Both Unity and Unreal have recently released free beginner projects and the tutorials to go with them. If you’ve been looking for a great introduction to either game engine, these new starter projects could be the perfect starting point.
Unity
Unity have released a new MicroGame in collaboration with Lego. The LEGO microgame can be easily created using the Unity Hub and contains several different simple games using Lego themed assets. Users learn the ins and outs of the Unity game engine by modding the template with step-by-step instructions available here.
To get started, open (or install) the Unity Hub, then switch to the Learn tab. Once there you can download the LEGO Microgame template, once downloaded, click the LEGO Microgame then select Open Project.
Unity have several other MicroGame templates available including a racing game and first person shooter. Additionally they have an online learning portal available here.
Unreal Engine
Released in collaboration with the Hour of Code movement, this project is similar to Unity in that it is a complete simple game that can be easily modded. This project is split into 5 1-hour lessons that will introduce users to using Unreal Engine and coding using the Blueprints visual programming language. The project is available for free on the Unreal Marketplace with a series of hour long lessons available here.
To get started with the Unreal Engine beginner project, in the Epic Game Launcher, “buy” the Hour of Code project. It will then be located in your Library section under the name Unreal Engine Hour of Code. Simply click Create Project to, well, create a new project.
Like Unity, Unreal Engine also has a free online learning portal available here.
You can learn more about the Unreal and Unity beginner projects, including seeing both in action, in the video below.