Version Control in Unreal Engine: Comparing Git, Perforce, and SVN

Every team faces the question of which version control system to choose.
In most areas of IT, Git has become the de facto standard and for good reason.
But when it comes to Unreal Engine, the situation is different. Here, Perforce has become the industry standard. But does it truly deserve that position? That’s what I’ll try to explore in this post.

Before we start discussing each version control system separately, I want to talk about the main requirements for them in the context of Unreal Engine.

• Handling large files and projects
  Unreal Engine projects always include not only code but also binary files. If a game aims for detailed and realistic graphics, the project size can easily exceed 100 GB.
• File locking
  A critical feature. Binary files must be locked; otherwise, conflicts are inevitable, wasting one of the most valuable resources: time.
• Simplicity, convenience, and an intuitive workflow
  If the team includes not only programmers, it is important to provide a tool that everyone can easily understand and use.
• Branching simplicity and merge handling
  Not every version control system implements these features well. Without them, it is impossible to build a proper workflow.
• Easy rollback
  Everyone makes mistakes. The question is how hard it will be to fix them.
• Cost
  Some solutions are quite expensive for small teams.
• Clients and usability
  The quality of available clients also matters. They define how comfortable daily work with the system will be.

Now that we've clarified the requirements, let's go over each version control system one by one. I'll keep it concise and focus only on the key points.

Git

Git has proven itself across all industries as a reliable and versatile tool. With Git LFS, it can handle large repositories and big files. It has excellent support for branches, merges, and rollbacks. It is free and has many clients, from simple ones like GitHub Desktop to more advanced ones like Fork or SourceTree.

However, it has one major downside: the lack of file locking. Git LFS 2 offers this feature, but it is not truly functional and feels more like a closed gate in the middle of an open field. You cannot go through it, but nothing stops you from walking around. This is not surprising considering that the core concept of Git is independence from the server.

I often use Git for quick and simple projects. For example, on all game jams we always used Git because you can set it up extremely fast. My mentee also uses Git for the project he’s learning on. But as soon as the project grows and binary conflicts start appearing, that’s a clear sign it’s time to move to another version control system.

My verdict: if you have a small team with only one or two artists, Git is a perfectly fine choice. But if the team is large, the risk of binary conflicts becomes significant, even if artists coordinate with each other about who edits which assets and when.

Perforce

It is considered the standard for the game development industry, and for good reason. Even Epic Games uses Perforce internally. It's safe to say that Perforce is currently the leader when it comes to working with binary files and very large, heavy repositories with hundreds of users. I’m always impressed by the speed of submits and updates.

Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks. Perforce is very different from Git and SVN. Ideally, you need an employee who has already worked with this system and can not only set it up, but also create a workflow. Otherwise, you'll hate Perforce.

Furthermore, there will still be potentially dangerous situations with no easy way out. For example, if you're working on a child stream and merge from the parent, resolve a conflict incorrectly, and then submit it to the branch, you won't have an easy way to roll back the changes and merge again. We created a new stream from the revision before the merge and merged it again.

Switching to another stream also deserves special mention. Perforce doesn't have such a button or console command. The fastest way I found was to change the stream in the current workspace settings and update the file versions. This is barely mentioned anywhere.

It is also important to remember that this is a paid system and is quite expensive for a small studio.

My verdict: if you have a large studio with a major project, you won't find anything better than Perforce. But be sure to find an experienced specialist.

SVN (Subversion)

Those who started working in game development ten or more years ago have probably encountered this old man, but surprisingly, he is still alive and well. I'd call this system a happy medium. It's not as programmer-friendly as Git, but it works better with binary files and supports file locking. It doesn’t handle uploading or updating thousands of files simultaneously for hundreds of users as efficiently as Perforce, but it's free and much simpler.

I have had fairly positive experience using this system on two large projects: the first was an MMO, the second an open-world multiplayer. In both cases, SVN reliably did exactly what we needed.

SVN has more clients than Perforce, but fewer than Git. My favorites are TortoiseSVN and SmartSVN.

My verdict: if you are a small to medium-sized studio with up to 30-50 people, and your project does not weigh a couple of terabytes, then SVN is an ideal choice.

Final thoughts

There is no perfect solution, only the one that fits your team, your workflows, and the size of your project. Git is great for small teams. SVN is a reliable middle ground. Perforce works well for large, heavy projects, but it demands experience. The best version control system is the one that keeps your production moving instead of getting in the way.

So, does Perforce deserve its place? In my experience, yes and no. Perforce makes sense only if your studio is large enough to justify both its cost and the time required to build a proper workflow.