Epic Games announces the new version of Unreal Engine 6 with a Rocket League update

Epic Games made an unexpected announcement by revealing Unreal Engine 6 during the Paris Major of the Rocket League Championship Series, rather than at a dedicated Epic Games event or even a Fortnite showcase. The reveal centered on Rocket League, with Epic showing the first look at the game running an Unreal Engine 6 makeover and describing it as a “new era” for the franchise.

The short preview showed shinier car models, more cinematic camera angles, and in engine footage, offering an early look at what the transition could bring. The upgrade is especially notable because Rocket League still runs on Unreal Engine 3, meaning it would jump from Xbox 360 era technology to Epic’s newest engine. This also comes as Unreal Engine 5 was introduced four years ago, yet it still has not really felt like it reached the same level of adoption as its previous version.

Epic has not shared technical details or a release timeline for Unreal Engine 6, but the announcement has major industry implications. Unreal Engine remains widely used across major studios, indie development, film, and CGI, while Unreal Engine 5’s era has brought impressive visuals alongside persistent criticism over performance and optimization (It really sucks in that regards).