{
  "updated": "2026-10-14",
  "categories": [
    {
      "slug": "build-in-unreal",
      "name": "Build in Unreal",
      "short": "Code, Blueprints and editor agents for UE5",
      "intro": "AI that writes C++, wires Blueprints, or drives the Unreal Editor directly. Since Unreal Engine 5.8, Epic ships its own MCP plugin, so most of these now plug into the engine the same way.",
      "color": "#4a9eff"
    },
    {
      "slug": "characters-animation",
      "name": "Characters & animation",
      "short": "NPC dialogue, mocap and posing",
      "intro": "Tools for characters that move and talk: webcam motion capture, AI-assisted posing, and NPCs that hold a conversation.",
      "color": "#e8a33d"
    },
    {
      "slug": "art-3d-assets",
      "name": "Art & 3D assets",
      "short": "Models, textures and concept art",
      "intro": "Generate props, characters and textures. Read the license line on each pick: some free tiers are non-commercial, which matters the moment you sell your game.",
      "color": "#5cc98b"
    },
    {
      "slug": "sound-voice",
      "name": "Sound & voice",
      "short": "Voice lines, SFX and music",
      "intro": "Voice acting, sound effects and soundtrack. Free tiers here usually exclude commercial use, so budget for a paid month before you ship.",
      "color": "#c77dff"
    },
    {
      "slug": "stream-promote",
      "name": "Stream & promote",
      "short": "Clips, shorts and devlog reach",
      "intro": "Turn devlog streams and gameplay into short clips for TikTok, Shorts and Reels without editing by hand.",
      "color": "#ff6b6b"
    },
    {
      "slug": "test-ship",
      "name": "Test & ship",
      "short": "AI playtesting and QA",
      "intro": "AI agents that play your build and report bugs, plus what Steam asks you to disclose about AI content before launch.",
      "color": "#3dd6d0"
    }
  ],
  "tools": [
    {
      "id": "ue58-mcp",
      "name": "Unreal Engine 5.8 MCP plugin",
      "maker": "Epic Games",
      "category": "build-in-unreal",
      "bestFor": "Connecting any AI model to your Unreal project",
      "verdict": "Epic's official bridge between AI models and the engine. It exposes Blueprints, assets, levels, materials and meshes to whatever model you connect, including Claude and Gemini. It is marked Experimental, so commit or back up your project before letting an agent loose.",
      "price": "Free with Unreal Engine 5.8",
      "engines": "Unreal 5.8",
      "url": "https://www.unrealengine.com/news/unreal-engine-5-8-is-now-available",
      "source": "https://www.unrealengine.com/news/unreal-engine-5-8-is-now-available",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "epic-developer-assistant",
      "name": "Epic Developer Assistant",
      "maker": "Epic Games",
      "category": "build-in-unreal",
      "bestFor": "Learning how Unreal wants something done",
      "verdict": "Epic's own AI helper, grounded in Epic's documentation. It is strongest at answering questions and drafting snippets, not editing your project, so think of it as a tutor next to a coding agent rather than a replacement for one.",
      "price": "Free",
      "engines": "Unreal, UEFN",
      "url": "https://dev.epicgames.com/community/learning/tutorials/5EKK/fortnite-epic-developer-assistant-for-uefn-building-a-project-with-verse",
      "source": "https://dev.epicgames.com/community/learning/tutorials/5EKK/fortnite-epic-developer-assistant-for-uefn-building-a-project-with-verse",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "ue-skills-claude-code",
      "name": "Unreal Engine Skills for Claude Code",
      "maker": "Epic Games",
      "category": "build-in-unreal",
      "bestFor": "Driving the running Unreal Editor from Claude Code",
      "verdict": "An official Epic plugin that connects Claude Code to the editor's MCP server and teaches it Unreal conventions. Install takes one command. It gives the agent broad live access to the editor, so keep it on a project under version control.",
      "price": "Free plugin (Claude Code plan required)",
      "engines": "Unreal 5.8",
      "url": "https://github.com/EpicGames/unreal-engine-skills-for-claude-code-plugin",
      "source": "https://github.com/EpicGames/unreal-engine-skills-for-claude-code-plugin",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "aura",
      "name": "Aura",
      "maker": "Ramen VR",
      "category": "build-in-unreal",
      "bestFor": "An agent that builds, launches and tests its own work",
      "verdict": "Works in both Blueprints and C++, and can launch the game to check its changes instead of stopping at code. Since absorbing Coplay it covers Unity too. One catch: the unlimited Auto Mode requires you to allow training on your chats.",
      "price": "Indie $10/mo billed yearly ($20 monthly). 2-week free trial",
      "engines": "Unreal 5.4–5.8, Unity 2022.3+",
      "url": "https://www.tryaura.dev/",
      "source": "https://www.tryaura.dev/about/",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "ludus-ai",
      "name": "Ludus AI",
      "maker": "Ludus AI",
      "category": "build-in-unreal",
      "bestFor": "Blueprints, C++, VFX and behavior trees with whole-project context",
      "verdict": "A plugin that reads your whole project, so its Blueprints call your own classes and sounds instead of placeholders. You approve each change before it lands. The free account has no credits, so plan on the trial or a paid plan.",
      "price": "Pro $25/mo or $20/mo yearly. 14-day trial (card required)",
      "engines": "Unreal 5.4–5.8 (Windows, macOS, Linux)",
      "url": "https://ludusengine.com/",
      "source": "https://ludusengine.com/",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "ultimate-engine-copilot",
      "name": "Ultimate Engine CoPilot",
      "maker": "Fab seller",
      "category": "build-in-unreal",
      "bestFor": "Bring-your-own-AI copilot sold as a one-off plugin",
      "verdict": "A Fab plugin that places and wires Blueprint nodes, generates textures and 3D models, and supports voice control. You plug in your own API keys for up to nine providers. The seller notes the price rises as features are added.",
      "price": "Paid plugin on Fab",
      "engines": "Unreal 5.5–5.8",
      "url": "https://www.fab.com/listings/8d776721-5da3-44ce-b7ef-be17a023be59",
      "source": "https://www.fab.com/listings/8d776721-5da3-44ce-b7ef-be17a023be59",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "claude-code",
      "name": "Claude Code",
      "maker": "Anthropic",
      "category": "build-in-unreal",
      "bestFor": "Deep C++ work across a large codebase",
      "verdict": "A general coding agent that runs in your terminal or IDE. On its own it knows C++, not your editor state; paired with Epic's official skills plugin above, it can also drive the running editor.",
      "price": "Paid plans, see site",
      "engines": "Any (official Unreal plugin available)",
      "url": "https://claude.com/claude-code",
      "source": "https://github.com/EpicGames/unreal-engine-skills-for-claude-code-plugin",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "cursor",
      "name": "Cursor",
      "maker": "Anysphere",
      "category": "build-in-unreal",
      "bestFor": "Unreal C++ inside an AI code editor",
      "verdict": "An AI-first code editor that many Unreal developers use for C++. It works with community and official Unreal MCP servers, so it can reach the editor too, but out of the box it only sees the code you open.",
      "price": "Free tier and paid plans, see site",
      "engines": "Any",
      "url": "https://cursor.com/",
      "source": "https://vagon.io/blog/best-ai-assistant-for-unreal-engine-in-2026",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "convai",
      "name": "Convai",
      "maker": "Convai",
      "category": "characters-animation",
      "bestFor": "NPCs that talk back with voice, memory and perception",
      "verdict": "A hosted character platform with an Unreal plugin, so you attach conversation to existing NPCs instead of building an LLM pipeline. Every generated line costs money per player, and Steam requires you to describe your guardrails for live AI content.",
      "price": "Free developer tier, usage-based paid plans",
      "engines": "Unreal, Unity, web",
      "url": "https://convai.com/",
      "source": "https://app.cinevva.com/guides/ai-npcs-dialogue",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "metahuman-58",
      "name": "MetaHuman Animator markerless capture",
      "maker": "Epic Games",
      "category": "characters-animation",
      "bestFor": "Full-body and face mocap from a single webcam",
      "verdict": "New in Unreal 5.8: capture face, body or both from one camera, with no suit or markers. The same release lets Mesh to MetaHuman conform whole bodies, not just heads. The capture plugin is Windows-only and comes from Fab.",
      "price": "Free with Unreal Engine 5.8",
      "engines": "Unreal 5.8 (Windows)",
      "url": "https://www.fab.com/listings/4095b8e0-3eff-44f1-acb4-cb40b99228b9",
      "source": "https://www.unrealengine.com/news/unreal-engine-5-8-is-now-available",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "cascadeur",
      "name": "Cascadeur",
      "maker": "Nekki",
      "category": "characters-animation",
      "bestFor": "Physics-correct keyframe animation with AI autoposing",
      "verdict": "AI posing and physics tools for hand-keyed animation. The free version is non-commercial and exports only its own format, so you need Indie to get FBX into Unreal. Yearly plans convert to a perpetual license.",
      "price": "Free (non-commercial). Indie $8/mo yearly or $19 monthly, under $100k revenue",
      "engines": "Exports FBX, GLTF, USD",
      "url": "https://cascadeur.com/",
      "source": "https://cascadeur.com/plans",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "meshy",
      "name": "Meshy",
      "maker": "Meshy",
      "category": "art-3d-assets",
      "bestFor": "Props and characters from text or an image, rigged if needed",
      "verdict": "Text or image to 3D with texturing, auto-rigging and an animation library. Its free tier is unusually usable for a shipping game: assets are CC BY 4.0, so commercial use is allowed if you credit Meshy. Paid plans make assets fully yours.",
      "price": "Free 100 credits/mo (CC BY 4.0). Pro $20/mo",
      "engines": "Unreal, Unity, Godot, Blender, Roblox",
      "url": "https://www.meshy.ai/",
      "source": "https://www.meshy.ai/pricing",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "tripo",
      "name": "Tripo",
      "maker": "Tripo AI",
      "category": "art-3d-assets",
      "bestFor": "High volume of game-ready meshes with part segmentation",
      "verdict": "Fast generation with smart segmentation and retopology, plus an Unreal bridge. Watch the license: free-tier models are public and non-commercial, so anything you plan to ship needs a paid plan.",
      "price": "Free 200 credits (non-commercial). Pro $20/mo billed yearly",
      "engines": "Unreal, Unity, Godot, Blender, Maya",
      "url": "https://www.tripo3d.ai/",
      "source": "https://www.tripo3d.ai/pricing",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "scenario",
      "name": "Scenario",
      "maker": "Scenario",
      "category": "art-3d-assets",
      "bestFor": "Keeping generated art consistent with your game's style",
      "verdict": "Train a custom model on 10 to 30 of your own images and generate new assets in that style. Training needs the Pro plan. Paid plans include a commercial license; free outputs are for personal use only.",
      "price": "Starter $15/mo. Pro $45/mo for custom training",
      "engines": "Exports PNG, GLB, FBX; API",
      "url": "https://www.scenario.com/",
      "source": "https://www.scenario.com/pricing",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "elevenlabs",
      "name": "ElevenLabs",
      "maker": "ElevenLabs",
      "category": "sound-voice",
      "bestFor": "Voice lines, sound effects and music in one place",
      "verdict": "Text to speech, voice design, sound effects and music under one account. The free plan has no commercial license, so a shipped game needs at least Starter.",
      "price": "Free (no commercial use). Starter from $6/mo",
      "engines": "Web, API",
      "url": "https://elevenlabs.io/",
      "source": "https://elevenlabs.io/pricing",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "suno",
      "name": "Suno",
      "maker": "Suno",
      "category": "sound-voice",
      "bestFor": "Soundtrack drafts and stems",
      "verdict": "Full songs from a prompt, with stem separation on paid plans. Free songs come with no commercial rights and no downloads, and Suno's terms list further limits on commercial use, so read them before shipping a track.",
      "price": "Free (no commercial rights). Pro $8/mo billed yearly",
      "engines": "Web",
      "url": "https://suno.com/",
      "source": "https://suno.com/pricing",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "opusclip",
      "name": "OpusClip",
      "maker": "OpusClip",
      "category": "stream-promote",
      "bestFor": "Cutting devlog videos into vertical shorts",
      "verdict": "Finds the best moments in a long video, reframes them for vertical, and adds captions. It has a gameplay layout. Free clips are watermarked and expire after three days.",
      "price": "Free 60 credits/mo (watermark). Starter $15/mo",
      "engines": "YouTube, Twitch, uploads",
      "url": "https://www.opus.pro/",
      "source": "https://www.opus.pro/pricing",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "eklipse",
      "name": "Eklipse",
      "maker": "Eklipse",
      "category": "stream-promote",
      "bestFor": "Auto-clipping kills and big moments from stream VODs",
      "verdict": "Scans your Twitch, Kick or YouTube VOD after the stream and clips game moments it recognizes. It is tuned for action games and less accurate on slower genres. There is a free preview but no free plan.",
      "price": "About $24.99/mo (check at checkout)",
      "engines": "Twitch, Kick, YouTube",
      "url": "https://eklipse.gg/",
      "source": "https://blog.eklipse.gg/eklipse-news-and-guide/is-eklipse-free-pricing-and-features-explained.html",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "nunu",
      "name": "nunu.ai",
      "maker": "nunu.ai",
      "category": "test-ship",
      "bestFor": "AI agents that play your build from plain-English test plans",
      "verdict": "Agents watch the screen and use keyboard, mouse or touch like a player, so no engine integration is needed. Tests run on real PC, iOS and Android devices.",
      "price": "See pricing page",
      "engines": "PC, iOS, Android",
      "url": "https://nunu.ai/",
      "source": "https://nunu.ai/",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "modl",
      "name": "modl.ai",
      "maker": "modl.ai",
      "category": "test-ship",
      "bestFor": "Automated QA bots and stand-in players for multiplayer",
      "verdict": "Upload a build and its bots explore, find crashes and run tests you describe in plain language. modl:play adds human-like bots to fill matches. Pricing is by quote, so it suits funded teams more than solo devs.",
      "price": "Contact for pricing",
      "engines": "PC, mobile, PlayStation",
      "url": "https://modl.ai/",
      "source": "https://www.getapp.com/all-software/a/modl/",
      "checked": "2026-10-14"
    }
  ]
}