despite being demonstrated on PlayStation 5 specifically, Unreal Engine 5 is a cross-platform endeavour, just like its predecessors.
UE5 gets its first public release early in 2021 with franchise juggernaut Fortnite transitioning across from UE4 later on in the same year. Unlike UE4, however, the new iteration of the engine isn't a clean break from the past. It has the same system targets as UE4, meaning it'll run on anything from the most high-end PCs to old Android and iOS devices, encompassing current-gen consoles too - including Switch. Obviously though, you can't expect the same level of fidelity as the fully-fledged next-gen experience revealed today.
Today's announcements go beyond Unreal Engine 5. Epic is opening up the online infrastructure that powers Fortnite to any developer who wants it, even if the game itself doesn't run on Unreal Engine and even if it's Steam-only. This includes access to Epic's server infrastructure and cross-play functionality that's officially sanctioned by all console platform holders.
The Unreal Engine 5 tech demo gives us an emphatic answer - a new level of detail and fidelity we've never seen before - and apparently, there's much more to come. Hardware accelerated ray tracing will be supported in Unreal Engine 5, for example, but it's not a part of the PS5 tech demo revealed today. We'll have more soon on this remarkable piece of technology, but in the meantime, enjoy this first taste of what the next generation can really deliver.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digi ... ystation-5