The best Unreal Engine 5 remakes show why Epic Game’s powerful real-time development toolset has become so popular for making games. We’ve seen everything from official remakes of AAA games from big developers to fan recreations of their favourite retro titles in stunning 3D realism.
We’ve got Konami’s Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater coming out in August 2025. Meanwhile, fans have reimagined classics from Super Mario World to Sonic Adventures. The range of these projects, from commercial remakes to passion projects, demonstrate the versatility of the software and show how UE5 is making high-end cutting-edge graphics more accessible for enthusiasts and indie devs.
The best Unreal Engine 5 remakes
06. Super Mario World
One of the great things about Unreal Engine 5 is that it’s free to use until you make big money from a game. That’s led to a boom in personal fan and enthusiast projects dedicated to enhancing classic games from the past with modern visuals.
Bobby Ivar has reimagined Super Mario World in 3D, recreating every element in levels 1 and 2, and Yoshi’s island in Unreal Engine 5. The gameplay videos show that the result retains the core design of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System game but adds 3D texture for a new perspective.
There’s no playable version available (and Nintendo would likely put a stop to it if there were), but Bobby’s shared a making-of video (below) where he shows how he approached the project.
He began by making 3D models of all of the 2D sprites used in the original game. Each part of the scenery is treated separately, including platform tiles, tree assets and the iconic clouds. Highlights are Monty Mole’s movement patterns and negotiating the how the Piranha Plants should interact with Mario as he runs past them.
05. Tony Hawk’s Underground
Mitch Theriault AKA MitchMakesGames on YouTube has been remaking the landmark skateboarding game Tony Hawk’s Underground as a personal project, over the past couple of years, and it looks sublime.
In an initial video back in late 2023, he shows how he came up with a process to get the original geometry and models into Unreal Engine 5 to be able to use them as a template. He worked on the New Jersey map first, using UE5 and the 3D modelling software Blender to replace props and materials before adding a basic skateboarding controller and creating the first mission as a proof of concept.
A more recent video brings in cars using a mix of existing models and new assets to replicate the look and functionality of the vehicles from the first two levels of the game. The main character was replicated using Unreal Engine’s Metahuman tools, taking the original game’s face model in place of a 3D scan.
04. Sonic Adventure 2 Redux
A lot of Sonic fans were unconvinced by the blue blur’s transition to 3D in the Sonic Adventure games of the early noughties. They were perhaps a bit overambitious for their time, but that makes them perfect candidates for an Unreal Engine 5 remake.
YouTuber JeliLiam shows how today’s tech can help achieve the vision developers might have had for the graphics of early noughties 3D games. The recreations of several levels from Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 retain a lot of respect for the originals but upgrade the lighting and the level of detail to make the game world feel more real and immersive.
You can download a demo from Game Jolt.
04. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
![Unreal Engine 5 [5.5] Zelda Ocarina Of Time - Kakariko Village [Updated 2#] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/mjlvIJSvFx4/maxresdefault.jpg)
Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the first Zelda with 3D graphics. That was a leap forward in 1998, but the low-poly art looks dated in 2025. How would it look with the more realistic 3D visuals that can be created today?
CryZENx has been working on an epic Unreal Engine remake of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for years with a range of collaborators and has reached a point where several levels are now available via the dev’s Patreon.
Gameplay videos on YouTube provide walkthroughs of Zora’s Domain, the Zora River and Kakariko Village with lush detail and sumptuous lighting. In Kakariko Village, players can now enter some houses and fight several enemies. Players can also use their ocarina, collect items, break objects and speak with NPCs. There are also in-engine cut-scenes.
This fan project shows a real passion for the original game in the amount of respect for original details like how the people in the village run with their legs moving faster than they move. A lot of fans are impressed with the faithfulness of the recreation, saying it looks like how they remember (or how they imagined) the original game.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater seems to confirm Konami’s move from its proprietary engine to Unreal Engine 5 – a strong commendation for Epic’s platform. The remake of the third in the Metal Gear Solid series is essentially a modern facelift, respecting the original vision but with today’s tech and rebuilt environments.
It feels nostalgic but totally contemporary too. We might be a bit preemptive including this so high in our list, and some have argued that the use of original animations clashes with the higher detail on the new models, but the character models showcase the power of UE5 perfectly with the incredible level of detail achieved.
With an August 28 release date, we’ll soon see if our impressions are confirmed. You can find the game on Steam.
Silent Hill 2
With its bleak fog-drenched atmosphere, the original Silent Hill 2 was a creepy game when it was released back in 2001. The modern Silent Hill 2 remake now ensures that Konami’s classic survival horror continues to retain its place as a strong for scariest game ever in 2025.
It’s obvious from the moment that the town appears through the fog for the first time why this was a game deserved an Unreal Engine 5 remake, and the creepy new details in the Blue Creek Apartments confirm it.
In our Silent Hill 2 review, we found Bloober’s makeover to be a genuinely additive that offers a fresh perspective on the game’s worlds. The camera is closer to the action, making the game feel more immersive and claustrophobic. The layout feels faithful enough to the original but with the rich detail that’s possible today, making our nightmares from 25 years ago now look even more vivid.
There have been plenty of other Unreal Engine remakes (and remasters). What do you think? Do you have a favourite UE5 remake that we missed? Let us know in the comments section below.
For inspiration for your own work, see our guide to game art styles and where to get free game assets. We’ve also interviewed some of the best indie game developers, including indie devs who have used Unreal Engine.
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