Since releasing Unreal Engine 4 to the community last month, we’ve been working with Sony and Microsoft on a process for opening the engine up to all subscribers seeking to build games for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This effort has now succeeded!

All Unreal Engine subscribers who are registered Xbox developers or registered PlayStation developers (including members of the ID@Xbox indie program) can receive access to UE4’s complete source code for their respective console platforms, at no extra cost.

For the past two years, some of the world’s leading console developers have been using UE4 to build their next-generation games. They are doing some amazing things, and we’re very excited to be able to open up the console code and tools far more widely! We’re also grateful to our partners Microsoft and Sony for their efforts in making this release possible.

This first console release is provided in source code form, so it’s for teams which include at least one C++ programmer. In a subsequent version, we’ll add support for binary-only development, so artists and designers can deploy their creations to console without ever compiling the code.

So, here’s how to get started…

Step 1: Become a Registered PlayStation or Xbox Developer

Microsoft and Sony require you to register as a developer for their platforms before you can be granted access to source code or tools (such as ours) which target them.

To register with Sony: http://www.us.playstation.com/develop

To register with Microsoft: http://www.xbox.com/en-us/Developers/id

Step 2: Contact Epic to verify your registered status

If you are accessing Unreal Engine 4 through a custom license, or direct eval, you should email your Epic sales contact.

If you are a subscription customer, head here and fill out all the appropriate information.

Finally, Epic will send you an electronic Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) via DocuSign. Once you’ve completed that, we’ll send you an email containing instructions for accessing the console code and tools. This is a manual process for now, so please allow a few days to receive access.

Step 3: Develop!

Once you’ve received console access, you’ll need to compile the code for your desired platforms.

For discussion and community support, we’ve created two new sections in the UE4 Forums for this purpose, “Xbox One Development” and “PlayStation 4 Development,” which are visible only to registered developers for those platforms. Please keep topical console discussions within these forums, as the console-maker NDAs only allow console code and information to be shared among registered developers.

UE4 Shooter Game sample upgraded for console!

UE4’s Shooter Game sample, freely available to subscribers in the UE4 Marketplace, provides a clean example of using UE4 to develop a console game. Shooter Game is currently undergoing certification for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

This sample contains numerous polished, console-targeted features: split screen, safe zones, loading screens, play-as-you-download, Trophies, Achievements, and more. This engine-level certification effort reduces the steps each individual team has to take to pass the very rigorous console certification processes.

Never outgrow Unreal!

In all, Unreal Engine 4.1 now supports all of the following platforms: PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 (including Morpheus VR support), SteamOS, Linux, HTML5 (preview), and Oculus VR technologies.

With each new version delivering significant new features and improvements in performance, platform support, and workflow, driven by feedback from the community, and informed by Epic’s experience developing games like Fortnite, we aspire for Unreal Engine 4 to be the engine you never outgrow. Thank you very much for joining us on this journey!

To join the discussion in the forums, click here.