Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Amazon GameLift VS Unreal Engine

Compare Amazon GameLift VS Unreal Engine and see what are their differences

Amazon GameLift logo Amazon GameLift

Amazon Gamelift is a dedicated server platform for online video gaming. Notable customers include High Horse Entertainment, Wargaming Mobile, Gearbox Software, Aon Interactive and Proletariat, Inc... read more.

Unreal Engine logo Unreal Engine

Unreal Engine 4 is a suite of integrated tools for game developers to design and build games, simulations, and visualizations.
  • Amazon GameLift Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-23
  • Unreal Engine Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-23

Amazon GameLift features and specs

  • Scalability
    Amazon GameLift offers robust scalability options, allowing developers to accommodate varying player loads efficiently without managing physical infrastructure.
  • Global Reach
    GameLift provides access to a global server network, enabling low-latency gaming experiences for players around the world.
  • Integration with AWS
    GameLift integrates seamlessly with other AWS services, offering extensive flexibility and power in building comprehensive gaming backends.
  • Cost Efficiency
    With its pay-as-you-go model, GameLift can be more cost-effective compared to maintaining private servers, especially for startups and smaller gaming companies.
  • DDoS Protection
    GameLift includes built-in DDoS protection features to help safeguard games from malicious network attacks, ensuring smoother player experiences.

Possible disadvantages of Amazon GameLift

  • Complexity
    Setting up and effectively using GameLift can be complex, requiring a solid understanding of AWS infrastructure and gaming server management.
  • Cost Variability
    While GameLift can be cost-effective, unexpected spikes in user activity or inefficient resource allocation can lead to significant increases in cost.
  • Learning Curve
    Developers new to AWS or GameLift might face a steep learning curve, potentially increasing development time and requiring additional training.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Using GameLift heavily ties your backend to AWS services, which could pose challenges if migrating to another platform in the future.
  • Limited Customization
    While GameLift offers flexible features, it might not cater to every specific need of a game, limiting customization options in certain aspects.

Unreal Engine features and specs

  • High-Quality Graphics
    Unreal Engine is known for its ability to produce stunning, high-quality graphics and realistic environments, making it a preferred choice for AAA game development and high-fidelity visual projects.
  • Blueprint Visual Scripting
    Unreal Engine offers a visual scripting system called Blueprints, which allows designers to create complex game logic without any programming knowledge, streamlining the development process.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Unreal Engine provides robust support for multiple platforms, including PC, consoles, mobile devices, and VR/AR headsets, enabling developers to reach a wider audience with minimal hassle.
  • Large and Active Community
    The Unreal Engine community is large and active, offering extensive resources, tutorials, and forums which can be invaluable for troubleshooting and learning new techniques.
  • Regular Updates
    Epic Games frequently updates Unreal Engine, adding new features, improvements, and optimizations to keep developers equipped with the latest technology advancements.
  • Marketplace
    The Unreal Engine Marketplace offers a vast array of assets, ranging from 3D models to plugins, which can significantly speed up the development process by providing ready-to-use resources.

Possible disadvantages of Unreal Engine

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive features and capabilities, Unreal Engine can be challenging for beginners to master, requiring a significant investment of time and effort to learn.
  • High System Requirements
    Developing with Unreal Engine often requires a powerful computer with strong hardware specifications, which can be a barrier for developers with limited resources.
  • Large File Sizes
    Unreal Engine projects can result in large file sizes, which can be cumbersome to manage, particularly in terms of storage and transfer bandwidth.
  • Complexity for Simple Projects
    For smaller or simpler projects, the capabilities of Unreal Engine might be overkill, and using it can unnecessarily complicate development when compared to lighter engines.
  • Royalty Fees
    Unreal Engine imposes a royalty fee of 5% on gross revenue after the first $1 million USD per product per year, which can impact the profitability of commercial projects.
  • Less C++ Flexibility
    While Unreal Engine supports C++, the engine imposes certain constraints and abstractions that can limit the flexibility developers might need for highly customized or optimized code.

Amazon GameLift videos

Amazon Gamelift: Amazon Gamelift Dedicated Game Server Hosting Made Easy

More videos:

  • Review - Creating realtime game servers in minutes with Amazon GameLift

Unreal Engine videos

Why I switched over to Unreal Engine 4 From Unity 5

More videos:

  • Review - Unity vs Unreal Engine | Graphics, Workflow, Price, Level Design and More! (2017-2018)
  • Review - Game Development | Intro to Unreal Engine 4 | No Prior Programming Knowledge

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Amazon GameLift and Unreal Engine)
Game Engine
8 8%
92% 92
Game Development
7 7%
93% 93
3D Game Engine
8 8%
92% 92
Photos & Graphics
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Amazon GameLift and Unreal Engine

Amazon GameLift Reviews

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Unreal Engine Reviews

Top 13 Picks for Maxon Cinema 4D Alternatives in 2024
Designed by Epic Games, Unreal Engine is a comprehensive 3D graphics engine initially developed for PC gaming. Since its inception in 1998, it supports a wide array of platforms, including mobile, console, and VR. It is known for its versatility and power in a broad spectrum of industries like film and television.
Source: aircada.com
Game Engines: A Comparative Analysis
Developed by Epic Games, Unreal Engine stands as a titan in the industry, renowned for its stunning graphics and realistic visual effects. It excels in AAA game development, with a powerful rendering engine and an intuitive visual scripting system called Blueprints. Unreal Engine’s prowess lies in its ability to deliver top-notch graphics and cinematic experiences.
Source: medium.com
Best Unity alternatives for game development
Unreal Engine has become one of the most popular engines to date; it's one of the top-of-the-line gaming engines that produces high graphical fidelity and realism for many games. In fact, many mobile games (Injustice 2, Life is Strange) that look incredible are likely using the Unreal Engine. It's a number one choice that often goes head-to-head with Unity due to its great...
Best Game Engines for 2023 – Which Should You Use?
However, many game developers do report that Unreal Engine is better suited for larger projects and projects you intend to work on as a team. Additionally, as the program is heavy on the graphics end, many people will find it requires a more powerful computer compared to other engines like Unity. Beyond this, it is also noteworthy that while Unreal Engine can create 2D games...
The Best Gaming Engines You Should Consider for 2023
2022 saw the official launch of Unreal Engine 5, and it’s already shaping up to be a game changer for game development. Most next-gen consoles, including PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are already using it, and its powerful tools such as Lumen and Nanite (an engine that imports high-detailed photographic source material – taking advantage of its past acquisition of Quixel)...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Amazon GameLift seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 14 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Amazon GameLift mentions (14)

  • Multiplayer in Unity with AWS (with downloadable Rock, Paper, Scissors game demo)
    Although not production-ready solution for multiplayer, it is a quick, easy and low-cost way to implement multiplayer functionality for prototyping purposes. For more long-term solutions, AWS does offer its own game server hosting service - AWS Gamelift. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Why does BHVR refuse to acknowledge this? I went out of my way to upgrade my internet since 2021 to have 35-45ms ping, but killers like this can VPN or play on dial-up and it goes in their favour? Why am I being punished for having good internet?
    You think Amazon servers aren't industry standard? https://aws.amazon.com/gamelift/. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Nexon's in-house notice spread in KR community
    There are a ton of technology solutions sold by other companies these days that - with the appropriate funding - can accelerate the timeline of damn near any project, multiplayer online games included. With a bit of expertise and a big enough credit limit, damn near anything's possible. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Looking for free advice
    Before you get too far into things, give the documentation on GameLift a read: https://aws.amazon.com/gamelift/ I’ve never used it myself but it’s an AWS service that handles a lot of the “this is annoying” of deploying game servers on the AWS cloud. It can be used as a complete solution or as modules, and some of those modules might ease your development time. Source: over 2 years ago
  • I'm monitoring network traffic of my Playstation and noticed increased numbers of p2p-hosted games instead of dedicated servers
    On PC, less than 5% of my matches are P2P connections. Google Cloud Game Servers can handle high amount of traffic; it is Google for God's sake! Google & Amazon host a lot of games. The only logical reason that would make the game switch to a player-hosted match should be because you & your opponent are closer to each other than the nearest server, but that's not always the case from the matches I see on PC. I am... Source: almost 3 years ago
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Unreal Engine mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Unreal Engine yet. Tracking of Unreal Engine recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Amazon GameLift and Unreal Engine, you can also consider the following products

BitBucket - Bitbucket is a free code hosting site for Mercurial and Git. Manage your development with a hosted wiki, issue tracker and source code.

Unity - The multiplatform game creation tools for everyone.

Cinemagraph Pro - Cinemagraph Pro makes creation super-easy and fast.

Godot Engine - Feature-packed 2D and 3D open source game engine.

XInput - XInput is an API that allows applications to receive input from the Xbox Controller for Windows.

Blender - Blender is the open source, cross platform suite of tools for 3D creation.