on photorealism isn’t really doing anything that new. The engine has already proven it can do that over and over again. It doesn’t need to double down on something that so many gamers have already been impressed by. Regardless of how one feels about the Unreal Engine 5 criticism, I and many others would like to see something really awe-inspiring when it comes to a next-gen engine.
Rocket League doesn’t necessarily gain anything from big visual upgrades, either. It still looks quite good running on Unreal Engine 3. What matters the most in that game is the gameplay and the environments. Epic Games’ reveal seemed to really put a focus on how shiny and new the graphics look, and that’s troubling. The different versions of Unreal Engine have continued to evolve the industry, and I’m crossing my fingers that the sixth generation has its sights set on the future instead of just polishing and refining what already works.
The Next Unreal Engine Sneak Peek Needs to Bring More to the Table
I will admit that it’s really hard to get a solid grasp on what Unreal Engine 6 is all about when all there is to work with is a short Rocket League teaser. But with realistic driving games like Forza Horizon 6 out there, Rocket League seems like one of the last possible games that would benefit from a visual upgrade. Rocket League‘s soccer/driving hybrid gameplay is a cartoonish concept, and the current state of the graphics reflects that and fits the vibe quite well.
Fans Interested in Deeper Unreal Engine 6 Details Might Have to Play the Waiting Game
Realistically, the Unreal Engine 6 version of Rocket League probably won’t arrive for a while. Unreal Engine 6 has been teased in the past, but that doesn’t mean it’s close to being ready for a full-blown debut. This new Rocket League trailer was short for a reason. It’s simply a taste of what’s to come, and it’s very possible that it doesn’t arrive until 2027 or even later. If that’s the case, it will be a major moment for the industry next year. Unreal Engine 5 has just now started to hit its stride. Even The Witcher 4 uses Unreal Engine 5, and developer CD Projekt Red hasn’t offered any insight into when the game could be ready for launch. It’s very possible that by the time The Witcher 4 releases, Unreal Engine 6 could be making its debut.
Either way, it’s going to be interesting to see what Unreal Engine 6’s next teaser entails. Some of the most beautiful games of the past decade have leaned into photorealism, but there are just as many that put authentic-feeling worlds first in order to create that lifelike energy. Both have their benefits, but there has definitely been an emphasis on photorealism when it comes to a lot of Unreal Engine 5 games. That isn’t a bad thing, but this is also a really great opportunity to showcase something new.
