Mastering Unreal Engine 5 Game Development with C++ Scripting: Build efficient, scalable gameplay systems using advanced C++ in UE5 - Softcover

Marco Secchi

Softcover

ISBN 10: 180666593X ISBN 13: 9781806665938

Publisher: Packt Publishing, 2026

Synopsis

Advance your gameplay programming skills by mastering Unreal Engine 5 C++ scripting for efficient, scalable, and high-performance systems

Free with your book: DRM-free PDF version + access to Packt's next-gen Reader*

Key Features

• Write efficient C++ code for scalable gameplay systems in Unreal Engine 5
• Optimize performance using advanced engine systems and architecture techniques
• Apply concepts through a real-world project to build production-ready gameplay

Book Description

Modern game development demands performance, scalability, and control that visual scripting alone cannot provide. Unreal Engine 5’s C++ system offers this power, but mastering it requires a deeper understanding of engine architecture and gameplay design.

In this book, you’ll learn how to use C++ to build efficient gameplay systems, optimize performance, and structure scalable game architectures. You’ll explore core engine systems, implement complex logic, and use profiling and debugging techniques to refine and improve your code.

Guided by real-world examples and a practical project, you’ll apply these concepts in realistic development scenarios, gaining the confidence to manage complexity and make informed technical decisions. By the end of this book, you’ll be able to design, develop, and optimize advanced gameplay systems in Unreal Engine 5 using C++.

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What you will learn

• Write clean, optimized C++ code for Unreal Engine 5
• Work with Unreal Engine architecture for scalable systems
• Use pointers efficiently to improve runtime performance
• Apply event-driven programming with C++ and Blueprints
• Use Unreal Engine macros to extend gameplay systems
• Build Blueprint-accessible, optimized C++ components
• Implement data-driven gameplay systems in real projects

Who this book is for

This book is for experienced Unreal Engine developers and gameplay programmers looking to deepen their C++ expertise and build scalable, high-performance gameplay systems. A solid understanding of Unreal Engine and C++ is required.

Table of Contents

1. Analyzing the Unreal Engine Build Pipeline
2. Understanding the Engine Reflection System
3. Mastering Macros
4. Getting the Best out of Pointers
5. Handling Event-Driven Architectures
6. Working with Data Structures
7. Improving Your Code with Subsystems
8. Understanding Multithreading and Concurrency
9. Working with the Log System
10. Developing Plugins and Modules
11. Testing Your Application

About this title

About the Author

Marco Secchi is a freelance game developer who graduated in computer engineering at the Polytechnic University of Milan. He is a lecturer and lead game advisor at Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (NABA) where he also mentors BA students in their final thesis projects. In his spare time, he reads a lot, plays video games (less than he would like), and tries to practice CrossFit.

Edition details

• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 180666593X
• ISBN 13: 9781806665938
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 270