【Unreal Engine】5 Essential Initial Settings to Check After Creating a Project

For those just starting game development with Unreal Engine 5 (UE5), you might be eager to dive right in after creating a project. But wait a moment.

Neglecting initial settings after project creation leads to later troubles unrelated to actual development—"unexplained slowness," "file conflicts in team development," "garbled text after building." These issues, especially frustrating for beginners and intermediate developers, can drain motivation.

This article thoroughly explains the 5 essential initial settings that professionals always configure, with reasons, specific procedures, and best practices. These settings will dramatically stabilize and improve your UE5 development environment.

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Source Control (Version Control) Setup

Source control (Git, Perforce, etc.) is your project's "insurance" and "time machine." Without it, accidentally introducing bugs or deleting important files could mean losing an entire day's work.

Setup Procedure

UE5 can directly integrate with major source control systems like Git and Perforce from the editor.

1. Install Git/Perforce: First, install Git or Perforce externally and create a repository.
2. Configure in UE5 Editor:
   • From the editor's top menu, select [Tools] > [Source Control] > [Connect to Source Control].
   • Choose your provider (Git or Perforce), enter required information, and connect.

Best Practices

• Thorough .gitignore: UE5 projects contain massive temporary and cache files generated during builds (DerivedDataCache, Intermediate, parts of Saved folder, etc.). Including these in your repository causes bloat and unnecessary conflicts in team development. For Git, always set up a UE5-specific .gitignore file. Also consider Git LFS for projects with many large binary files (models, textures, etc.).

Example .gitignore for UE5 Projects

Here are commonly excluded folders and files for UE5 projects:

# Build artifacts
Binaries/
Intermediate/

# Cache
DerivedDataCache/

# Temporary files
Saved/

# Visual Studio files
*.sln
*.suo
*.opensdf
*.sdf
*.VC.db
*.VC.opendb
.vs/

# macOS
.DS_Store

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Not setting up source control and backing up the entire project folder as a Zip.
• Problem: Cannot track change history, making it impossible to know which version is correct.

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Default Map and Game Mode Settings

Clearly defining which Level loads at startup and which game rules apply is crucial for development efficiency and testing accuracy.

Setup Procedure

Configure these two settings in [Project Settings] > [Maps & Modes]:

1. Default Maps:
   • Editor Startup Map: The Level that opens when the editor starts. Setting a heavy Level slows editor startup, so set a lightweight development test Level for best results.
   • Game Default Map: The Level that loads when the packaged game starts. Typically set to your title screen or main menu Level.
2. Default GameMode:
   • Default GameMode Class: Set the GameMode class used as default throughout this project.

Blueprint Configuration Example

If you've created a custom GameMode (e.g., BP_MyGameMode), set it as default.

// Project Settings > Maps & Modes > Default GameMode Class
// Select your created Blueprint class here
// Example: /Game/Blueprints/GameModes/BP_MyGameMode

Technical Term: What is GameMode?

GameMode is a class that defines game rules, scoring, number of players, default Pawn (player-controlled character), HUD (screen display), etc. It's the "blueprint" of the game that only exists on the server side and is fundamental to UE5 development.

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Input Settings (Enhanced Input System)

UE5 recommends the "Enhanced Input System", introduced in UE5.0 and officially recommended since UE5.1. Continuing with the old input system may cause difficulties with future feature expansion and multi-platform support.

Setup Procedure

1. Enable Plugin: In [Edit] > [Plugins], verify the "Enhanced Input" plugin is enabled (usually enabled by default).
2. Change Project Settings: In [Project Settings] > [Engine] > [Input] under [Default Classes], change these to Enhanced Input classes:
   • Default Player Input Class to EnhancedPlayerInput
   • Default Input Component Class to EnhancedInputComponent

C++ Input Configuration Example (Enhanced Input)

When handling input in C++, use Input Mapping Context (IMC) and Input Action (IA).

// MyCharacter.cpp (in BeginPlay(), etc.)
// 1. Get PlayerController
APlayerController* PC = Cast<APlayerController>(Controller);

// 2. Get Enhanced Input Subsystem
UEnhancedInputLocalPlayerSubsystem* Subsystem = ULocalPlayer::GetSubsystem<UEnhancedInputLocalPlayerSubsystem>(PC->GetLocalPlayer());

// 3. Add Input Mapping Context (IMC)
if (Subsystem)
{
    Subsystem->AddMappingContext(DefaultMappingContext, 0); // DefaultMappingContext is UInputMappingContext* type
}

Best Practices

• Use IMC and IA: Define action intent (like "jump" or "move") with Input Action (IA), then define which keys map to that intent with Input Mapping Context (IMC). This makes key rebinding very easy.

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Editor Language Settings

UE5 supports Japanese, but most tutorials, error messages, and official documentation are in English. Developing in Japanese can make it difficult to find English solutions when errors occur.

Setup Procedure

Configure in [Edit] > [Editor Preferences] > [General] > [Region & Language].

• Language: Select Japanese or English.

Best Practices

• Recommend English Development: Error messages, class names, and function names are fundamentally in English. For those aiming at intermediate level, we recommend setting the editor display language to English and referencing Japanese documentation as needed.

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Editor Performance Settings

UE5's high functionality means the editor can be slow with default settings. This is especially true for laptops or mid-range PCs—the editor may stutter or fans may run constantly at high speed.

Setup Procedure

1. Disable Realtime Rendering:
   • Turn off the [Realtime] button (clock icon) in the viewport's top-left.
   • Effect: Stops rendering updates when the viewport isn't active, significantly reducing CPU/GPU load.
2. Limit Frame Rate:
   • In [Edit] > [Editor Preferences] > [General] > [Performance], check [Limit Editor Framerate] and set a value like 30 or 60.
   • Effect: Caps the editor's frame rate, preventing unnecessary resource consumption.

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Leaving viewport Scalability Settings (in the "Settings" menu at top of screen) at minimum and thinking game quality is poor.
• Problem: Scalability settings only affect editor rendering quality, not final packaged game quality. Outside testing, keep settings appropriate for your development PC specs.

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Initial Settings Checklist

Here's a summary of the 5 essential initial settings for UE5 project creation. Making these a "ritual" will prevent future troubles and let you focus on development.

Setting Item	Purpose	Location	Best Practice
1. Source Control	Development history management and safety	[Tools] > [Source Control]	Thoroughly exclude temp files with .gitignore
2. Maps & Game Mode	Game startup Level and rule definition	[Project Settings] > [Maps & Modes]	Set Game Default Map to title screen
3. Input Settings	Player control definition	[Project Settings] > [Engine] > [Input]	Switch to Enhanced Input System
4. Editor Language	Efficient troubleshooting	[Editor Preferences] > [Region & Language]	Recommend English development
5. Performance	Reduce PC load and smooth operation	Viewport [Realtime], [Editor Preferences]	Turn off [Realtime], limit framerate

Once these initial settings are complete, you're ready for serious game development. Enjoy your comfortable UE5 life!