⚙️ Project Settings

Project Settings Overview

Project Settings is the central hub for configuring your entire project. It affects everything from how the game launches to platform-specific behaviors. Understanding its organization helps you find and configure options efficiently.

Accessing Project Settings

Open Project Settings via:

• Edit → Project Settings from the menu bar
• Or press the Settings button in the toolbar → Project Settings

Settings Categories

Project Settings is organized into categories on the left panel:

Figure: Project Settings interface with categories and configuration panel.

Important Settings for Packaging

Before packaging, you'll configure settings in these key areas:

• Project → Description: Game name, version, icon, splash
• Project → Maps & Modes: Default maps, game mode
• Project → Packaging: Build configuration, included content
• Engine → Rendering: Quality settings, features to include
• Platforms → [Target]: Platform-specific options

Project Description & Branding

The Description settings define your game's identity—what players see before launching and in system dialogs. Professional branding makes your game feel polished.

Project → Description

Project Icons

Icons appear in various places—file explorer, taskbar, launchers:

• Project Icon: Main icon (256×256 PNG recommended)
• Platform-specific icons are set in each Platform section
• Windows needs .ico format (can set in Windows platform settings)

Splash Screen

The splash screen displays while the game loads:

Project → Movies:

• Startup Movies: Videos to play on launch (MP4/WMV)
• Add your studio logo animation or game intro
• Can set multiple movies to play in sequence
• Wait for Movies to Complete: Block until finished

Engine → General Settings → Game Default Map:

• A loading screen can be a simple level with UI
• Or use a Loading Screen plugin

Figure: Branding appears in icons, splash screens, and window elements.

Maps and Game Modes

These settings determine what happens when your game starts—which level loads first and what game logic runs. Getting these right is essential for a working packaged game.

Project → Maps & Modes

Default Maps

Default Game Mode

The Game Mode defines:

• Default Pawn Class (player character)
• Player Controller Class
• HUD Class
• Game State Class
• Spawn and gameplay rules

Local vs Global Settings

Game Mode can be set at multiple levels:

1. Per-Level: World Settings in each level
2. Project Default: Maps & Modes setting
3. URL Parameter: Command line override

Priority: Per-Level overrides Project Default.

Figure: Game startup requires Default Map and Game Mode to be configured.

Maps to Include in Build

By default, packaging includes only maps referenced by your game. To ensure specific maps are included:

Project → Packaging → List of maps to include:

• Add maps that might be loaded dynamically
• Include all levels your game needs
• Maps not referenced and not in this list won't be packaged

Rendering Settings

Rendering settings affect visual quality, performance, and which features are available. Configure these based on your target platform and desired quality level.

Engine → Rendering

Key Settings

Mobile-Specific Settings

• Mobile HDR: Enable for better lighting on mobile
• Mobile MSAA: Anti-aliasing level for mobile
• Support Movable Directional Lights: May need to disable for performance

Project → Target Hardware

These presets configure multiple settings at once:

Disabling Unused Features

Disable features you don't use to reduce package size and improve performance:

• Engine → Rendering → VR: Disable if not making VR game
• Engine → Rendering → Mobile: Disable if not targeting mobile
• Plugins: Disable unused plugins in Edit → Plugins

Figure: Different platforms use different rendering feature sets.

Hands-On: Configuring Project Settings

Let's configure your project settings to prepare for packaging. You'll set up project identity, default maps, and ensure rendering settings are appropriate for your target platform.

Part 1: Project Description

Step 1: Open Project Settings

1. Go to Edit → Project Settings
2. Or use the Settings dropdown in toolbar
3. The Project Settings window opens

Step 2: Configure Description

1. In left panel, click Project → Description
2. Fill in the following fields:
   • Project Name: Your game's display name
   • Company Name: Your studio/developer name
   • Company Distinguished Name: com.yourcompany (for mobile)
   • Project Version: 1.0.0
   • Description: Brief description of your game
   • Homepage: Your website (optional)
   • Support Contact: Support email (optional)

Step 3: Set Project Icon

1. Scroll to About section in Description
2. Find Project Displayed Title and Project Debug Title Info
3. For the icon, you'll set platform-specific icons later
4. For now, note where these settings are located

Figure: Required vs recommended description settings.

Part 2: Maps and Modes

Step 4: Set Default Map

1. In left panel, click Project → Maps & Modes
2. Find Default Maps section
3. Set Game Default Map:
   • Click the dropdown
   • Select your main menu level OR first gameplay level
   • This is the level that loads when the packaged game starts
4. Optionally set Editor Startup Map to your working level

Step 5: Set Default Game Mode

1. In the same Maps & Modes section
2. Find Default Modes
3. Set Default GameMode:
   • Select your custom Game Mode Blueprint
   • Or leave as None if using per-level overrides
4. If using a custom Game Mode, verify it specifies:
   • Default Pawn Class
   • Player Controller Class
   • HUD Class (if applicable)

Step 6: Verify Level Settings

1. Open your main gameplay level
2. Go to Window → World Settings
3. Check GameMode Override:
   • If set, this overrides the project default for this level
   • Clear it if you want to use the project default

Part 3: Verify Packaging Settings

Step 7: Check Packaging Options

1. Go to Project → Packaging
2. Review these key settings:
   • Build Configuration: Shipping (for release)
   • Build Target: Usually left default
   • Full Rebuild: Enable for final builds

Step 8: Maps to Include

1. Still in Packaging section
2. Find List of maps to include in a packaged build
3. If you load maps dynamically (via Open Level), add them here
4. Click + to add map paths
5. Maps referenced in Blueprints are usually included automatically

Step 9: Additional Content

1. Find Additional Asset Directories to Cook
2. Add paths to any folders with content not directly referenced
3. Find Additional Non-Asset Directories to Copy
4. Add folders with non-asset files (config files, etc.)

Part 4: Platform Settings (Windows)

Step 10: Windows-Specific Settings

1. Go to Platforms → Windows
2. Configure:
   • Default RHI: Default (auto-selects best)
   • Targeted RHIs: Check DirectX 11 and/or DirectX 12

Step 11: Set Windows Icon (Optional)

1. In Platforms → Windows
2. Find Icon section
3. Set icon file path (.ico format)
4. If you don't have an .ico, you can create one online from a PNG

Part 5: Rendering Verification

Step 12: Check Rendering Settings

1. Go to Engine → Rendering
2. Verify settings match your needs:
   • Global Illumination: Lumen (or Screen Space for lower-end)
   • Reflections: Lumen (or Screen Space)
   • Anti-Aliasing: TSR or TAA

Step 13: Disable Unused Features

1. If not making a VR game:
   • Engine → Rendering → VR: Uncheck all
2. If not targeting mobile:
   • Project → Target Hardware: Ensure set to Desktop

Figure: Complete this checklist before packaging.

Part 6: Final Verification

Step 14: Test in Standalone

1. Click the dropdown next to Play button
2. Select Standalone Game
3. Play and verify:
   • Correct level loads
   • Game mode works
   • Character spawns correctly
   • All gameplay functions

Step 15: Save Everything

1. File → Save All (Ctrl+Shift+S)
2. Ensure all levels are saved
3. Project Settings auto-saves, but verify by reopening

Troubleshooting

Bonus: Config Files

Project Settings are stored in .ini files in your project's Config folder:

• DefaultGame.ini: Project description, maps & modes
• DefaultEngine.ini: Engine settings, rendering
• DefaultInput.ini: Input mappings
• DefaultEditor.ini: Editor preferences

You can edit these directly, but using the Project Settings UI is safer and easier.

Summary

In this lesson, you've learned to navigate and configure Unreal Engine 5's Project Settings. Proper configuration ensures your packaged game launches correctly, looks professional, and runs with appropriate settings for your target platform.

Key Concepts

Project Settings Organization: Settings are grouped into Project (description, maps, packaging), Engine (rendering, audio, physics), Platforms (Windows, mobile, consoles), and Plugins. Use the search bar to find specific settings quickly.

Project Description: Defines your game's identity—name, company, version, description. These appear in file properties, about dialogs, and store listings. Set icons and splash screens for professional presentation.

Maps & Modes: Game Default Map is critical—it's the level that loads when your packaged game starts. Default GameMode determines player spawning and game rules. Missing these settings causes black screens or crashes.

Rendering Settings: Choose features appropriate for your target platform. High-end PCs can use Lumen and Nanite; mid-range systems may need Screen Space alternatives; mobile requires lightweight features. Disable unused features to reduce package size.

Platform Settings: Each platform has specific configuration options. For Windows, set target RHIs (DirectX versions) and icons. Other platforms have their own requirements.

Essential Settings Reference

Pre-Packaging Checklist

Best Practices

• Always set Game Default Map: Empty = broken packaged game
• Use Shipping for release: Development builds include debug code
• Test in Standalone: Verify before packaging
• Match features to target: Don't enable Lumen for low-end targets
• Disable unused features: Reduces package size and improves performance
• Set version numbers: Helps track releases and updates
• Create proper icons: Professional appearance matters
• Save all before packaging: Unsaved changes won't be included

Figure: Configure settings, verify in Standalone, optimize, then package.

What's Next?

Now that your project settings are configured, the next lesson covers Optimization. You'll learn techniques to improve performance, reduce package size, and ensure smooth gameplay before final packaging.

Knowledge Check