Top 5 Unity engine games

Unity engine games, developed by Unity Technologies, have existed since 2005. Unity provides more developers access to game development tools, which was a groundbreaking idea during that time. The engine has undergone significant changes and expansions throughout its extensive lifespan, constantly adapting to the latest practices and technologies.

Even today, its primary focus remains on offering a comprehensive set of tools to the game development industry and ensuring that the engine is accessible to developers of all skill levels, including beginners.

Unity Technologies has also broadened its reach to other sectors, emphasising real-time 3D development, making it one of the most powerful engines available.

Unity engine games features

Following are the key features offered by the platform to its users.

1.    2D & 3D graphics support

The platform provides support for both 2D and 3D graphics. It allows users to choose their preferred art style for their projects, with each graphic type equipped with specialised tools. For instance, 2D graphics offer tools such as sprite sheet cutting, while 3D graphics provide users with the ability to create custom materials, customise lighting, build shaders with the shader graph, and use post-processing effects.

Additionally, users can create 2D tilemaps or generate 3D terrain within the engine. Various script APIs are available for each graphic type to access different physics options suitable for their preferred style.

2.    User-friendly architecture

The Unity development platform provides a user-friendly architecture for creating games. Unity engine games are divided into scenes containing all the necessary game objects for a particular level, such as the background, player character, enemies, bullets, and more.

Unity also allows for parent-child relationships between objects in the hierarchy, simplifying the process of adding multiple objects, such as outfits, guns, or colliders, to one parent-player character object.

Additionally, it offers the Inspector tool, which grants quick access to all object properties, enabling developers to make on-the-fly changes without constantly delving into the code.

3.    Scripting API

Unity offers a scripting API that provides developers convenient access to frequently used game features and specific engine functionality, enabling them to avoid working without prior knowledge. The scripting API covers all the elements the Unity Inspector can control, such as UI elements, audio playback, position, rotation, and materials. For instance, while modifying the text colour of UI elements from the engine itself is possible, the scripting API also offers this capability through code. Additionally, ample documentation is available to assist developers in using the scripting API to their advantage.

4.    Animation tools

Unity provides a comprehensive suite of animation tools that can be used for 3D and 2D graphics. While importing animations from other software is possible, Unity allows you to animate your projects directly within the engine. This includes manipulating the position and rotation of an entire object and adjusting the bones in a 3D model. Even 2D images can be rigged with bones in Unity engine games.

These features can be accessed through the scripting API, which gives you much control over your animations.

Unity's Animator system allows you to create animation state machines with ease. This means that animations can be played based on player actions, such as jumping, and can transition smoothly between each other. The Animator is presented in a visual graph style, making it simple to understand how everything is connected.

5.    Cross-platform build support

The platform enables developers to export Unity engine games to a vast range of locations by downloading the relevant development kit. Platforms include Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS, Linux, PS4, and Xbox One.

Moreover, the engine facilitates exporting HTML5 games for web deployment, provided that the performance meets the optimal standards.

With Unity, game developers can minimise the number of modifications required for different platform builds, thus reducing the need to create multiple project versions for each platform.

6.    AR and VR support

The platform supports VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) technologies. For VR, it provides a range of packages that support most VR headsets, which are continuously updated to keep pace with evolving technologies. Additionally, developers can use the engine to test their VR games.

In the case of AR, the game engine offers various packages for ARCore and ARKit. Unity has also developed AR Foundation, which enables developers to create AR apps for Android and iOS without needing separate projects.

Unity has also introduced the XR Interaction Toolkit to simplify developing VR and AR games.

Top 5 Unity engine games

1.    Cuphead

Cuphead, a video game released in 2017, is categorised as a run-and-gun game and was developed by Studio MDHR. The game utilises the flexibility of the Unity graphics engine and is designed with an aesthetic inspired by the rubber hose style popular during the golden age of American animation. The game's challenging gameplay and retro feel have amassed a dedicated following of fans. Cuphead has achieved critical and commercial success, selling over six million copies in three years and receiving numerous awards. A Netflix animated series has also been produced, highlighting the game's strong appeal to audiences.

2.    Ori and the Will of the Wisps

This popular 2D Metroidvania game features the player controlling the character of Ori, a white guardian spirit. The game involves intricate puzzles that players solve by jumping, climbing, gliding, and swimming between different platforms. It has been highly acclaimed by critics and players, who praised its engaging gameplay, art direction, story, action sequences, musical score, and environmental design. This game is a sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest, one of the earliest AAA titles to be created on Unity and achieved significant success.

3.    Among Us

Among Us is a social online multiplayer game developed by Innersloth, an American game studio, in 2018. The game is influenced by the party game Mafia and is built using Unity's multi-platform publishing capabilities, making it compatible with multiple devices and even supporting cross-platform play. The game gained immense popularity during the pandemic and provided players with an enjoyable social experience, regardless of whether they were physically together or apart.

4.    Pokémon Go

Mobile game Pokémon Go was released in 2016. Niantic developed and published the game in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. It utilises GPS technology on mobile devices to enable players to locate, capture, train, and battle virtual creatures known as Pokémon. These creatures appear as if they are in the player's real-world location, creating an augmented reality experience. Pokémon Go quickly became popular among players of all ages and has been enjoyed by parents and children playing together.

5.    Beat Saber

This virtual reality rhythm game was created and published by Czech game developer Beat Games. The game's environment is surrealistic and set in a neon atmosphere where players use a pair of contrasting-coloured sabers to slice through blocks representing musical beats. Beat Saber's early access release on Steam saw it quickly rise to the top, becoming the highest-rated game on the platform within a week. Today, it remains a popular form of entertainment and exercise for gamers.