Unity's runtime fee controversy reshaped the industry. Unreal's mobile improvements are significant. Here's a practical breakdown from a studio that ships in both engines.
The Unity runtime fee announcement in 2023 triggered an industry-wide rethink. Many studios began migrating to Godot or evaluating Unreal more seriously for mobile. In 2025, the dust has settled — and the choice between Unity and Unreal for mobile is now more nuanced than ever.
Unity in 2025: Where It Stands
Unity remains the dominant engine for mobile games — particularly casual, hypercasual, and mid-core titles. The runtime fee was scaled back significantly, and Unity 6 brings improved rendering, better WebGPU support, and more stable multiplayer tools. For 2D games, sprite-based games, and AR experiences, Unity is still first choice.
Unreal Engine 5 on Mobile
Epic's Nanite and Lumen are broadly unavailable on mobile, but Unreal 5's mobile rendering improvements — especially with Vulkan — are substantial. For graphically ambitious titles (action RPGs, shooters), Unreal on high-end Android and iOS is now a genuine option. The licensing model (5% royalty after $1M revenue, $0 before) is attractive for startups.
Decision Framework
| Factor | Choose Unity | Choose Unreal |
|---|---|---|
| Game genre | Casual, hyper-casual, puzzle, 2D | Action RPG, shooter, high-fidelity 3D |
| Team experience | Unity-native devs | C++ or AAA background |
| Budget | $50K–$500K range | $200K+ range |
| Timeline | Faster prototyping | Longer polish cycles |
| Target device | Broad device support | Mid-high end devices |
| Monetization | Strong ad network integrations | Premium or in-app purchase focused |
First Code Technologies ships mobile games in Unity, Unreal, and Godot. Our game studio team can help you select the right engine based on your genre, budget, and target audience — and build to app store quality.
Siddharth Rao
Game Dev Lead, First Code Technologies
Published November 28, 2025