How to Download and Install Unreal Engine 4

November 27, 2021

This page describes how to download and install Unreal Engine.

The instructions below are for Windows and macOS. We currently don't provide a binary installer of Unreal Engine for Linux.

To use Unreal Engine on Linux, you can compile it from source. For more information, see theLinux Quick Start Guide documentation.

To download and install Unreal Engine, you need to:

Download and install the Epic Games Launcher.
Sign up for an Epic Games account, if you don't have one.
Sign in to the Epic Games Launcher.
Install Unreal Engine.

Download and Install the Epic Games Launcher

The Unreal Engine tab in the Epic Games Launcher is where you manage all of your Unreal Engine (UE) installations. You can have multiple versions of UE installed on the same computer.

To download and install the Launcher, follow these steps:

Access the Download Unreal Engine page.
Select the license type that best matches how you intend to use UE.

There are two types of licenses available:
- Publishing, if you plan to make games.
- Creators, if you plan to make other types of content.
You can learn more about the different kinds of licensing available from the Unreal Engine FAQ.
Click the DOWNLOAD NOW button that corresponds to the license type you selected. This will download the Launcher installer to your computer. Depending on your operating system settings, you might be asked to select a save location, or have to approve a security prompt before the download can start.
After the download finishes, run the installer and wait for it to complete.

In addition to the Launcher, this may also install other programs you require to run Unreal Engine, such as DirectX.

Create an Epic Games Account

After the setup program installs the Epic Games Launcher on your machine, you will be prompted to sign in with your Epic Games account.

If you have an account, sign in to the Launcher and continue to the next section.

If you don't have an account, click Sign Up to create one. You can sign up for an Epic Games account with your email, or with a supported social media or gaming platform account.

You can also proceed without creating an account by clicking Sign In Later. However, you will not be able to download or use Unreal Engine without an account.

After you've created your account, Sign In to the Launcher.

Install Unreal Engine

Now that you've signed in to the Epic Games Launcher, you're ready to install Unreal Engine.

Click the Unreal Engine tab inside the Epic Games Launcher, then click the Install Engine button.
(Optional) Click the Browse button to change the install path.
Click the Options button to select which Engine components you want to install. This is where you select components such as:
- platform support
- starter content
- debug symbols
- engine source code
You can add or remove components from an installed version of Unreal Engine at any time, by clicking the drop-down arrow next to the Launch button for that version, then selecting Options.

Before you install Unreal Engine, make sure you have enough disk space. Requirements vary depending on the engine components you select. The Options screen will show you how much space you need for the installer download, as well as the engine itself.

After you finish selecting the engine components you need, click the Apply button.
Click the Install button and wait for the installation to complete. Depending on your system specifications and Internet connection speed, downloading and installing Unreal Engine can take between 10 to 40 minutes, sometimes longer.

You can have multiple versions of Unreal Engine installed. To add more versions, in the Library tab, click the Add (+) button next to ENGINE VERSIONS, then select the Engine version you want to install from the drop-down and click Install.