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Install and configure the Unity Gaming Services Software Development Kit plug-in for Unreal Engine.

Read time 3 minutes

Last updated 18 days ago

Use the following instructions to learn how to install and configure the Unity Gaming Services SDK plug-in. After you’ve installed and configured the Unity Gaming Services SDK for your project, you can use C++ or Blueprints for Unity Matchmaker.

What's included

The Unity Gaming Services SDK includes the following Unity services built into one plugin:

Understand the requirements

The Matchmaker SDK plug-in for Unreal Engine supports the Unreal Engine versions 4.27 to 5.3.

Note

The Unity Matchmaker matches players into dedicated servers allocated through your game server hosting provider. Refer to Matchmaker hosting providers to integrate a provider using Cloud Code modules.

Warning

Unity Matchmaker uses a protocol called Centrifuge to handle events on the server. This is contained in the plugin module

MatchmakerServer

. Centrifuge is not supported on non-PC platforms. Exclude the

MatchmakerServer

module from Client builds using Multiple Game Modules and

TargetAllowList

in the

.uproject

file.

Download the Matchmaker SDK

From the Unreal Engine Marketplace website

Sign in to the Unreal Engine Marketplace.
Access the Unity Gaming Services SDK for Unreal Engine Marketplace page.
Select Open in Launcher.
Skip to Step 4 in From the Epic Games Launcher.

From the Epic Games Launcher

Sign in to your Epic Games Launcher.
Search for Unity Gaming Services SDK for Unreal Engine in your Epic Games Launcher.
Access the Unity Gaming Services SDK for Unreal Engine page and select Free.
Select Install to Engine in your Epic Games Launcher.
Open a new project or an existing one.
Navigate to the Plugins window and check the box next to the Unity Gaming Services SDK for Unreal Engine.
Restart Unreal Engine.

Note

If you use a version of the engine built from sources then you can access your Marketplace folder by doing the following:

If you're using Windows, then the default path is:
```
C:\Program Files\Epic Games\UE_5.3\Engine\Plugins\Marketplace
```
. MacOS and Linux also have similar paths.
Copy the
```
UnityGamingServicesSDK
```
folder into your project
```
Plugins
```
folder. If it doesn't exist yet, create it at the root of your project.

Configure the Matchmaker SDK

Unity Matchmaker relies on the Unity Authentication service, which is included in the Unity Gaming Services SDK.

Before you start calling the Matchmaker APIs and start allocating players using the Matchmaker, configure your Unity Matchmaker settings on the Unity Dashboard. Otherwise, all matchmaking requests fail. Unity Matchmaker requires a minimum of one queue with a default pool.

Configure backfill

Backfill enables you to place players into an existing match that’s below the maximum player count. See backfill documentation to learn more.

Before using backfill, ensure you enable backfill on the Unity Dashboard for your queue.

In the Unity Dashboard, go to Development > Products.
Select Matchmaker.
Select Queues.
Select your Queue. Refer to Create Pools and Queues.
Go to the Pools tab and select the Pool to use within the Queue.
Go to the Rules tab, find the field for Backfill enabled, and make sure it’s set to True.

What's next ?

Proceed with either integrations:

Documentation

Development

User Acquisition

Monetization

Industry