286 / CGA / DOS / MODE4 ENGINE
What if Unreal had been released in the mid-1980s?
Unreal CGA is a retro project inspired by Unreal (1998), rebuilt from scratch to run on real DOS hardware using CGA graphics.
This is not a mod and not a port of an existing engine. The project originally started with 3D Construction Kit / Freescape, but quickly moved away from it due to the heavy limitations of that engine.
Instead of forcing the project into existing tools, a completely custom pipeline and runtime were developed:
All graphics are preprocessed into CGA-compatible data. The runtime does not perform any heavy conversions — it simply streams raw CGA frames directly into CGA VRAM for maximum performance.
Everything is optimized specifically for old retro computers and tested on real hardware as well as in DOSBox.
A working benchmark version is currently available and can be run both on real machines and in DOSBox.
The final version of Unreal CGA will also include a separate mini OST player featuring the original Unreal soundtrack.
The engine does not render real-time 3D. Instead, it uses preprocessed animation data (A6P format) designed for fast playback on low-end hardware.
Due to its FMV-style structure, the full game is expected to require approximately 4–5 GB of disk space. Because of this, DOS 7.1 and a single large FAT32 partition will be required.
Because creating a fast-paced shooter on such limited hardware — especially in an FMV-based format — is practically impossible, Unreal CGA takes a different approach: a slower, story-driven adventure experience.
The game preserves all narrative text elements from the original Unreal — including notes, messages, environmental text and written clues — which were used to convey the story in the original game.
In Unreal CGA, this aspect is significantly expanded. A large amount of new text content is added, turning the experience into a more story-driven, text-focused adventure.
An interesting feature is the ability to freely look left and right at specific points within a level.
The final version of the game will include at least 32 single-player levels from the original.
This is what Unreal might feel like if it had to run on a 286 with a CGA card and was released in the mid-1980s.
Planned release date: sometime in 2026.