C++ is used to program and create video games on different platforms.

What This Guide Covers

Whether you’re a complete beginner or transitioning from another engine, this comprehensive guide answers the most common questions about C++ and Unreal Engine development. You’ll learn when C++ is necessary, what alternatives exist, and how to make the best choice for your project goals.

The Short Answer: Blueprints vs C++

You can absolutely create games in Unreal Engine without knowing C++. Unreal’s Blueprint visual scripting system allows you to build complete games using a node-based visual interface instead of traditional code. Many successful indie games have been built entirely with Blueprints.

However, C++ becomes valuable when you need:

• Maximum performance optimization
• Complex gameplay mechanics
• Custom engine modifications
• Integration with third-party libraries
• Advanced AI systems

However to get the most out of UE and improve at the fundamentals, you should not be using blueprints or C++ exclusively. Ideally, you should learn how to use both. If you want to learn more about C++ vs Blueprints , we’ve discussed in another article about when to use Blueprints or C++ when developing games.

Is Unreal Engine good for beginners?

Unreal Engine is a great game engine for beginners as it provides access to a lot of templates and assets completely for free (unless your game earns >$1M gross annually) . However, it is also expansive and powerful enough for experienced developers as well. If you are familiar with other platforms, such as Unity or previous Unreal Engine versions, you will be able to jump right in and start creating video games using Unreal Engine C++. A virtual game and graphic studio that specializes in Unreal Engine C++ development can also be a great resource for learning the language and developing your skills.

The process of developing a game with Unreal Engine is not difficult to understand, but it does require a lot of time and practice, knowledge of the language, and commitment. And one of the very first questions is: where do I begin?

Do you need to know how to code for Unreal Engine?

Creating entire games with Unreal Engine can be a daunting task, but with the right knowledge and skills, you can make amazing programs. Some basic knowledge of coding—and C++ to an extent—is required, but it is not necessary to be an expert. The Unreal Engine is not just intended for developers but also for creators; and a game programmer is not limited to working with Unreal Engine.

It is even possible to create full-fledged games without any coding background. Popular gaming engines like Unity or Unreal Engine offer visual scripting tools or no-code solutions for managing game assets. Unreal has its Blueprint scripting process wherein you can use nodes to replace normal programming logic.

But if you want to dive into the nitty gritty, learning about the fundamental language of which the engine is based on a surefire way to greatly increase both your options and your efficiency. Additionally, many other game development platforms, such as Unity and GameMaker, use similar coding languages. Knowing how to code for these platforms will help you get started in the game development industry.

Learning Path Recommendations for Complete Beginners

1. Start with Blueprint Fundamentals
   • Complete Epic’s Blueprint tutorials
   • Build simple games (Pong, basic platformer)
   • Understand Unreal’s component system
2. Learn Basic C++ Outside Unreal
   • Master fundamental programming concepts
   • Practice with simple console applications
   • Understand object-oriented programming principles
3. Transition to Unreal C++
   • Start with simple C++ components
   • Gradually replace Blueprint functionality with code
   • Learn Unreal-specific C++ conventions and macros

READ MORE: Install and set up Unreal Engine with Visual Studio.

When is C++ essential then?

C++ coding becomes essential when you’re dealing with specific use cases and the blueprints system is not sufficient anymore.

• Performance-Critical Applications

C++ provides direct memory management and system-level control that Blueprint scripting cannot match. For AAA games, VR experiences, or applications requiring 60+ FPS with complex systems, C++ often becomes necessary.

• Advanced Game Systems

While Blueprints excel at prototyping and standard gameplay, certain advanced features require C++ implementation:

• Custom rendering pipelines
• Specialized physics calculations
• Multi-threaded operations
• Platform-specific optimizations

• Professional Development

Most professional game studios expect C++ knowledge for Unreal Engine positions. Understanding both Blueprint and C++ makes you more versatile and employable in the game development industry.

• Custom Gameplay Mechanics

With C++, you can implement complex gameplay logic that goes beyond what is possible with Blueprints. This includes creating custom character controllers, AI behaviors, and game rules.

• Creating components and 3D environments

Components are the basic building blocks of Unreal Engine. Components can be used to create 3D environments, menus, and other user interface elements. These components can be exported to other platforms.

• Advanced AI Systems

Create sophisticated AI systems using C++ for behavior and decision-making processes for non-player characters (NPCs) and other game elements such as custom pathfinding algorithms, decision-making systems, and behavior trees.

• Create logic and integrate with scripts

Logic is the code that controls how players interact with each component. Scripts are a special type of code that is more visual. Using both C++ and scripting for Unreal  allows for seamless development in their games.

• Test and debug games

Testing and debugging games is an important part of the game development process. When you work with mechanics created using C++, verifying that component will most likely require C++ knowledge as well. Problems that can be debugged include crashes, missing textures, and incorrect game logic.

Blueprint vs C++ Performance Reality

When Performance Differences Matter

The performance gap between Blueprint and C++ varies significantly by use case:

• UI and Menu Systems: Minimal difference
• Simple Gameplay Logic: Negligible impact for most games
• Heavy Calculations: C++ shows clear advantages
• Frame-Critical Systems: C++ often necessary for consistent performance

Hybrid Approach Benefits

Most successful Unreal projects use both systems strategically. Learn more here.

• Blueprints for: UI, game flow, designer-friendly tweaking
• C++ for: Core systems, performance-critical code, complex algorithms

Highly Recommended for Unreal C++ 

If you do decide to code using C++ for Unreal Engine, you will most likely download Visual Studio, the official IDE of choice for developing C++ games in Unreal Engine. It provides an extensive list of navigations, refactoring, auto-suggestions and syntax highlighting for C++ development.

However, Visual Studio also caters to C/C# and unfortunately, the support and tooling for C++ may seem relatively weaker at first glance. Furthermore, Unreal Engine has bespoke coding elements and syntax. This may lead to frustrations when developing Unreal C++ games in the IDE because some basic navigations and features such as syntax highlighting may be unresponsive, or may be unavailable completely.

For these cases, it is highly recommended to install a supplementary plugin like Visual Assist which improves the overall IDE experience and replaces the frustrating elements with tailored features made for C++ Unreal Engine development. It makes the IDE features responsive and adds “understanding” so that basic features such as code highlighting, search, and auto-suggestions work properly.

The post Do I Need To Know C++ For Unreal Engine? The Updated 2025 Guide first appeared on Tomato Soup.

1. Install Visual Assist

1. Exit all instances of Visual Studio.
2. Run the .exe installer you downloaded.
3. Select the IDE(s) you want to install to.

2. Open your game solution

Visual Assist will come alive after it finishes parsing.

3. Look around

Open the Extensions > VAssistX menu. You will use the menu primarily to open tool windows, review keyboard shortcuts, and access the options dialog.

Appreciate the understated UI to Visual Assist. There are just a few visible changes.

4. Change a few settings

If you like meaningful syntax coloring, open the options dialog for Visual Assist and apply coloring to more of the UI.

If you highlight the current line, choose a thin frame that doesn’t obscure your code.

Visual Assist can add important information to tooltips when hovering over a symbol, such as comments from base classes. This is very helpful in UE4, as base class comments are the documentation.

Visual Assist can analyze your code and suggest improvements. Enable Code Inspections to see blue underlines where code might be improved. Visual Assist can even modernize your code for you! We will show how later.

Then, open the options dialog to Visual Studio and eliminate the redundant navigation bar. The version in Visual Assist includes the functionality of the built-in one.

After making the changes, Visual Studio is ready to use.

5. Navigation in UE4

Search for and open files using Alt + Shift + O. Precede a search filter with a hyphen to exclude symbols (negative filtering).

Understand and navigate the inheritance hierarchies of UE4 by using Alt + Shift + G on a class name. The Alt + Shift + G shortcut works on many types of symbols, try using it on a virtual method.

Source files in UE4 can be thousands of lines long. Use Alt + M to search for and navigate to methods inside the current file.

Find references to a symbol using Alt + Shift + F. Visual Assist’s find references is fast and accurate inside huge solutions like UE4. Try cloning your results to save them by clicking the Clone Results button or using the right-click menu.

Hover over a virtual method to see comments from base classes. Base class comments often contain useful documentation.

6. Refactoring in UE4

Access refactoring tools using the keyboard shortcut Alt + Shift + Q, or by hovering over a symbol and clicking the tomato icon that appears. The contents of the Alt + Shift + Q menu depend on the symbol.

It is common in UE4 to override virtual methods, such as Tick or SetupPlayerInputComponent. Visual Assist can implement these methods for you. Click on your class name and then use Alt + Shift + Q.

The Implement Methods dialog is searchable, and you can implement more than one method at once.

Visual Assist will intelligently add a call to the Super class version of the method for you when appropriate.

You will see blue underlines below code which could be modernized. This is Code Inspection.

Visual Assist can refactor the code for you! Use Alt + Shift + Q on the underlined symbol.

If you need to change the return type, parameters, or the name of a method you can use Change Signature. Edit the method definition in the window. References and call-sites to the method will be updated, so you won’t miss anything.

7. Tips

There is a lot of special functionality built into Visual Assist for UE4, such as suggestions for U* macros. The more you can use Visual Assist, the more opportunities to make your life a little easier in UE4.

You may find the built in IntelliSense to be unusably slow, or that it often adds red underlines to correct code in UE4. IntelliSense can be disabled. Visual Assist provides all the intelligent tooling expected in a modern C++ development environment.

You can throttle the initial parse in the Performance tab of the Visual Assist options dialog. By default, the one-time parse uses all available resources to finish as fast as possible.

For more information or support check out our forum and documentation.

Some features mentioned above require the latest build, check here for updates.

The post Getting Started with UE4 and Visual Assist first appeared on Tomato Soup.