Install Unreal Engine 5 and Open It for the First Time

What you're about to do

Unreal Engine 5 is the same engine that ships games like Fortnite and dozens of AAA titles — and it is completely free to download and learn. The only slightly fiddly part is the install, because Unreal doesn't come as a single 'setup.exe'. Instead you install a small app called the Epic Games Launcher, and the launcher downloads and manages the engine for you.

That's actually good news: the launcher keeps your engine versions tidy, lets you install more than one side by side, and is where you'll grab free sample projects and marketplace content later. This lesson walks you through the whole thing once, slowly. Tick off each step as you go and you'll have the editor open in about fifteen minutes.

Install Unreal Engine 5, step by step

Work top to bottom. Each row stays ticked even if you close the page and come back.

1. ✓
   1Create a free Epic Games account

   Go to unrealengine.com and choose to sign up (or sign in if you already have an Epic / Fortnite account — it's the same login). Accounts are free and there's no payment step to use the engine.

   Verify your email if prompted. You'll use this same account to download free content later.

   TipIf you already play Fortnite or own anything on the Epic Games Store, you already have an account — just reuse it.

2. ✓
   2Download the Epic Games Launcher

   From unrealengine.com, click 'Download' and you'll be given the Epic Games Launcher installer for your operating system. This launcher is the app that installs and updates the engine.

   Run the downloaded installer and follow the prompts. It's a small, quick install — the big download (the engine) comes later.

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   3Sign in and open the Unreal Engine tab

   Open the Epic Games Launcher and sign in with your Epic account.

   Down the left-hand side you'll see tabs. Click 'Unreal Engine'. This is your home for everything engine-related — versions, samples, and the Fab marketplace.

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   4Go to the Library and add an engine version

   Inside the Unreal Engine tab, click 'Library' along the top.

   Find the 'Engine Versions' row and click the yellow '+' button. A version slot appears with a dropdown — pick the latest 5.x release (for example 5.4 or newer). Then click 'Install'.

   TipAs a beginner, always take the newest stable 5.x version unless a specific tutorial tells you otherwise.

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   5Choose your install location and options

   A dialog asks where to install and which optional components to include. The defaults are fine for now — you can leave 'Starter Content' and the engine's core selected and untick things like 'Editor symbols for debugging' to save space.

   Confirm and the download begins. This is the multi-gigabyte part, so grab a drink — it can take a while on a slower connection.

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   6Launch the engine

   When the install finishes, the '+' slot turns into a 'Launch' button. Click it.

   The first launch shows a window called the Unreal Project Browser. That's not a bug or an empty editor — it's Unreal asking which project you want to open or create. We'll create one in the next lesson.

   TipThe very first launch (and the first time you open any project) compiles shaders in the background — the editor may feel sluggish for a few minutes. That's normal and only happens once.