🗺️ UE5 Heightmap Size Guide

Quick reference for landscape sizes, resolutions, and world scale configurations

Understanding UE5 Landscape Sizes

Unreal Engine 5 landscapes require specific resolutions following the formula (2^n + 1), where n is between 5 and 12. This ensures proper component division and LOD behavior.

The total landscape resolution determines both the detail level and the physical size of your world.

📐 Essential Formulas

Valid Heightmap Resolution:

Resolution = (2^n + 1) where n = 5-12

World Size in Meters:

Size = (Resolution - 1) × Scale

World Size in Kilometers:

Size_km = ((Resolution - 1) × Scale) / 100,000

Example: 4033 resolution × 100 scale = 403,200 cm = 4.03 km²

📊 Common Landscape Sizes

Resolution n Value World Size (100 scale) Approx. Area Best For
253 × 253 7 2.52 km ~6 km² Small arenas, test levels
505 × 505 8 5.04 km ~25 km² Medium environments, demos
1009 × 1009 9 10.08 km ~100 km² ⭐ Small open worlds, game jams
2017 × 2017 10 20.16 km ~400 km² ⭐ Standard open world size
4033 × 4033 11 40.32 km ~1,625 km² ⭐ Large open worlds (most popular)
8129 × 8129 12 81.28 km ~6,606 km² Massive AAA open worlds
💡 Pro Tip: Most indie open world games use 2017×2017 or 4033×4033. These sizes offer the best balance between detail, performance, and scope. Going larger than 4033 significantly increases memory usage and build times.

🎯 Scale Factor Impact

The scale factor multiplies the physical size of your landscape. Common scales:

Scale 2017 Resolution 4033 Resolution Use Case
50 10 km (~100 km²) 20 km (~400 km²) Tight, detailed worlds
100 20 km (~400 km²) 40 km (~1,600 km²) ⭐ Standard (most common)
200 40 km (~1,600 km²) 80 km (~6,400 km²) Vast, sparse landscapes

⚙️ Component Configuration

Section Size

Components are divided into sections for LOD streaming. Common section sizes:

⚡ Performance Tip: More sections = better LOD streaming and culling. Fewer sections = fewer draw calls. For most projects, 63×63 is optimal.

💾 Heightmap File Sizes

Resolution 16-bit PNG 16-bit RAW In-Engine Size
1009 × 1009 ~2 MB ~2 MB ~4 MB
2017 × 2017 ~8 MB ~8 MB ~16 MB
4033 × 4033 ~32 MB ~32 MB ~64 MB
8129 × 8129 ~130 MB ~130 MB ~260 MB

🎯 Quick Decision Guide

Game Jam / Prototype

Resolution: 1009 × 1009

Scale: 100

Result: ~10 km, fast iteration

Standard Open World

Resolution: 4033 × 4033

Scale: 100

Result: ~40 km, great detail

AAA Large World

Resolution: 8129 × 8129

Scale: 100

Result: ~80 km, requires streaming

Learn More

Check out our related guides and tutorials

Landscape Workflow Checklist Heightmap Import Tutorial