Epic Games’ recent launch of Unreal Engine 5.7 has stirred excitement in the gaming community with its promising advancements. Featuring the experimental Nanite foliage and the MegaLights system, this update aims to enhance dynamic shadow-casting capabilities without compromising frame rates. Such improvements set high expectations for their application in actual games.
Testing Performance Gains in a Real-World Scenario
Last week, YouTuber MxBenchmarkPC conducted a test, comparing UE 5.7 to UE 5.4 using a Venice-set tech demo, showcasing notable performance gains. However, the true question remains whether these enhancements will be reflected in real game environments. Jeremy Stieglitz, Studio Wildcard’s Co-Founder and Development Director, weighed in on this during an interview focusing on ARK: Survival Ascended and its narrative-driven Lost Colony DLC.
According to Stieglitz, the reception of ARK: Survival Ascended has improved since its early access debut, largely due to significant performance enhancements. He revealed that UE 5.7 is already undergoing internal testing, with its official release anticipated in March 2026. This update is described as being ‘as close to a magic bullet’ for performance improvements, particularly through the Nanite foliage.
Expected Enhancements and Challenges
Stieglitz noted the game has seen a 50% performance uptick on the same hardware since its launch but acknowledged that further improvements are necessary. UE 5.7, alongside 5.6, introduces substantial performance-oriented improvements, with 5.6 focusing on optimizing parallel processes between the render thread and various components. UE 5.7 further enhances this with new systems for drawing large foliage, as seen in The Witcher IV demo.
The studio is actively working on integrating these updates to achieve a 30 to 40% performance gain on both GPU and CPU. This progress is particularly due to the new Nanite tessellation and culling system for foliage, which promises substantial performance gains on existing maps without compromising quality.
Addressing Ongoing Stuttering Issues
Despite these advancements, challenges remain, particularly with stuttering issues endemic to ARK and Unreal Engine games. Stieglitz explained that although UE 5.7 should mitigate some stuttering, complete elimination isn’t expected due to factors like the non-threaded initiation of actors and real-time shader compilation. He highlighted that some stuttering is tied to shader caching and the dynamic nature of online gameplay, where vast amounts of data must be processed instantaneously.
While improvements have been made, the inherent unpredictability of modding and the complexity of pre-caching shaders for vast content contribute to the ongoing performance challenges. Nonetheless, the studio is committed to annual engine upgrades, drawing from successful past experiences with Unreal Engine updates.
In conclusion, while UE 5.7 presents a significant step forward, the path to optimal performance remains ongoing. The gaming community eagerly anticipates further enhancements as Epic Games continues to refine its engine.
The complete interview with Stieglitz will delve deeper into ARK: Survival Ascended and its future, with insights leading up to ARK 2, projected for a 2028 release. Stay tuned for its release soon.
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