I created a lightweight Unreal Engine 5 project template designed for Ludum Dare and other short game jams.

The template focuses on fast startup, good performance on weaker hardware, and a small project footprint. It removes unnecessary features and keeps the number of enabled plugins to a minimum, giving you a clean starting point for building a game.

Main features

• Built for Unreal Engine 5.8
• Supports Windows, Linux, and macOS
• Forward Shading enabled
• SMAA anti-aliasing
• Bloom enabled
• Motion Blur and Depth of Field disabled
• Lightweight rendering and scalability settings
• Minimal startup map
• Reduced number of enabled plugins
• Packaging helper for all supported platforms
• Editor validation script for checking important settings

The project is available as a GitHub template, so you can create a fresh repository from it using the Use this template button.

Download or use the template on GitHub

I hope it helps other Unreal Engine developers spend less time configuring a project and more time making their Ludum Dare game.

Feedback and contributions are welcome!