A talented artist rebuilt Destiny’s Last City using Unreal Engine 5, and the results are incredible.
It’s no secret that Destiny 2 still runs on Bungie’s in-house Tiger Engine, an engine that’s been around since the very beginning of the franchise, and even before, but under a different name (Blam!). While it’s evolved a lot over the years, many fans have long dreamed of what Destiny could look like on a modern engine like Unreal Engine 5.
Of course, switching game engines isn’t as simple as flipping a switch; it would take a massive overhaul of every system, asset, and tool the developers use. Destiny 2 has been built and expanded on the Tiger Engine for over a decade, with countless layers of custom systems, backend tech, and content pipelines all designed specifically for it.
Moving to something like Unreal Engine 5 wouldn’t just mean prettier graphics; it would require completely rebuilding the game from the ground up. For an ongoing live-service game like Destiny 2, that kind of change would be incredibly expensive. Realistically, it’s just not going to happen during Destiny 2’s lifetime.
But that hasn’t stopped fans from imagining the possibility. And thanks to a jaw-dropping fan project, we now have a glimpse of what Destiny could look like if it ever made the jump to Unreal Engine 5.
A Next-Gen Version of Destiny 2’s Last City?
This stunning recreation comes from Hyeonyong Jeon, a 3D environment artist currently working at Nexon Games. Jeon spent over 20 months working on this portfolio project (thanks, Evaze), which completely reimagines Destiny’s iconic Last City and The Traveler using Unreal Engine 5. The results? Honestly, it looks like something straight out of a high-budget sci-fi film.
Jeon shared the full project on ArtStation, and every single frame is loaded with detail. From distant skyline shots of the Traveler hovering over the city to the gritty, lived-in streets below, it captures the scale and mood of Destiny in a way that feels both familiar and brand new.
Everything you see was made almost entirely by Jeon himself. Some of the software applications used for this project are: 3DS Max, Substance 3D Designer and Painter, ZBrush, DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Photoshop, Gaea, Marvelous Designer, RizomUV, Quixel Bridge, and, of course, Unreal Engine 5.
Jeon included recognizable Destiny elements too, like the foundry logos, including Jade Rabbit, Hakke, Veist, Suros, and Daito. Other iconography includes Spicy Ramen signs and Eververse storefronts. The Last City feels like a place where Guardians would actually live, not just visit between missions.
You can check out the full project and more screenshots from the ArtStation page below.
Recently, Halo Studios made headlines when it announced a major shift in its development pipeline. The team has moved away from its custom Slipspace Engine, which has powered recent Halo titles, and is switching over to Unreal Engine 5 for future projects.
And on the topic of Unreal Engine 5, it’s worth pointing out that Bungie has used it before. The Game Post reported that one of its incubation projects, codenamed Gummy Bears, is being developed in Unreal Engine 5 before the project and team were spun off into a new Sony studio called Team LFG.
What do you think Destiny could look like if Bungie ever made the leap to Unreal Engine 5? Let us know in the comments.
