Ever crashed your UE5 viewport because your GPU couldn’t keep up? You’re not alone. I’ve been there, trying to orbit around a dense scene, maybe something with too many Megascans assets or a bit too ambitious with Nanite meshes, and suddenly the whole editor grinds to a halt. Fans screaming. Screen frozen. Maybe even a hard crash if you’re lucky enough to have forgotten to save.

Here’s the thing: your GPU isn’t just there for fancy lighting or high-res previews. In Unreal Engine 5, your GPU can make or break your ability to work at all. I’ve seen viewport frame rates tank by 50% or more when VRAM runs out or when a card’s ray-tracing cores can’t keep up with Lumen’s real-time GI. And I’m not talking about cinematic renders here, I mean basic navigation in the editor, moving a light, tweaking a material.

If you’ve ever thought, “Eh, I’ll just get by with my old 2060”, I get it. But UE5 doesn’t care about your budget. It cares about those RT cores. That VRAM. That bandwidth. And if your GPU’s lacking, you’ll feel it. Hard.

So, what should you actually look for? And do you really need a $2,000 monster card, or can you get smart about where you spend?

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What Unreal Engine 5 really needs from a GPU (beyond flashy specs)

• The best GPUs for UE5 in 2025, and who they’re right for

• Real-world advice on picking the right card for your projects

• Common pitfalls to avoid when buying a GPU

• How to choose a GPU that fits your workflow and budget

• When cloud options like Vagon make more sense than buying

Let’s break it down.

What Unreal Engine Needs From a GPU

Let’s be real, Unreal Engine doesn’t care how shiny your GPU marketing slides look. What it actually needs boils down to a few key things. And if you’re not paying attention to these, you’re gonna have a rough time.

First: VRAM.
This is the big one people underestimate. Unreal loves VRAM. And I don’t mean 8 GB if you want to dabble with Nanite and Lumen on mid-sized scenes. We’re talking 16 GB minimum if you’re working with large assets, high-res textures, or anything involving virtual production. I’ve seen projects choke on a 12 GB card while the same scene cruises on a 24 GB one. The editor, viewport, light bakes, VRAM affects them all.

Second: Real-time ray-tracing (RT) cores and Tensor cores (if you’re on NVIDIA).
If you plan to use Lumen (and who doesn’t in UE5?) or mess with hardware ray-traced shadows, reflections, or GI, those RT cores do a lot of heavy lifting. And don’t even get me started on real-time path tracing for virtual production. Tensor cores? Those help with DLSS, letting you get better viewport FPS at lower internal resolutions without looking like a blurry mess.

Third: Bandwidth and memory speed.
This one flies under the radar. But when you’re streaming huge textures, virtual geometry, or complex lighting data? That fast GDDR6X or GDDR7 memory matters. It keeps things flowing without hitching when you pan around or scrub timelines.

Finally: driver stability + ecosystem.
NVIDIA still wins here (for now). I’ve had fewer headaches with their drivers across Unreal releases compared to AMD. That’s not to say AMD’s unworkable, but if you’re betting a paid gig or a tight deadline on your setup? Driver stability counts.

So yeah, Unreal doesn’t just need “a fast GPU.” It needs the right kind of fast. And ideally, one that won’t give up the moment you drop in your tenth 8K texture.

If you’re curious how far teams can push Unreal when they’ve got the right hardware, check out some of the top games made with Unreal Engine — they’re great benchmarks for what your rig might need to handle.

Best GPUs for Unreal Engine 5

Alright, let’s get something straight: Unreal Engine doesn’t care how flashy your GPU looks or what the marketing says. It cares about hard numbers, VRAM, RT cores, bandwidth. And if you don’t have enough of those? You’ll feel it the moment you open a heavy scene.

So, here’s my real-world take on the GPUs that actually make sense in 2025 for Unreal Engine development. I’m skipping the hype and focusing on what’s worked, and what hasn’t, in actual projects I’ve seen or touched.

#1. NVIDIA RTX 5090

If you want to run anything in Unreal Engine without compromise, this is the card. 32 GB of GDDR7 VRAM, new-gen ray tracing and AI cores that can keep Lumen, path tracing, Nanite, all of it, happy at once. I’ve seen this thing handle huge LED-wall setups, full virtual production scenes, no sweat.

But... it’s overkill for most of us. It pulls serious power (575 watts), it costs as much as a decent laptop, and unless you’re doing cinematic work or virtual production at scale, you’re paying for headroom you’ll never use.

Who’s it for? Big studios, virtual production pros, teams doing full cinematic pipelines.

#2. NVIDIA RTX 5080

This is where things get interesting. The 5080 lands at that sweet spot where you get serious firepower — 16 GB GDDR7 VRAM, strong ray tracing performance, future-proof for UE5+ — without the ridiculous price or PSU demands of a 5090.

In my opinion, this is the best balance for most pros or studios: enough VRAM for big projects, plenty of muscle for Lumen and Nanite, and more reasonable power draw (around 350W).

Who’s it for? Developers who want top-end performance but don’t want to deal with the insanity of a 5090 build.

#3. NVIDIA RTX 4090

The 4090 isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. With 24 GB GDDR6X VRAM and still killer ray tracing performance, it runs Unreal Engine 5 like a dream. Nanite-heavy scenes, Lumen GI, big texture sets, this card eats them up.

And the bonus? Prices are coming down as the 50-series takes over. You get high-end performance without the bleeding edge premium.

Who’s it for? Devs who want serious power at a slightly more sensible price.

#4. NVIDIA RTX 4080 and 4070 Super

Not everyone needs a flagship. The 4080 gives you 16 GB VRAM and strong ray tracing, great for 4K or large 1440p projects. The 4070 Super is tighter (12 GB VRAM), but I’ve seen plenty of devs happily pushing mid-sized projects with it, as long as they’re smart about asset sizes and LODs.

If you’re on a budget but still want to work comfortably in UE5, these are solid choices.

Who’s it for? Freelancers, indie devs, small studios who want capable cards without breaking the bank.

#5. AMD RX 7900 XTX and 7800 XT

I’ll be honest, I’ve always had a bit of a mixed experience running Unreal on AMD cards. The 7900 XTX offers a ton of VRAM (24 GB) and great raw performance, especially for geometry-heavy work. But if you’re leaning hard on Lumen or real-time ray tracing, NVIDIA’s still ahead.

The 7800 XT is a budget-friendly card that can handle 1440p development, but ray tracing performance is a step behind.

Who’s it for? Devs who don’t need heavy ray tracing, or who want the most VRAM per dollar.

#6. Workstation GPUs

You might think throwing an RTX Pro 6000 (96 GB VRAM!) or a Radeon Pro W9000 at Unreal will solve all problems. Truth is, unless you’re working on extreme virtual production, CAD-heavy scenes, or multi-4K rendering pipelines, these cards won’t magically make Unreal run better.

They’re amazing at what they’re built for, but that’s probably not your game dev workflow.

Who’s it for? Big studios with highly specialized workflows.

The short version? You want at least 16 GB of VRAM, strong ray tracing support, and drivers that won’t ruin your day. The best GPU for Unreal Engine isn’t the most expensive one, it’s the one that matches your actual workflow.

Real-World GPU Buying Advices

I’ve seen it (and done it) too many times: someone spends a fortune on a monster GPU and still ends up frustrated. Why? Because raw specs are just part of the picture. Here’s what really matters when you’re choosing a GPU for Unreal Engine, and where people go wrong.

Don’t obsess over just cores and clocks — VRAM matters more than you think

It’s easy to get caught up comparing teraflops or RT core counts. But the single biggest limiter I’ve seen in UE5 is VRAM. Run out of it, and your scene starts hitching, your viewport FPS tanks, or worse, your editor crashes when you load in that giant Megascans asset.

If you’re serious about UE5, aim for at least 16 GB VRAM. More if you’re doing virtual production or working with 8K textures, massive landscapes, or heavy Nanite scenes.

If you want to dig deeper into how Unreal really uses your graphics card, this guide to using your GPU on Unreal Engine breaks it down.

Power draw and cooling aren’t just side notes

A lot of folks underestimate this. Cards like the 4090 and 5090 draw serious power. That means:

• Your PSU needs to be up to the task, or you’ll run into crashes or throttling.

• Your case and cooling setup matter. Hot GPUs lead to thermal throttling, noisy fans, or both.

Don’t pair a power-hungry GPU with a PSU that barely meets spec. You’ll regret it when it shuts down mid-bake.

Watch out for connector and compatibility quirks

Especially on newer cards (looking at you, 5090). The new power connectors can run hot or loosen if your cable management isn’t spot on. If you’re building a rig for UE work, spend the time making sure your power delivery is solid, it’s not just “enthusiast builder” nitpicking.

Don’t ignore drivers and software stability

This is one of those boring things that only matters when it goes wrong, but when it does, it’s brutal. NVIDIA tends to edge out AMD here for Unreal workflows. I’ve seen fewer weird crashes, fewer Lumen glitches, and better compatibility with path tracing and DLSS on NVIDIA setups.

That said, AMD’s drivers have improved. Just be ready for the occasional quirk, especially on new engine versions.

And hey, if Unreal ever throws a tantrum, these common Unreal Engine problems and solutions might save you a headache.

Avoid over-buying where it doesn’t help

This is a big one. A 5090 sounds great, until you realize you’re spending thousands on power you’ll never use because your scenes aren’t that complex, or you’re shipping for mobile, or you’re mostly doing pre-baked lighting anyway.

Ask yourself:

• Am I really doing massive real-time scenes?

• Am I shipping 4K or just editing at that resolution?

• Do I need that much RT performance, or could I spend that money on RAM, SSDs, or better monitors?

A balanced build beats a lopsided one every time.

If you’re planning ahead, take a peek at what’s new with Unreal Engine 5.6 — those new features might just change your hardware needs.

How to Choose the Right GPU for Your Workflow

Alright, so you’ve seen what these GPUs can do. But here’s the part that actually matters: figuring out what you need. Not what some YouTuber’s $10,000 rig has. Not what looks good on a spec sheet. What works for your scenes, your projects, your budget.

Let’s break it down.

If you’re a solo developer, indie, or small team

You’re probably not building multi-camera virtual production stages or pushing 8K real-time path tracing. What you need is a GPU that gives you:

• Smooth viewport performance (no stutters when you move the camera)

• Enough VRAM to comfortably load your assets (16 GB is a safe baseline)

• Solid ray tracing for Lumen if you’re using it in editor or shipping RT features

Best picks:

• RTX 4080: A great balance of VRAM, RT performance, and power draw.

• RTX 4070 Super: Works fine for mid-size projects if you manage assets carefully.

• AMD RX 7900 XTX: Solid if you want lots of VRAM at a lower price and aren’t relying heavily on RT features.

If you’re still learning the ropes, there are some fantastic tutorials for learning Unreal Engine that’ll help you make the most of your GPU.

If you’re part of a larger studio or doing serious virtual production

Here’s where the big guns start making sense. You’re dealing with:

• Massive scenes, maybe across multiple machines

• Real-time path tracing, LED walls, multi-4K outputs

• Heavy reliance on Lumen, Nanite, complex shaders

Best picks:

• RTX 5090: For when no compromises are allowed.

• RTX 5080: A great choice if you want most of that 5090 power at lower cost/power use.

• RTX Pro workstation cards: Only if your pipeline truly needs massive VRAM and enterprise driver features.

If you’re budget-conscious or focusing on non-RT workflows

Maybe you’re doing mobile-targeted games, stylized projects with baked lighting, or simpler scenes. No need to spend extra on RT cores you’re not using.

Best picks:

• RTX 4070 Super: Great efficiency, handles mid-tier scenes well.

• AMD RX 7800 XT: Budget-friendly for 1440p dev work, as long as RT isn’t critical.

Before splurging on hardware, it might pay off to sharpen your skills with one of these top Unreal Engine courses and classes. Sometimes optimization beats brute force.

A few final questions to ask yourself before buying

• How big are my scenes — really?

• Am I shipping with real-time ray tracing, or just using it for lookdev?

• Do I care more about viewport FPS, or final render quality?

• Am I prepared to upgrade my PSU/cooling if I go big on GPU?

If you answer those honestly, you’ll have a much clearer idea of what makes sense, and what’s just specs-for-the-sake-of-specs.

Choosing smart assets helps too — check out these best Unreal Engine assets that won’t wreck your performance.

Why Vagon Could Be the Smarter Move

Here’s the thing about all these GPUs we’ve talked about: they’re powerful, sure, but they’re also expensive, power-hungry, and often overkill for day-to-day work. They need serious cooling, eat up space in your rig, and force you to think about power supplies, airflow, and future upgrades. And sometimes? You don’t even need that kind of muscle full-time. Just for certain projects, bakes, or tests.

That’s where Vagon Cloud Computer can make a huge difference. I’ve used it when I didn’t want to upgrade my hardware mid-project, or when my local machine simply wasn’t cutting it for a specific task. The beauty of it? You can spin up a powerful cloud machine, equipped with the kind of high-end GPUs we’ve been talking about, in minutes. No building. No worrying about whether your PSU can handle it. No wondering if it’ll fit in your case.

And here’s something I really like about it: you can use any device you want to access it. Your laptop. Your Mac. A tablet. Even a basic desktop. As long as you’ve got a good internet connection, you can tap into that power, from anywhere. It’s not tied to the hardware sitting under your desk.

Where does that help?

• Testing performance before buying: Wondering if your scene really needs a 5090? Or if that extra VRAM makes a difference? Try it in the cloud before dropping thousands.

• Heavy bakes, path-traced renders, or large builds: When your local machine would take hours (or days), cloud hardware can speed things up, no local strain.

• Collaborating with teammates: Not everyone on your team has a top-tier GPU. With Vagon, they don’t need to. Everyone can access the same firepower from whatever device they have.

• Scaling as your project grows: Maybe you started small, but now your scene’s ballooned. Instead of rushing to upgrade your rig, you can just spin up what you need, when you need it.

Vagon isn’t about replacing your machine unless you want it to be. It’s about having options, about getting the performance you need, when you need it, without the upfront cost, hassle, or hardware constraints.

Want a deeper look at how this works? Here’s a guide on using Unreal Engine on a cloud computer so you can see what setup suits you best.

Final Thoughts

If there’s one thing Unreal Engine has taught me, it’s that chasing the “best GPU” isn’t about buying the biggest, priciest card on the shelf. It’s about finding the right fit for your work. A 5090 might be incredible, but if your projects aren’t pushing massive real-time ray tracing or virtual production pipelines, that power mostly goes unused. On the flip side, trying to get by with too little VRAM or weak RT cores will leave you frustrated the moment your scenes get ambitious.

The smartest choice? One that gives you the performance you need, leaves headroom for where you’re headed, and doesn’t waste the budget you could have spent on RAM, storage, or better displays. Unreal rewards balanced builds. And honestly, no single GPU makes up for poor planning elsewhere in your setup.

That’s where cloud options like Vagon Cloud Computer can help, too. You don’t always need to own the biggest GPU. Sometimes, it’s smarter (and cheaper) to rent that firepower only when you need it, whether it’s for a big render, a complex test, or a project with higher hardware demands than usual.

In the end, the best GPU for Unreal Engine is the one that keeps up with your creative ideas without slowing you down.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I really need a high-end GPU for Unreal Engine 5?
Not always. It depends on what you’re building. If you’re working with small scenes, stylized art, or pre-baked lighting, you can get by with mid-range cards (like an RTX 4070 Super or RX 7800 XT). But if you’re using Nanite, Lumen, or real-time path tracing, you’ll want at least 16 GB VRAM and strong ray tracing cores.

2. Is VRAM more important than ray tracing cores?
Both matter, but if I had to pick, VRAM causes more headaches when you run short. Unreal loves VRAM for textures, geometry, lightmaps, and virtual shadow maps. If you run out, you’ll feel it fast. Ray tracing cores help with Lumen and path tracing, but you can work around lower RT performance more easily than low memory.

3. Can I use AMD GPUs for Unreal Engine development?
Yes, absolutely, but with caveats. AMD cards like the RX 7900 XTX offer great raw power and lots of VRAM for the price. However, AMD’s ray tracing performance still lags behind NVIDIA, and their drivers can be hit-or-miss with some Unreal features (especially Lumen and path tracing). If you don’t need heavy ray tracing, AMD can be a solid choice.

4. What’s the minimum GPU I should consider for UE5?
I wouldn’t go lower than an RTX 4070 Super (with 12 GB VRAM) if you’re on NVIDIA, or an RX 7800 XT (with 16 GB VRAM) if you’re going with AMD. Anything less, and you’ll be fighting with performance the moment your scene complexity grows.

5. Is it better to buy a GPU or use cloud options like Vagon?
It depends how often you need high-end power. If Unreal is your daily tool and you’re working on large projects constantly, investing in a good GPU makes sense. But if you only need top-tier performance occasionally, for big builds, bakes, or tests, cloud machines like Vagon can save you money and hassle.

6. Does Unreal Engine benefit from workstation GPUs?
Not in most cases. Workstation cards (like RTX Pro series) don’t magically boost Unreal performance for standard game or visualization workflows. They’re designed for very specific use cases, massive datasets, CAD, scientific viz, not for typical UE scenes.

7. Can I mix an older CPU with a high-end GPU for Unreal?
You can, but don’t expect miracles. Unreal is demanding on both CPU and GPU, especially during light bakes and compiling shaders. If your CPU’s old, you’ll hit bottlenecks even with a great GPU. Aim for a balanced build, both matter.

8. What resolution should I target when choosing a GPU for Unreal?
If you’re editing at 1440p, mid-high GPUs (4070 Super, 4080, 7900 XTX) are usually fine. For 4K or multi-monitor setups, or if you’re doing virtual production / LED walls, you’ll want a 4090, 5080, or better.