Crytek has announced the next version of its amazing game engine, CryEngine V. CryEngine V has been launched today with a “Pay What You Want” business model, offering developers everywhere total access to the engine’s feature-set and full engine source code for a fee of their choosing, and with no obligation to pay royalties or additional service charges.

Crytek’s Founder, CEO & President, Cevat Yerli, said:

“CRYENGINE V represents our commitment to not only offering developers today’s most advanced engine technology, but also to making it as accessible as possible. The arrival of CRYENGINE Marketplace, the revamped engine UI, and new support channels will make it easier than ever to tap into the power of CRYENGINE – at a price that feels comfortable for each and every individual. Community is at the heart of our Pay What You Want Model, which we hope will foster closer collaboration between us and developers as well as developers amongst themselves.”

Here are some of the key features of CryEngine V:

C# Enabled: A new API that allows developers who know C# to start scripting in CRYENGINE V right away.

Reworked Low Overhead Renderer: Significantly increases the performance of today’s hardware in graphically intensive applications.

DirectX 12 support: Utilize the latest branch of DirectX to take greater control of hardware resources.

Advanced Volumetric Cloud System: Optimized for VR to give clouds full 3D spatial rendering for higher quality with minimal performance hit.

New particle system: Create stunning real-time fluid effects, handled almost entirely on the GPU.

A new launcher and UI: Navigate CRYENGINE more intuitively thanks to a streamlined UI which includes realigned features and new icon groupings.

FMOD Studio support: Allowing greater flexibility in audio middleware selection.

CRYENGINE Answers: A dedicated channel where the CRYENGINE community can share questions and answers.