Getting Started with Unreal Engine 5 C++: Setting Up Your First Project

Introduction

When I started with Unreal Engine 5, I found the idea of coding directly in C++ a little intimidating. Most tutorials focus on Blueprints, but I wanted to dive deeper into the engine’s core systems. This post is both my notes and a guide for anyone starting their Unreal C++ journey. We’ll create a new C++ project, look at the default setup, and write our very first line of Unreal C++ code.

Prerequisites

Before we start, make sure you have:

Unreal Engine 5 (latest version) installed.
When I started with Unreal Engine 5, I found the idea of coding directly in C++ a little intimidating. Most tutorials focus on Blueprints, but I wanted to dive deeper into the engine’s core systems. This post is both my notes and a guide for anyone starting their Unreal C++ journey. We’ll create a new C++ project, look at the default setup, and write our very first line of Unreal C++ code.

Prerequisites

Before we start, make sure you have:

Unreal Engine 5 (latest version) installed.

Visual Studio (Windows) or Rider for Unreal (cross-platform).

Basic understanding of C++ (helpful but not required—you can pick it up as we go).

Step 1: Create a New C++ Project

Open the Epic Games Launcher and click Unreal Engine → Launch.

Select Games and then click Next.

Choose a template (e.g., “Third Person”) → Click Next.

Under Project Type, select C++ instead of Blueprints.

Give it a name (e.g., UE5CPPStarter) and click Create.

At this point, Unreal will generate both the engine files and C++ classes for you.

Step 2: Explore the Default Classes

When the project opens, you’ll see some automatically generated code:

GameModeBase → Controls the game rules.

Character / Pawn → Represents players or controllable actors.

PlayerController → Handles player input.

These are the building blocks of every Unreal C++ project. Don’t worry if they feel abstract—we’ll use them often.

Step 3: Write Your First Unreal C++ Code

Let’s add a simple log message. Open any C++ class (e.g., YourProjectCharacter.cpp) and add this inside BeginPlay():

void AYourProjectCharacter::BeginPlay()
{
    Super::BeginPlay();

    // Print a message to the Output Log when the game starts
    UE_LOG(LogTemp, Warning, TEXT("Hello Unreal from C++!"));
}

Now press Play in the Unreal Editor.
Open the Output Log (Window → Developer Tools → Output Log), and you’ll see your message printed.

Step 4: Run and Test

If everything is set up correctly, you should see:

LogTemp: Warning: Hello Unreal from C++!

Congratulations! You’ve just written and run your first Unreal Engine 5 C++ code.

Common Errors (and Fixes)

Visual Studio not showing Unreal symbols? → Make sure you installed “Game Development with C++” workload.

Hot reload fails? → Close Unreal, build the solution in Visual Studio, and reopen.

No Output Log? → Enable it from Window → Developer Tools → Output Log.

Conclusion

We now have a working Unreal Engine 5 C++ project and successfully ran our first log statement. This may seem small, but it’s a critical first step toward building gameplay systems.

In my next post, I’ll dive into Player Input in Unreal C++, where we’ll map keys and make our character move.

What was the biggest challenge you faced when starting with Unreal C++? Share your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to learn from your experience too!