Unreal Engine 4 Now Free to Use

If you want to create a game using the Unreal Engine, then good news - you can do it for free! Paying royalties to Epic Games if you ship commercially, of course, but only after you earn a certain amount.

This means that if you want to release a free application or game, that is one that doesn't have microtransactions, you are free to do so - completely.

With the Unreal Engine 4, you will be getting absolutely everything that Epic uses to create their games. All of the source code, tutorials, documentation, game templates... everything you might need for your game to work on all major platforms! If you want to make a game that isn't in Unity, you should go ahead and grab it.

Almost exactly a year ago, Epic made the Unreal Engine available on a subscription basis. The reason they are now giving it all away, is because that was so successful and they want more people to have access to these tools. But if you've been paying the subscription and feel cheated?

In going free, we’ll be issuing a pro-rated refund to current subscribers for their most recent month’s payment. And, everyone who has ever paid for a UE4 subscription will receive a $30 credit that can be spent in the Unreal Engine Marketplace.

Now, the issue of royalties, as mentioned at the start. You pay a 5% royalty on gross revenue after the first $3,000 per product, per quarter. Don't make $3k? Don't pay a penny. And if you make more - surely you think Epic deserves a little something?