Unreal Engine (UE) is designed to integrate smoothly with Visual Studio (VS), providing the means to quickly make code changes in your projects and immediately see results upon compilation. Setting up VS to work with UE can help improve developers' efficiency and overall user experience.
This document covers the basics for setting up your Unreal Engine-to-Visual Studio workflow.
Version Compatibility
The following table lists which versions of VS are integrated with the binary version of UE.
| Unreal Engine Version | VS 2019 Version | VS 2022 Version |
|---|---|---|
5.6 | Not supported | 17.8 or later, 17.14 recommended (Default) |
5.5 | Not supported | 17.8 or later, 17.10 recommended (Default) |
5.4 | Not supported | 17.4 or later, 17.8 recommended (Default) |
5.3 | 16.11.5 or later | 17.4 or later, 17.6 recommended (Default) |
5.2 | 16.11.5 or later | 17.4 or later (Default) |
5.1 | 16.11.5 or later (Default) | 17.4 or later |
Other software versions:
| Software | Minimum Version | Recommended Version |
|---|---|---|
MSVC | 14.38.33130 | 14.38.33130 |
Windows SDK | 10.0.19041.0 | 10.0.22621.0 or newer |
LLVM | 18.1.3 | 18.1.8 |
.NET | .NET 8.0 | .NET 8.0 |
Verifying UE Prerequisites
If you installed UE from the Epic Games Launcher or cloned it from GitHub, the UE Prerequisite Installer automatically installed the necessary dependencies, libraries, and frameworks required to run the engine.
If you installed or synced UE from Perforce, run the Prerequisite Installer before running any UE tools you’ve built locally. Find the installer in [UNREAL_ENGINE_ROOT]\Engine\Extras\Redist\en-us\.
Adding Visual Studio Installation Options
If you are installing Visual Studio (VS) for the first time or modifying an existing installation, ensure you have the following workloads and components enabled.
To modify your VS installation, run the Visual Studio Installer, then click Modify next to the latest version.
Adding Required Workloads
In the installer’s Workloads tab, under Desktop & Mobile, enable the following options:
.NET desktop development
Desktop development with C++
.NET Multi-platform App UI development
Under Gaming, enable Game development with C++.
Adding Required Components
In the installer’s Installation Details panel, expand Game development with C++ and enable the following options:
C++ profiling tools
C++ AddressSanitizer
Windows 10 or 11 SDK (10.0.18362 or Newer)
Unreal Engine installer
When you open your first Unreal Engine C++ project in VS, you might see a missing-components warning in the Solution Explorer. Click Install to allow VS to install any additional components necessary for your project.
Recommended Settings
These optional VS interface adjustments can make your development experience more convenient.
Turning Off the Error List Window
Typically, the Error List window automatically opens when you have an error in your code. However, when working with UE, the Error List window can display additional downstream errors that make it difficult to identify the root cause. You can disable the Error List window and instead use the Output Log to see real code errors when working with UE.
To turn off the Error List window, follow these steps:
In VS, go to Tools > Options.
On the left side of the Options window, select Projects and Solutions.
Disable Always show Error List if build finished with errors.
(Optional) Change any other options and features from the table below that are relevant to your project.
Click OK.
| To: | In Options, go to: | And change this option: |
|---|---|---|
Prevent chunks of code from appearing grayed out in the text editor | Text Editor > C/C++ > View | Set Show Inactive Blocks to False |
Hide unneeded folders in the Solution Explorer | Text Editor > C/C++ > Advanced | Set Disable External Dependencies Folders to True |
Enable IntelliSense (code completion, suggestions, and automatic code formatting as you write) | Text Editor > C/C++ > IntelliSense | Turn on Enable 64-bit IntelliSense |
Increasing the Width of Solution Configurations Dropdown Menu
You might find it useful to widen the Solution Configurations dropdown in the VS toolbar so you can view the full name of any custom configurations.
To widen the Solution Configurations menu, follow these steps:
In Visual Studio, right-click the main toolbar and select Customize at the bottom of the context menu.
In the Customize window, click the Commands tab, select the Toolbar radio button, and use the dropdown menu to change the Toolbar to Standard.
In the toolbar Preview, scroll through the options to find and select Solution Configurations, then click Modify Selection.
Change the Width to 200 and click OK. VS updates the toolbar with its new size.
Close the Customize window.
Adding the Solution Platforms Dropdown Menu
When developing for multiple platforms, it’s convenient to have the Solution Platforms dropdown menu in your VS toolbar.
If you don’t see this menu on the right side of the Solution Configurations dropdown, you can add it to the toolbar by clicking the small arrow button on the right side of the Standard toolbar, go to Add or Remove Buttons, and select Solution Platforms.
