Best Unreal Engine 5 Games to Play on PC in 2026

LB

Lennon Byatt

1 July 2026 3 min read

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is in full swing, and between screaming at the TV, arguing with mates about formations, and watching Germany dismantle Curacao 7-1, we reckon there's another lineup worth building. Your dream gaming PC.

Every great football team needs the right player in the right position. And every great gaming PC needs the right component doing the right job. So we've matched the two up, here's your Dream XI, AWD-IT style.

Unreal Engine 5 is powering some of the most visually impressive PC games we've ever seen. Thanks to technologies like Nanite and Lumen, today's biggest releases feature incredibly detailed environments, realistic lighting and immersive worlds-but they also demand more from your gaming PC.

If you're looking for your next game to play or wondering whether your current setup is ready, here are some of the best Unreal Engine 5 titles to check out in 2026.

Black Myth: Wukong

One of the standout Unreal Engine 5 games, Black Myth: Wukong combines stunning visuals with challenging action combat inspired by Journey to the West. Dense forests, detailed character models and cinematic boss fights make it a real showcase for modern hardware.

For the best experience, a mid to high-end GPU like an RTX 5070 or RX 9070 XT is recommended for smooth 1440p gameplay.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Returning players to the dangerous Zone, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 uses Unreal Engine 5 to create an incredibly atmospheric open world. Dynamic weather, realistic lighting and detailed environments make exploration more immersive than ever.

A modern multi-core processor and SSD will help keep gameplay smooth across its expansive environments.

A modern multi-core processor and SSD will help keep gameplay smooth

The Perfect England Matchday PC Schedule

Here's how to make the most of the best England kick-off time we've had all tournament:

Time (BST)  What's Happening PC Task
2pm–4:45pm
Pre-match build-up
Game session — get a proper hour in
4:45pm
Teams announced
Close the game, open BBC iPlayer
5pm
Kick-off
Stream on second monitor, game on hold
~6:50pm
Second half
Back on the stream
~8pm
Full time (hopefully)
Celebrate / commiserate, fire the game back up

Dune: Awakening

Set on the harsh deserts of Arrakis, Dune: Awakening combines survival gameplay with large-scale multiplayer exploration. Unreal Engine 5 brings the world's vast landscapes to life with dynamic lighting and detailed environments.

Fast storage and plenty of RAM will help minimise loading times while exploring the open world.

The Witcher IV is one of the most anticipated Unreal Engine 5 games

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra

Marvel fans have plenty to look forward to with Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra. Built in Unreal Engine 5, early gameplay showcases realistic facial animation, cinematic visuals and beautifully detailed environments as Captain America and Black Panther team up during World War II.

The Witcher IV

Although still in development, The Witcher IV is one of the most anticipated Unreal Engine 5 games on the horizon. CD Projekt RED's move to Epic's engine promises larger worlds, improved visuals and even greater immersion for PC players.

What PC Do You Need for Unreal Engine 5 Games?

While every game has different requirements, most Unreal Engine 5 titles benefit from modern hardware.

For 1080p gaming, an RTX 5060 paired with a Ryzen 5 processor is a solid starting point. If you're aiming for 1440p Ultra settings, an RTX 5070 and Ryzen 7 system offers an excellent balance of performance. For 4K gaming with ray tracing enabled, an RTX 5080 or higher will provide the best experience.

You'll also want at least 16GB of RAM, although 32GB is becoming the sweet spot for modern AAA games.

Add squad depth: SSDs and RAM

Some upgrades are not flashy, but they make everything better.

A faster SSD can reduce load times and give you more space for games, clips, apps and updates. More Memory can help with multitasking, newer games and heavier workloads.

These are the squad players every good setup needs. They might not grab the headlines, but you notice when they are missing.

If your PC takes ages to boot, loads games slowly or struggles when you have several apps open, storage and RAM are good places to start.

Not everyone wants to spend hours comparing parts

Get the full squad: Gaming PC Bundles

A Gaming PC Bundle makes sense if you need more than the tower.

Maybe your monitor is ancient. Maybe your keyboard and mouse have seen better days. Maybe you are building your first proper gaming setup and want the essentials sorted together.

A bundle can help you get the full setup in one go, instead of slowly piecing it together over months.

It is the easiest way to go from “I need a PC” to “I’ve got a full setup.”

Best Sim Racing Setup for Beginners: Start With the Essentials

You don’t need a full cockpit immediately. A well‑chosen beginner setup helps you develop skills faster and keeps costs under control.

1. Steering Wheel and Pedals (Top Priority)

Your wheel and pedals are the most important part of any sim racing rig. Force feedback allows you to feel grip changes, kerbs, and steering resistance—crucial for learning car control.

Beginner tip: Focus on force feedback quality rather than raw power.

Your wheel and pedals are the most important part of any sim racing rig. Force feedback allows you to feel grip changes, kerbs, and steering resistance—crucial for learning car control.

Last Friday we threw open the showroom for the first time, and invited some of the gaming world's biggest creators to come and experience everything AWD has to offer. The result? A day nobody's going to forget quickly. 

Creators in attendance
Stacked lineup

Experience zones
Arcades · Sim rigs · PCs

Tech on display

Latest gen builds

Verdict

Showroom certified

Pick Your Tier

We've named each tier after a tournament stage, because let's be honest, that's exactly the kind of thing we'd do. Find your budget and dive in.

Group Stage

Gets you to the party
~£500
CPU AMD Ryzen 5 7600
GPU RX 7600 8GB
RAM 16GB DDR5-5600
Storage 500GB NVMe SSD
Target 1080p High/Ultra
 
Cracking value. You're getting solid 1080p gaming and streaming without breaking a sweat. The AM5 platform means there's a long upgrade path ahead too — this one grows with you.

Round of 32

The smart money pick
~£850
CPU Ryzen 5 9600X
GPU RTX 5060 Ti 16GB
RAM 32GB DDR5-6000
Storage 1TB NVMe SSD
Target 1440p High
 
This is the sweet spot right here. The Ryzen 9600X handles gaming and multitasking brilliantly, and 32GB of RAM is where you want to be if you're streaming and gaming simultaneously.

Quarter Final

No excuses, no compromises
~£1,500
CPU Ryzen 7 9800X3D
GPU RTX 5070 Ti Super
RAM 32GB DDR5-6400
Storage 2 TB NVMe SSD
Target 1440p Ultra / 4K
 
The 9800X3D is an absolute beast for gaming workloads, one of the best gaming CPUs on the market. Stream a game, encode your reaction cam, and watch the match. All at once. Done.

World Cup Final

 
Because you can
£2,500+
CPU Ryzen 9 9950X3D
GPU RTX 5080 / 5090
RAM 64GB DDR5-6400+
Storage 2TB + 4TB NVMe
Target 4K Ultra / OLED
 
Jaw-dropping performance, full stop. This is the kind of rig that makes the group stage builds weep. Overkill? Absolutely. Incredible? Without a shadow of a doubt.

England's Path If They Get Through

Win against Congo DR and England's potential route to the Final looks like this:

      Round of 16 (8–9 July): Mexico or Ecuador — tough but winnable

      Quarter-Final (12–13 July): Potentially Brazil — the big one

      Semi-Final (15–16 July): Possibly Argentina — we're in Messi territory now

      Final (19 July): MetLife Stadium, New Jersey — it might be coming home

 

The bracket is genuinely open. England are well-placed, and Tuchel's side are unbeaten in ten competitive fixtures. Don't get your hopes up. Also: get your hopes up.

 

The bracket is genuinely open

GTA 6 GPU Comparison Table (RTX 50 Series)

GPU Model
Performance Tier
Best Resolution
VRAM (Expected)
GTA 6 Settings
Ideal User Type
RTX 5060
Entry-Level
1080p
8–12GB
Medium–High
Budget gamers looking for smooth GTA 6 gameplay
RTX 5070
Mid-Range
1440p
12–16GB
High–Ultra
Best value for most UK gamers
RTX 5070 Ti
Upper Mid-Range
1440p / 4K
16GB
Ultra
High FPS + future-proofing
RTX 5080
High-End
4K
16–20GB
Ultra + Ray Tracing
Enthusiasts & high-performance gaming builds
RTX 5090
Ultra Enthusiast
4K+ / 8K
24GB+
Max Settings + Full Ray Tracing
No-compromise, ultimate GTA 6 experience

The point is don't buy a £150 mouse expecting it to fix your aim. Buy it because the weight, shape, and quality will make long gaming sessions more comfortable.

AWD-IT stocks gaming mice from Razer, Corsair, and ASUS at a range of price points. If you're unsure where to start, a mid-range wireless mouse from any of these brands will give you everything you need for competitive gaming.

Signs your PC has genuinely run its race

When It IS Time for a Full Rebuild

Even Messi will retire eventually. And there are signs your PC has genuinely run its race:

      CPU is pre-2018 and DDR3 (no DDR5 upgrade path available)

      Motherboard doesn't support PCIe 4.0 — you're bottlenecking modern GPUs

      Power supply is under 500W — can't safely run anything modern

      Multiple components failing, temperatures consistently hitting 90°C+

If you're ticking more than two of those boxes, a fresh AWD-IT pre-built is often better value than stacking upgrades onto a dead-end platform. You get a warranty, a coherent spec, and you know everything works together from day one.

The World Cup Final is at midnight BST on 19th July. That's six weeks to get your late-night setup sorted.

Don't watch it on a tinny laptop with the brightness on full. Do it properly.

Final Thoughts

Unreal Engine 5 is shaping the future of PC gaming, delivering some of the most realistic and immersive experiences we've seen to date. Whether you're exploring the dangerous world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, battling mythical enemies in Black Myth: Wukong, or preparing for The Witcher IV, having the right hardware will help you make the most of these next-generation titles.

If you're looking to upgrade, browse AWD-IT's range of gaming PCs featuring the latest AMD Ryzen processors, Intel Core CPUs and NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics cards, built to handle today's biggest Unreal Engine 5 games with ease.

 

Browse all AWD-IT gaming PCs