Funcom has released a massive free update for Conan Exiles players with Conan Exiles Enhanced, a new update that overhauls the game and brings it to Unreal Engine 5. Announced last month, the update introduces UE5's Lumen Global Illumination lighting system, nanite geometry, virtual shadow maps, and an improved terrain for a significant visual overhaul.
It's an update that is meant to celebrate the popular survival game as it nears its eight-year anniversary on May 8, 2026, though it's not a celebration for all of the 15 million+ players who've stepped into the Exiled Lands and the Isle of Siptah since May 8, 2018. The update is free, but it's currently only coming to Steam, and there are "currently no plans to bring this upgrade to consoles, Epic Games Store or Windows Store," Funcom said in a press release.
That said, it added that Funcom and Inflexion Games "note that future platform releases are being evaluated." So the teams are at least considering bringing the UE5 version to other platforms. The result of how this launch goes will likely be a key deciding factor on whether PS5 players, for example, will get to experience this overhauled version of the game.
Lastly, in terms of visual updates, Conan Exiles Enhanced also features support for NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution, Frame Generation, Multi Frame Generation, and NVIDIA Reflex.
Moving away from the visual updates, there are several key gameplay updates included in this new version. Conan Exiles Enhanced includes a revamp to its user interface and menus, improvements to character customization, and there is also a string of popular mods that will be compatible with the game right out of the gate.
Crafting is easier now with materials being pulled from nearby storage, character customization has been expanded, but perhaps the most significant gameplay change is that the two aforementioned maps, the Exiled Lands and the Isle of Siptah, are now one giant continuous world for players to run around and explore. As long as you've purchased the DLC for the Isle of Siptah, that is.
Today's launch isn't just a celebration of what's been over the last eight years, it's also an establishment of a new era for the game. Steam players will be able to select between the Enhanced edition of the game and the Unreal Engine 4 version which is now set to be called Conan Exiles Legacy, but everyone not playing through Steam is stuck on the Legacy version.
That version will no longer have official servers nor will it receive any major updates going forward, and the Bazaar will be disabled. If you have any remaining Crom Coins, Funcom recommends using as many as possible if you won't be migrating over to the Enhanced version today.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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