Earlier this month, Epic Games beat Sony to the punch and livestreamed the first look at PlayStation 5 gameplay by debuting the first tech demo of Unreal Engine 5. Since the original Unreal Engine debuted in 1998 with the release of the FPS Unreal, the game engine has rapidly grown in popularity across a variety of AAA and indie developers, often serving as the graphical and technological standard for video games independent of genre or platform. With a fifth iteration set for launch in late 2021 with full support of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, Epic has continued to provide some of the best looks at the present and future of presentation in video games through their memorable tech demos. While these tech demos often represent more of a future to aim towards as the implementation of actual game mechanics creates some necessary compromises, the four videos below still provide an enticing trip through the history of gaming as seen through the evolution of the Unreal Engine.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/3607085/type/dlg/sid/UUhgUeUpU15734/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rylDZbuZCo

2000: Unreal Engine and Unreal Engine 2

Originally debuted to the public nearly two decades ago in September of 2000, this first tech demo serves as both a peek at the evolution of the original Unreal Engine two years into its life and one of the first glimpses at the upcoming Unreal Engine 2. Featuring more advanced motion capture implementation and large-scale environments, the more traditional tech demo above shows off Epic in their earliest days of both game design and engine development.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/3607085/type/dlg/sid/UUhgUeUpU15734/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgS67BwPfFY

2011: Unreal Engine 3 Samaritan Demo

Over a decade later, the next prominent display of the power of the Unreal Engine was shown off at the 2011 GDC, as the third Unreal Engine had been utilized across PS3 and Xbox 360 games for nearly five years. One of the first instances of Epic creating an entirely unique in-game world primarily to show off the power of their tools, the Samaritan demo took viewers to a bleak future with flashing neon signs and slow-motion blood splatter to spotlight the realistic lighting and impressive detail that Unreal Engine 3 has to offer.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/3607085/type/dlg/sid/UUhgUeUpU15734/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO2rM-l-vdQ

2013: Unreal Engine 4 Infiltrator Demo

Although the Elemental tech demo released earlier in the same year provided the first glimpse at Unreal Engine 4, the Infiltrator video garnered far more attention for demonstrating the capabilities of the current-gen engine one year before it became publicly available. For this exhibition, Epic once again utilized sci-fi themes as a stealth mission into a secret base goes loud and leads to some massive explosions and impressive vistas that once again pushed the boundaries for the scope of video game presentations.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/3607085/type/dlg/sid/UUhgUeUpU15734/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC5KtatMcUw&t=1s

2020: Unreal Engine 5 Lumen in the Land of Nanite Demo

Unlike the futuristic action of their previous demos, the first look at Unreal Engine V largely focuses on the quiet exploration of an ancient temple to highlight their new geometric detailing and global illumination systems. Featuring a truly mesmerizing final sequence, Lumen in the Land of Nanite serves as our best look yet at the possibilities of next-gen platforms, as Epic once again establishes the new goal for presentation in video games for developers to aspire to when using Unreal Engine 5.