🔺 My First Unreal Game · Series 6 · 9 Episodes · All Free
🔺 Beginner Friendly · UE5 · Blueprints & C++ · Ages 10+

My First
Unreal Game

Build 9 real Unreal Engine 5 games from scratch, starting with pure Blueprints and working up to C++ and multiplayer. Each workshop walks you through every node and event, step by step.

🧑 Ages 10+ ✓ Completely Free 🔺 Unreal Engine 5 👨‍👧 Parent & Child ✓ Blueprints First, C++ Later
📘 Start with Episode 1 →
9
Episodes
180+
Steps
10+
Age
Free
Always
The Full Series

9 Games to Build Step by Step

Start at Episode 1 to learn the Unreal Editor and Blueprints from scratch. Each episode builds on the last upgrade your skills one node at a time, right through to C++ and multiplayer.

Ep 1
📘
⭐ Start Here · Editor · Blueprints Basics
Blueprint Basics The Unreal Editor
Install Unreal Engine 5, tour the editor, and wire your first Blueprint nodes, events and Actors into a playable interactive level. The gentlest entry point to UE5 perfect for beginners.
Ages 10+ 6 Steps · ~1 hr Start Building →
Ep 2
🔫
Top-Down · Movement · Shooting · AI · HUD
Blueprint Shooter Top-Down Action
Wire Blueprint nodes to build a top-down shooter. Learn input events, variables, collision, basic AI and a heads-up display. No C++ needed 100% Blueprints, 30 steps, fully interactive guide.
Ages 10+ 30 Steps · ~3 hrs Start Building →
Ep 3
🖱️
Idle Income · Upgrades · Unlocks
Blueprint Clicker Idle Income Game
Connect Blueprint nodes to build a clicker game coins, upgrades, idle income and unlockable content. A relaxed, low-pressure project to practise wiring variables and events.
Ages 10+ 25 Steps · ~2 hrs Start Building →
Ep 4
🎮
Movement · Jump · Coyote Time · Camera
2D Platformer Jump, Run, Collect
Build a side-scrolling platformer character with movement, double jump, coyote time, a smooth-following camera and collectible coins all in Unreal Engine 5's Blueprints.
Ages 10+ 20 Steps · ~2 hrs Start Building →
Ep 5
🥋
2-Player · Combos · Blocking · AI
Arena Fighter 2-Player Fighting Game
Build a 2-player arena fighter light and heavy attacks, blocking, a combo counter, a special move, an AI opponent and a best-of-3 round system with health bars.
Ages 10+ 14 Steps · ~2 hrs Start Building →
Ep 6
🧟
Wave Survival · Spawning · Score · Polish
Zombie Survivor Wave After Wave
Put everything together and build a zombie wave survival game. Spawn enemies in waves, track a score, add a health system and polish with sound and particle effects. A complete Blueprint project!
Ages 11+ 30 Steps · ~3 hrs Start Building →
Ep 7
💻
First C++ · Enhanced Input · AI · HUD
Top-Down Shooter Your First C++ Game
Time to leave Blueprints and write real C++. Build a Nuclear Throne-style top-down shooter with Actors, the Enhanced Input system, collision, AI and a HUD. Split into two halves so you can stop at the checkpoint.
Ages 12+ 25 Steps · ~4 hrs Start Building →
Ep 8
⚡
Interfaces · Dispatchers · Save Games
Advanced Systems Beyond the Demo
The systems that separate demos from games: clean Blueprint communication with interfaces and event dispatchers, a component-based health system, save games, level streaming and performance profiling.
Ages 12+ 6 Steps · ~1 hr Start Building →
Ep 9
🌐
Replication · RepNotify · RPCs · Finale
Multiplayer Basics The Finale
The Unreal finale: the engine that runs Fortnite does networking natively. Listen servers, replication, RepNotify, server RPCs with validation, and a two-player coin arena you can actually play.
Ages 12+ 6 Steps · ~1 hr Start Building →
Before You Start

What You Need to Install

Unreal Engine 5 is completely free. You'll need a powerful-enough computer and the Epic Games Launcher we walk you through setup in Episode 1. Episodes 1-6 use Blueprints only; Episode 7 introduces C++.

🔺
Epic Games Launcher
Download the free launcher, sign in with a free Epic account and install Unreal Engine 5. The engine itself is free to use.
✓ Free · epicgames.com
💻
A Decent PC
UE5 is demanding. You'll want at least 16 GB RAM, a decent GPU and an SSD. It doesn't run well on old or low-spec machines.
Windows 10/11 recommended
📐
Blueprints First
Episodes 1-6 use Blueprints UE5's visual scripting system. You connect nodes instead of typing code. Episode 7 onward introduces real C++ once you're ready.
✓ Visual Scripting
⏱️
Patience at First
UE5 takes a while to install and compile shaders on first launch. Set aside extra time on Day 1 it's worth it once it's running!
✓ Worth the Wait
🛠️ Free Browser Tools

Design Your Game Assets

Use these free browser tools to plan levels, design characters and create concept art all before you even open Unreal Engine.

🗺️
Level Designer
Sketch top-down layouts for your levels. Plan enemy positions, cover spots and the flow of your shooter maps.
Open Tool →
🧑‍🎨
Character Designer
Design your player and enemy characters before bringing them to life in Unreal. Plan colours, shapes and style.
Open Tool →
🔊
SFX Generator
Generate retro sound effects for your game shooting, explosions, pickups. Export as WAV files ready for Unreal.
Open Tool →
📋
Game Planner
Plan your full game mechanics, enemies, HUD, win conditions. Export your design document as a PDF.
Open Tool →
See all free dev tools →

Ready to build your first Unreal game?

Download the Epic Games Launcher, install Unreal Engine 5 for free, then start Episode 1. You'll wire your first Blueprint nodes in under an hour.

📘 Start Episode 1 → Get UE5 (Free) ↗

Questions & Answers

Do I need to know how to code?
Not to start. Episodes 1-6 use Blueprints Unreal's visual scripting system where you drag and connect nodes instead of writing code. Episode 7 introduces real C++ once you're comfortable with the engine.
Is Unreal Engine really free?
Yes. Unreal Engine 5 is completely free to download and use. Epic only takes a small royalty if your game earns over $1 million in revenue something you won't need to worry about while learning!
My computer is slow will it run Unreal Engine?
UE5 is demanding. You'll need at least 16 GB of RAM and a dedicated graphics card. If your machine struggles, consider trying Godot or GameMaker which run on much lower-spec computers.
What age is it suitable for?
Episodes 1-4 work from age 10 with adult support during setup. Episodes 5-6 involve more Blueprint complexity and suit ages 10-11+. Episodes 7-9 introduce C++ and multiplayer and suit ages 12+ who are comfortable following longer instructions.
Can I publish my Unreal game?
Yes! Unreal can export to Windows, Mac, consoles and mobile. You can also package your game as an executable to share with friends.
Is it really free?
All 9 episodes, forever. No ads, no paywall, no sign-up. Unreal Engine 5 itself is free to download and use for learning and hobby projects.
🚀 Keep Going

Where to next?

Finished here, or just curious? These series are a natural next step, same step-by-step format, bigger games.

🔷
My First Unity Game
2D & 3D games with C#.
Ages 10+ Start →
⚙️
My First C++ Game
Systems programming with SFML.
Ages 12+ Start →
🕹️
My First Godot Engine Game
2D games from scratch with GDScript.
Ages 10+ Start →
Browse all workshops →