Unreal Engine 5 C++ Multiplayer CRASH COURSE

Unreal Engine 5 C++ Multiplayer CRASH COURSE
Published 7/2025
Duration: 5h | .MP4 1280×720 30 fps(r) | AAC, 44100 Hz, 2ch | 3.67 GB

Quickly learn the fundamentals of Unreal Engine’s Multiplayer Framework!

What you’ll learn
– Learn how multiplayer works in Unreal Engine 5
– Learn how the different core classes work in the engine such as the Game Mode, Game State, Player State, Player Controller, Character, and more
– Learn attachment, component replication, replication conditions, and custom replication
– Learn the pitfalls of multiplayer and how to avoid them

Requirements
– Basic understanding of Unreal Engine and C++ is required

Description
It’s time to learn Multiplayer Gameplay Programming in Unreal Engine!

In this CRASH COURSE, you will quickly learn the fundamentals of Unreal Engine Multiplayer. You will gain the skills to program multiplayer gameplay in any game genre!

Many students struggle with multiplayer. Trust me, I’ve been there! In my 10+ years of experience of Unreal Engine gameplay programming, I’ve learned many lessons the hard way. I’ve found that multiplayer gameplay programming can be easy, as long as you understand the core principles behind multiplayer theory and how Unreal Engine’s framework is built aroundmultiplayer at its core.

To program your games for multiplayer,you don’t have to be an expert.You simply need to learn the basic concepts behind what makes multiplayer games work. This course is a condensed summary of the core principles you must understand to program multiplayer games.

This course dives deep into multiplayer theories, and you will be presented with a challenge to test your understanding of each topic so that you can get hands-on experience implementing each technique. After trying out each challenge on your own, you will then watch me solve each challenge and provide you with the steps to complete the problem. Each topic is summarized in a concise recap, and each section ends with a quiz to test your understanding so that you can continue onto the next topic with confidence.

This course is structured into the following sections:

MULTIPLAYER FUNDAMENTALS

We will introduce the core multiplayer terms and concepts, including:

The Client-Server Model- how it differs from Peer-to-Peer connections, and how Unreal Engine uses this model

Testing Multiplayer- How you can easily simulate standalone, listen server, and dedicated server games in the engine’s Play-In-Editor (PIE)

Listen Servers Via Steam- I provide you with a plugin that allows you to quickly connect to other players via the Steam Online Subsystem

ACTOR REPLICATION

Authority and Net Role- Once you understand these simple yet crucial concepts, you will understand how to determine which machine a given Actor is on, affording you the power to make important gameplay decisions for your logic

Attachment- All games involve some form of attachment. You must learn how attachment works in multiplayer for Actors (or doesn’t work, if you don’t know what you’re doing)

Ownership- You cannot program in multiplayer effectively unless you understand whatOwnershipmeans in Unreal Engine. This includes owning connection: which machine is in charge of the object in question. This will be demystified for you in this lecture.

Actor Components- Components can replicate too, but you need to understand how that happens, and how their owning net connection is tied to their owning Actor.

REMOTE FUNCTIONS

Run on Client- When you need to call a function on the server and have it execute on the owning client, Client RPCs are your go-to.

Run on Server- While replication only works from server-to-client, Server RPCs are how you get information from client to server.

Multicast- With great power comes great responsibility. To call a function on the server and have it run on all clients, Multicast RPCs are the tool to use.

RPC Validation- Multiplayer programmers will quickly learn that they can’t trust clients not to cheat (or at least try). Validation functions allow you to make sure the data looks good, or kick the player otherwise

Relevancy and Priority- Net updates aren’t just always happening – sometimes, Actors aren’t relevant to other Actors. In addition, some Actors must replicate more often than others. This lecture shows you how relevancy and priority works.

CLASS FRAMEWORK

Understanding which class is designed for which task can greatly simplify your project’s overall structure. You must understand what each core engine class is used for to program your games for multiplayer effectively.

The Game Mode- Avoid noob mistakes like trying to access the Game Mode on clients. Learn how the Game Mode dictates the rules of the game and the default classes that are spawned

The Game State- Information about the game, which needs to replicate to clients, is stored on this class.

The Player State- Where should you store your players’ scores? Their teams? Player-specific data rests on this very important class

The Player Controller- Representing you as a player, the Player Controller owns your net connection and your Pawn or Character traces its ownership back to this class

Pawn and Character- Every player needs a visible Avatar. How do they work in multiplayer? This lecture has you covered

HUD and Widgets- How are these visual elements handled in multiplayer? Can you replicate them? (spoiler: you can’t!)

Static Accessor Functions- Why do we always call these functions, passing in a 0 for the player index when we don’t really know what to pass in? Beware of the pitfalls when using these static accessor functions, and the alternatives you can use instead when unsure

TRAVEL IN MULTIPLAYER

At some point, your game needs to change levels. All connected players in a multiplayer game must be moved to another level. How does this work? You will learn how.

Travel- We discuss the different travel types and how to implement them.

Implementing Seamless Travel- The final challenge to this course, you will implement seamless travel, migrating each client in the game to another map without disconnecting them.

By the end of this course, you will fully understand the fundamentals of the Unreal Engine multiplayer framework. You will be able to program your games for multiplayer, no matter the genre. This course will serve you as a reference manual you can refer back to, skipping to lectures specific to each topic for a refresher.

I recommend that all of my students take this course before taking any of my more advanced multiplayer courses!

This course assumes you already understand the basics of Unreal Engine C++. If you have made at least one Unreal Engine C++ project, or you have completed my Unreal Engine 5 C++ – The Ultimate Game Developer Course, you’re ready.

Ready to finally understand how multiplayer works in Unreal Engine? It’s not difficult! You just have to understand the fundamentals.

I’ll see you soon,

Stephen

Who this course is for:
– Those who wish to learn Unreal Engine multiplayer
– Those who wish to upgrade their single-player projects for multiplayer
– Those who wish to tackle advanced Unreal Engine multiplayer concepts like GAS
More Info

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