With the Unreal Engine 5.1, Fortnite has become one of the most beautiful in the world


Fortnite has upgraded to the latest version of Unreal Engine 5. On the most powerful platforms, Epic Games’ battle royale looks stunningly beautiful.

I am not one of the fervent admirers of Fortnite, and more generally of the battle boyale genre. My rare incursions have always produced the same experience, with this feeling of running solo, in search of my next. I therefore did not expect to write one day that Fortnite has become one of the most beautiful games in the world, since its passage to the Unreal Engine 5.1 – acted on December 4 on the most powerful platforms (I launched a game, to seeon PS5).

Early December, Fortnite received yet another major update, after a break of a few hours creating the event. This chapter, the fourth, includes a lot of new features: a redesigned map, new ways to move and fight or even additional outfits for your character. The migration to Unreal Engine 5.1 is the ultimate evolution of this new beginning, a kind of icing on the cake, knowing that Fortnite is the first to benefit from it (logical, the graphics engine is developed by… Epic Games).

You can’t imagine how much Fortnite has become beautiful

Exit 120 fps mode

Please note, to benefit from the benefits of the Unreal Engine 5.1 on PS5 and Xbox Series X, you must deactivate the 120 fps mode.

When we throw Fortnite on a PS5, an Xbox Series X or a PC, we do not believe his eyes. From the first seconds on board the flying bus, we can see how beautiful the game is, with a depth of field to fall backwards. Everything is so clear and detailed that you can already appreciate the landscapes of the map from the sky. It’s prodigious and, very quickly, you want to see them closer. This visual fidelity is due to technology dubbed Nanite, which allows developers to increase the number of polygons to create each element. The more polygons, the better. For example, the trees climb to 300,000 polygons, hence these generous textures, among other bushy and well-cut leaves. As shown by our two captures below.

  • A well detailed tree :
The rendering of the bark is very detailed. // Source: Screenshot PS5
  • Bushy, very bushy vegetation:
Fortnite under Unreal Engine 5.1 // Source: Capture PS5
Flowers and vegetation: everything is cut with surgical precision. // Source: Screenshot PS5

In addition to the much improved graphic rendering, the Unreal Engine 5.1 makes it possible to obtain more realistic lighting (thanks to ray tracing) – a point which contrasts with the artistic touch which is still very cartoony. Here, we are talking about striking reflections, credible projected shadows or even lights that stand out better. The result is ambient games offering many nuances to the visual part. Within the same scene, it’s a real explosion of colors and contrasts.

  • Here, you have to look at the way the headlights of the van illuminate the ground with accuracy :
Fortnite under Unreal Engine 5.1 // Source: Capture PS5
Enlighten me // Source: Capture PS5
  • Pay attention to the shadows on the building (no aliasing), and how the surface of the walls reacts to light:
Fortnite under Unreal Engine 5.1 // Source: Capture PS5
On one side, the shadow. On the other, the light. // Source: Screenshot PS5
  • Even on complex surfaces like water, ice or sand, the reverberation is unheard of (on water, it’s almost blinding). On the way, observe the level of detail on the beach, between the shine of the sand, the small pebbles and the traces of snow :
Fortnite under Unreal Engine 5.1 // Source: Capture PS5
This capture is to die for. // Source: Screenshot PS5
Fortnite under Unreal Engine 5.1 // Source: Capture PS5
We are almost cold looking at this image. // Source: Screenshot PS5
  • Finally, a last capture that should convince you, as it speaks for itself:
Fortnite under Unreal Engine 5.1 // Source: Capture PS5
Just: Wow. // Source: Screenshot PS5

The worst ? Not only Fortnite looks great, but as a bonus, it’s still very fluid — a prerequisite for an online game that places such emphasis on competition.

Fortnite is a showcase for the Unreal Engine 5

Fortnite is now one of the most beautiful games available on the most recent consoles, rising to the level of the behemoths, in a register of its own (God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Demons Souls, Rachet & Clank: Rift Apart, Forza Horizon 5 or Microsoft Flight Simulator). In addition to the increased visual pleasure that results, this graphic progression above all allows Epic Games to obtain a magnificent showcase for the Unreal Engine 5.1. It is a perfect standard bearer to highlight all the tools available to studios to create games that are both attractive and efficient. We will also recall that the next tomb Raider and future in-universe adaptations The Witcher will run under the Unreal Engine 5. In view of what Fortnite is able to accomplish, we can’t wait to see the result with other artistic directions.



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