Warning
Real-time lighting does not work in this template. All lighting must be baked. Movable lights will have no effect without additional configuration.
If you are converting an existing project to use this template, back up your project first. Disabling Lumen and Virtual Shadow Maps can break existing lighting setups and is not easily reversible.
A minimal Unreal Engine 5 starter template built for low-end hardware. Replaces UE5's default ray-traced, virtualized rendering pipeline with a lightweight forward-style configuration suited to older GPUs, integrated graphics, and budget laptops.
If you've been held back by Lumen, Nanite, or DX12 overhead — this is your starting point.
UE5's defaults (Lumen GI, Nanite, Virtual Shadow Maps, DX12) are designed for high-end GPUs. On anything older or less capable, they tank frame rates and cause unpredictable stutters. This template disables those systems upfront so you're building on a stable, predictable baseline — similar to what you'd get from Unity's forward renderer.
| Setting | Default UE5 | This Template |
|---|---|---|
| RHI | DirectX 12 | Vulkan |
| Anti-Aliasing | TAA | FXAA |
| MSAA | Enabled | Disabled |
| Global Illumination | Lumen | Disabled (baked) |
| Reflections | Lumen | Disabled |
| Shadows | Virtual Shadow Maps | Disabled |
| Geometry | Nanite | Disabled |
Unnecessary post-process passes stripped out. No bloom, lens flare, or ambient occlusion overhead by default.
- Prerequisites installer removed
- Editor content excluded from cook
- Movies excluded from staging
- Older PCs, budget laptops, integrated GPUs
- VR and mobile targets
- Stylized, low-poly, or small-scale 3D projects
- Performance-sensitive prototypes
- Developers coming from Unity who want a familiar rendering cost profile
- Cinematic or high-fidelity rendering
- Nanite/Lumen showcases
- Projects requiring dynamic global illumination
| Blueprints | None |
| Maps | 1 (lightweight sample scene) |
| Input Bindings | None |
| Network Replication | No |
| Platform Support | Windows only |
1. Clone or download this repository (or grab it from Fab)
2. Open the .uproject in Unreal Engine 5
3. Build lighting (required — Lumen is disabled)
4. Start building
Baked lighting is required since Lumen is off. If you skip the lighting build, your scene will be unlit.