Unreal Engine Changelogs

Unreal Engine 5.7

November 12, 2025

World Building & Content Generation

Procedural Content Generation (PCG) framework now production-ready

With PCG, you can quickly and efficiently fill large environments with variation and detail. The new PCG Editor Mode provides tools to draw splines, paint points, or create volumes, linked to PCG Graphs with real-time parameter control. GPU optimizations and new data types like Polygon2D make GPU-driven content generation more powerful and flexible.

New Procedural Vegetation Editor (PVE) (experimental)

Create and edit vegetation assets directly in Unreal based on PCG, including export to Nanite skeletal assemblies. This first version ships with the new Quixel Megaplants collection.

Nanite Foliage

For the first time, Nanite is suitable for dense vegetation: millions of small elements (leaves, needles, ground plants, etc.) are efficiently rendered as a massive surface structure, without pops or LOD switches. Nanite Assemblies and Skinning help optimize memory and performance, and even support dynamic properties such as wind response.

Substrate as the standard material framework

Substrate replaces the old fixed shading models with a modular, physically accurate system for layered and blended materials. Create realistic materials such as metal with clear coat, skin, cloth, or multi-layer surfaces with consistent quality. Substrate is also integrated into the lighting pipeline and optimized for performance, even on mobile platforms.

Rendering & Lighting

MegaLights (now in Beta)

You can now use a multitude of dynamic shadow-casting lights, including area lights. Result: realistic shadows, better illumination of hair, translucent materials, and particle effects. Light optimization and noise reduction ensure a balance between performance and visuals.

Improved light and shadow support

For directional lights, translucency, Niagara particle lights, and strand-based hair/shadows.

Characters, Animation & MetaHuman

Deeper and more flexible MetaHuman integration

The MetaHuman plugin is now available on Linux and macOS, with support for batch processing via Python or Blueprints, mesh-conform workflows, and real-time facial capture via mobile devices (e.g., iPhone or Android). Ideal for rapid character sets and animation.

Enhanced animation, rigging, and workflows

The revamped Animation Mode, new Selection Sets, improved IK Retargeter, and updated Skeletal Editor make character workflows smoother and more powerful. Sculpting, blend shapes, and physics-driven animation (e.g., ragdolls) are faster than ever.

Virtual Production & Tools

Expanded Virtual Production capabilities

New Dynamic Constraint Component for props (hand-object interactions), improved Live Link Broadcast Component (stream animations/cameras over the network), and a polished version of the built-in compositor Composure for live video + CG combination. Perfect for LED walls, Motion Capture, and real-time setups.

New in-editor AI Assistant & Home Panel

Access help, documentation, tutorials, and community resources directly from the Unreal Editor. Ask for assistance, generate code, or get guidance without leaving the Editor. Ideal for quick help and efficient learning.

Other improvements & optimization

• Various community contributions: bug fixes, optimizations, and feature upgrades integrated worldwide.
• Improved workflows for high-fidelity content, production materials, and world building: material, lighting, and performance optimizations combined with new content generation tools make 5.7 one of the most powerful releases to date.