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Unreal Cloud vs GitHub Actions
If your code is on GitHub, Actions is the obvious first try. For Unreal, it usually means running your own build machine as a self-hosted runner, because GitHub's standard runners don't have the engine or the disk space. Unreal Cloud gives you the same pull request checks without the machine.
Build machines
Yours: Unreal needs a self-hosted runner with the engine installed
None: we run them, with the engine already installed
Setup
Set up the runner machine, install the engine, write the workflow file
Connect GitHub or Perforce, pick a platform and engine version
Unreal support
None built in: your workflow runs BuildCookRun
Built for it: compile, cook, package and automation tests
Upkeep
The runner machine is yours: updates, engine installs, disk space
None on your side
Platforms
Anything your runners can build, including iOS, macOS and consoles
Windows, Linux and Android. No iOS, macOS or consoles yet
Custom build steps
Anything you can script
Not yet: the build pipeline is fixed
Sharing builds
Workflow artifacts, for people with access to the repo
Download links anyone can open, no account needed
Steam
Script steamcmd in your workflow
Passing builds upload to a Steam beta branch
Cost
Your own build machine, and the time to run it
$20 per seat per month, build minutes included
Choose GitHub Actions if
You ship on iOS, macOS or consoles
You build a custom or source-built engine, or dedicated servers
You already have a build machine and someone to look after it
You want every step, Unreal or not, in one workflow file
Choose Unreal Cloud if
You want pull request checks for Unreal without running a machine
You ship on Windows, Linux or Android with a standard engine version
You want builds on every push this week, not after a setup project
You'd rather pay per seat than buy and run hardware
Using both
You don’t have to choose. Unreal Cloud reports its builds on your pull requests as checks, next to your Actions. Keep Actions for everything else in the repo, and let Unreal Cloud do the Unreal build.
Questions
Can GitHub's hosted runners build Unreal Engine?
Not in practice. GitHub's standard hosted runners don't come with the engine and don't have the disk space an Unreal build needs, so Unreal teams on Actions run a self-hosted runner: their own machine with the engine installed.
Does Unreal Cloud work with pull requests?
Yes. Builds run on every push or pull request, and the result shows up on the pull request as a check, next to your Actions.
Do I need to change my repository?
No. You connect the repository from Unreal Cloud and pick a branch. There's no workflow file to add.
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