Fortnite creator Epic Games has released the latest version of its Unreal Engine, version 5.2, which now supports Apple silicon Macs natively.

Native support for Apple silicon has been added to the Unreal Editor. This brings a better user experience, improved performance, and greater stability. The Universal Binary of Unreal Engine that natively supports both Apple Silicon and Intel CPUs is now available to download from the Epic Games launcher.

UNREALENGINE.COM

Most know of Unreal Engine as a game engine, it is also used extensively in the visual effects industry as a tool for pre-visualising movie scenes and VFX shots. Unreal Engine is also used to create backgrounds and virtual sets on enormous video walls.

These can move images behind the actors using motion-controlled cameras and rendering the scenes onto the displays in real time. Unreal Engine and these displays were used throughout Star Wars: The Mandalorian production.

However, Apple and Epic Games have had a storied history, with the two companies meeting in court on multiple occasions over Apple’s App Store policies and commissions and Epic Games including their own external links within a Fortnite update which caused Apple to suspend its developer account and apps from the store.

This development means any game developer using Apple silicon Macs will get quicker, more efficient, native performance while working in the Unreal Engine studio without relying on Apple’s Rosetta 2 translation. This may become even more critical shortly as Unreal Engine can also be vital for building virtual reality environments and experiences. With Apple expected to unveil their mixed-reality headset at WWDC on June 5, the timing is unlikely to be coincidental.

Existing users can download Unreal Engine 5.2 from the Epic Games launcher today.