Managing Version Control between Unity, GitHub, Unreal Engine and Perforce for Game Development
At Algoryte, we’ve worked with studios using diverse tech stacks—Unity for mobile and VR, Unreal Engine for photorealistic experiences, GitHub for collaboration, and Perforce for secure asset versioning. When these tools operate in isolation, they can cause delays, confusion, and inconsistent builds. But when integrated through a unified pipeline, they unlock unmatched scalability and velocity.
In this guide, we break down the unique architectural needs of each tool, explain how to bridge the gaps between them, and offer a clear vision for building a modern, automated, and collaborative game development pipeline.
Unity is renowned for its modularity and rapid iteration. But that flexibility can lead to fragmented workflows if not grounded in a structured pipeline.
Key Elements:
– Project organization: Unity requires consistent folder structure (Assets/, Scripts/, Prefabs/) to ensure maintainability.
– Asset serialization: YAML-based, making it compatible with Git but prone to merge conflicts on prefabs and scenes.
– Code versioning: Git works natively with Unity C# scripts, shader graphs, and most text-based configs.
– Unity Collaborate vs Git: For smaller teams, Unity’s built-in Collaborate tool offers simplicity. But for professional environments, Git is more scalable and integrates well with CI/CD pipelines.
Unreal Engine Pipeline Architecture
Unreal Engine brings heavyweight rendering and dynamic simulation—but its asset ecosystem requires a different approach than Unity.
Key Elements:
– Binary assets (.uasset, .umap): Unreal’s files are not human-readable. This makes Git a risky choice for asset storage.
– Perforce integration: Unreal Engine has built-in support for Perforce, enabling changelists, file locking, and visual diff tools.
– Editor plugins: Unreal Editor integrates directly with Perforce, allowing users to check in/out files within the UI.
– Streaming and modular levels: Large teams can work on separate levels via World Composition or Level Streaming—necessitating strong version control to avoid overwrites.
Git vs. Perforce in Game Development
Git (Best for Code):
– Distributed version control: works well for remote and asynchronous teams.
– Branching and pull requests: Ideal for code-centric workflows (Unity, tools, scripting).
– Poor binary support: Large File Storage (LFS) partially solves this, but merge conflicts are still likely.
Perforce (Best for Assets):
– Centralized VCS with fine-grained locking, essential for large binary files like textures, scenes, or animations.
– Built-in changelists and workspace management for asset teams.
– Excellent Unreal Engine compatibility, native in-editor support.
In hybrid studios, the smartest approach is to use Git for code and Perforce for assets, with clear boundaries and CI integrations to keep them in sync.
CI/CD Benefits for Game Development
Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity for scaling efficiently.
Benefits:
– Automated builds: Triggered on every push or merge to ensure the project is always in a buildable state.
– Asset validation: Catch missing references, corrupted files, or outdated shaders before they hit production.
– Multi-platform exports: Automatically compile builds for Windows, iOS, Android, etc.
– Team visibility: Integrated dashboards show build health, test results, and deployment status.
GameCI & Democratized Automation
Open-source tools like GameCI are reshaping how studios approach automation—especially for Unity-based projects.
GameCI Features:
– Dockerized Unity build environments
– Headless builds across platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows)
– Integration with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and others
– Reduced build times and human error
Democratizing DevOps:
– Small teams can access the same pipelines used by AAA studios.
– Artists and designers gain visibility into automated QA and builds.
– Non-engineers can contribute to structured workflows via easy-to-use triggers.
Bridging Engines, Teams, and Workflows
If your team is using both Unity and Unreal, integration becomes even more critical.
Recommendations:
– Convert shared assets (FBX, PNG, animations) to engine-neutral formats.
– Maintain consistent naming conventions across both engines.
– Use middleware scripts to sync asset folders and apply compression.
– Enforce structure with pre-commit hooks, format validators, and metadata checks.
Security and Scalability Considerations
As your team grows, so do risks and complexity. A modern pipeline must also account for:
– User access control across Perforce and Git repositories
– Secret management for build signing keys or API credentials
– Cloud hosting (AWS, Azure DevOps, GitHub Enterprise) for remote teams
– Audit logs and changelist history to resolve regressions quickly
Final Thoughts from Algoryte
We believe a truly modern game development pipeline doesn’t just connect tools—it connects people, processes, and creative vision.
At Algoryte, we help studios bring it all together:
– Whether you work in Unity or Unreal, Git or Perforce
– Whether you need CI pipelines, build automation, or cross-engine syncing
– Whether you’re 5 developers or 50 artists across continents
We engineer pipelines that are scalable, secure, and ready for production.
Ready to align your dev tools and build faster, cleaner, and more collaboratively? Reach out to Algoryte. Let’s engineer your future-proof pipeline.