We’ve all seen it: a new game arrives with stunning visuals, boasting the latest tech, only to run into performance snags. For many games built with Unreal Engine 5, a common complaint has been noticeable stuttering. Now, the head of Epic Games himself, Tim Sweeney, has stepped forward to address these issues, pointing the finger not at the engine, but squarely at the development teams.
Sweeney shared his thoughts with “This is Game,” a media outlet from South Korea, during his attendance at Unreal Fest 2025. He acknowledged the consistent feedback surrounding Unreal Engine 5 over the past five years. Players have reported various issues, including those pesky stutters. Sweeney’s take? The core problems stem from how games are made, not the underlying game engine itself.
“The true main cause,” Sweeney explained, “comes from the development process itself. Many studios first create games on high-end hardware. They only later scale down for testing. In theory, game optimization should happen early on. It needs to start even before full development begins.” This approach, he suggests, leads to bigger problems down the line.
Epic Games, however, isn’t just shrugging its shoulders. Game creation today is far more intricate than it used to be. Tools like DLSS or FSR, which help boost performance, have also become very popular. Sweeney confirmed that Epic is actively working on solutions to help developers navigate this complex landscape more effectively.
“We are currently pursuing two main goals,” Sweeney elaborated. “First, we’re making engine support stronger with better automated optimization systems for all devices. Second, we’re expanding how developers learn. We want to embed ‘early game performance optimization’ as a standard way of working. If needed, our own engineers are ready to jump in and offer direct help.”
Windows Central weighed in on Sweeney’s comments, noting that he wasn’t simply defending Unreal Engine 5 without fault. He admitted the engine itself isn’t perfect and can have its own quirks. Still, Sweeney made it clear that developers also bear a significant responsibility. His advice offers a practical path forward for them to improve how they build games.