Brandwave

How popular isUnreal Engine?

In October 2026, people searched for Unreal Engine by name about 246,000 times worldwide, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 19.1% of all global game engine searches, placing Unreal Engine second out of 12 engines. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about game engines, Unreal Engine appeared in four of the five answers and was the third most recommended of the 12.

Search and AI answers in October 2026

Unreal Engine is the second most searched of 12 competitors and the third most recommended in the AI answers we collected.

  1. GameMakerShare of searches 21%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  2. Unreal EngineShare of searches 19.1%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  3. GDevelopShare of searches 15.6%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  4. GodotShare of searches 15%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  5. ConstructShare of searches 12.8%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th

+7 more

Unreal Engine website (opens in a new tab)

Follow Unreal Engine and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Top game engines in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Unreal Engine was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Unreal Engine is the third most recommended of the 12.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Godot1st
  2. Unity2nd
  3. Unreal Engine3rd
  4. GameMaker4th
  5. GDevelop5th
  6. Phaser6th
  7. Construct7th
  8. Defold8th
  9. RPG Maker9th
  10. LÖVE–
  11. +2 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Godot5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Unity5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • GameMaker4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Unreal Engine4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • GDevelop2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Construct2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Phaser2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • RPG Maker1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Defold1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • LÖVE0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+2 more

See every answer about game engines

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 27, 2026.

How often do people search for Unreal Engine compared with other game engines worldwide?

Unreal Engine against game engines worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for GameMaker, Unreal Engine, GDevelop, Godot, Construct, RPG Maker, Unity. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGameMakerUnreal EngineGDevelopGodotConstructRPG MakerUnityLÖVECRYENGINEDefoldCocosPhaser
Nov 202524.4%18.2%12.2%9.1%14.9%6.7%8.7%1.3%1.6%0.73%1.2%0.87%
Dec 202526.4%19.7%10.8%9.8%10.8%7.2%9%1.4%1.8%0.79%1.2%0.94%
Jan 202624.5%22.4%12.3%9.1%10%8.2%7.5%1.3%1.6%0.9%1.1%1%
Feb 202624.9%18.6%12.5%9.3%12.5%8.3%8.5%1.4%1.4%0.75%1.2%0.88%
Mar 202623.2%17.3%14.1%9.5%14.1%7.7%8.3%1.3%1.3%0.85%1.2%0.98%
Apr 202624.7%18.4%15%9.9%12.3%6.8%7.2%1.4%1.4%0.9%1.2%0.88%
May 202623.6%17.6%14.4%11.1%11.8%7.9%8.1%1.3%1.3%1.1%1%0.86%
Jun 202620.4%22.8%12.5%12%10.2%6.8%10%1.4%1.1%0.91%1.1%0.77%
Jul 202620.9%19.1%12.8%13.8%7%7%14.5%1.1%1.1%0.77%1%0.79%
Aug 202620.3%18.5%15.1%14.2%8.3%6.8%11.8%1.4%1.1%0.75%0.96%0.65%
Sep 202619.7%18%14.7%12.9%12%6.6%11.5%1.1%1.1%1.1%0.8%0.63%
Oct 202621%19.1%15.6%15%12.8%7%4.9%1.1%0.94%0.94%0.85%0.64%

  1. 1.GameMaker

    21%

    Held 1st. 270K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.3 points.

  2. 2.Unreal Engine

    19.1%

    Held 2nd. 246K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.2 points.

  3. 3.GDevelop

    15.6%

    Held 3rd. 201K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.9 points.

  4. 4.Godot

    15%

    Held 4th. 194K estimated branded searches, +9.9% vs prior month. Share +2.2 points.

  5. 5.Construct

    12.8%

    Held 5th. 165K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.

  6. 6.RPG Maker

    7%

    Moved from 7th to 6th. 90.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  7. 7.Unity

    4.9%

    Moved from 6th to 7th. 62.7K estimated branded searches, -60.1% vs prior month. Share -6.6 points.

  8. 8.LÖVE

    1.1%

    Moved from 10th to 8th. 14.8K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  9. 9.CRYENGINE

    0.94%

    Moved from 8th to 9th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  10. 10.Defold

    0.94%

    Moved from 9th to 10th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  11. 11.Cocos

    0.85%

    Held 11th. 11K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  12. 12.Phaser

    0.64%

    Held 12th. 8.3K estimated branded searches, -3.5% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between Unreal Engine and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Unreal Engine

11 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Unreal Engine changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Unreal Engine worldwide held steady at 246K.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Unreal Engine’s share of searches among game engines worldwide increased from 18.2% to 19.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Unreal Engine’s share of searches among game engines worldwide peaked at 22.8% in June 2026 and was lowest at 17.3% in March 2026.

How did search popularity change for game engines worldwide in October 2026?

6 changes

  1. In October 2026, Godot gained share of searches among game engines worldwide, from 12.9% to 15%.

  2. In October 2026, GameMaker gained share of searches among game engines worldwide, from 19.7% to 21%.

  3. In October 2026, Unreal Engine gained share of searches among game engines worldwide, from 18% to 19.1%.

  4. In October 2026, GDevelop gained share of searches among game engines worldwide, from 14.7% to 15.6%.

  5. In October 2026, Construct gained share of searches among game engines worldwide, from 12% to 12.8%.

  6. In October 2026, Unity lost share of searches among game engines worldwide, from 11.5% to 4.9%.

How are Unreal Engine’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Unreal Engine’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • unreal engine

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns Unreal Engine?

Unreal Engine is owned by Epic Games. Brandwave also tracks Epic Games, owned by the same company, worldwide.

Do you work for Unreal Engine? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is Unreal Engine your brand?

Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.

Start free