Unreal Engine 5.8 gets new Lumen mode to improve performance on handhelds, should benefit Nintendo Switch 2

Unreal Engine 5 recently released a new preview for its version 5.8 update which could bring about benefits for Nintendo Switch 2 games.

The company is prioritizing performance advancements, which has become continually important over the past few months. As part of this, a new Lumen mode has been revealed that targets 60 FPS on all gaming systems, including handhelds. Nintendo Switch 2 isn’t specifically mentioned, but the platform stands to profit in the future.

The full notice reads:

“Lumen now supports medium quality Global Illumination using Irradiance Fields with Probe Occlusion. It’s twice as fast as Lumen high quality – which targets 60fps on PlayStation 5, while maintaining the art direction for games that rely on Global Illumination. This path is the new default for current gen handheld consoles, where it can be used at 60fps and is supported on PC as well.”

Unreal Engine 5 has struggled on all platforms in terms of performance. On Nintendo Switch 2, Digital Foundry previously pointed out that titles like Cronos: The New Dawn, Fortnite, and Split Fiction do not use the engine’s Lumen and Nanite features. Unreal Engine 5.8 and additional improvements down the road could lead to better-performing and better-looking games in the future.

A few Nintendo games in recent years were previously made with Unreal Engine. These include Mario & Luigi: Brothership and Princess Peach: Showtime.