Which engine does Manor Lords use – Unity or Unreal Engine 5?

Which engine does Manor Lords use – Unity or Unreal Engine 5?
Antony Terence Updated on by

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Manor Lords’ mix of tactical warfare and expert city-building is set to launch later this April. Read on to learn about the game engine that powers its stellar visuals while keeping things chugging along smoothly.

Manor Lords engine: Wheat fields next to a settlement in the game. Image via Slavic Magic.
Wheat fields are essential to sustain settlements. Image via Slavic Magic.
✓ Quick Answer

Manor Lords uses this engine

Manor Lords takes advantage of Unreal Engine 4 for its gorgeous visuals.

Which engine does Manor Lords use?

Developer Greg Styczeń (Slavic Magic) confirmed that Manor Lords is built on Unreal Engine 4. He noted that tinkering with Unreal Engine in his earlier work helped him make this decision. The Epic Store post also notes that this allowed him to take advantage of photogrammetry, motion capture, and pre-calculated destruction simulations. While other engines can utilize these options too, the developer’s familiarity with Unreal Engine made it a tantalizing option.

Why is Manor Lords not using Unreal Engine 5?

Considering that Manor Lords has been in development for years, it makes sense that Slavic Magic started off with Unreal Engine 4. While it might sound good on paper, switching between engine versions is no simple task. And with a solo developer behind most of Manor Lords, porting it to Unreal Engine 5 would be a challenging task. Sure, it offers the Lumen dynamic lighting system, upgrades to volumetric rendering, and other simulation enhancements. But Manor Lords looks great already and the effort poured into hopping engine versions could be put to better use. Multiplayer support for Manor Lords, for instance, would make a significant impact on the player experience.

Manor Lords also has rather merciful system requirements, something that might not have been the case if Slavic Magic chose to adopt some of Unreal Engine 5’s more demanding upgrades. The game runs well on most systems and we didn’t spot any major performance issues during our time with the game during Steam’s Next Fest event. The launch version will be even more polished, meaning that fans can expect a solid experience even if they don’t have the latest and greatest gaming PCs. 

Manor Lords engine FAQs

Is Unreal Engine better for Manor Lords over Unity?

Each engine has its strengths. But large-scale projects tend to prefer Unreal Engine.

Will Manor Lords switch to Unreal Engine 5?

No, we think that is highly unlikely.