ALGOSYNTAX BLOG

Verse for Blueprint Developers: Your First Steps (and What Maps to What)

November 4, 2026

Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), November 2026. Scene Graph is in Beta.

Quick answer: you learn Verse in Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) today. It’s free, and Epic recommends it for anyone preparing for UE6.

Install Unreal Editor for Fortnite from the Epic Games Launcher and create a project.
Open Verse > Verse Explorer, add a new Verse file from the Verse Device template.
Build your Verse code, drag the device into the level, and launch a session.

Then try a Scene Graph Component. That’s the closest thing to an Actor Component in UE6.

Why UEFN and not UE5

Verse runs in UEFN, not in UE 5.8. UE6 is built by merging UE5 with UEFN, so what you learn there is the closest preview of UE6 gameplay code. At Unreal Fest Tokyo, Epic Games Japan’s advice was to try Verse and Scene Graph in UEFN first.

You need an Epic Games account. Your work runs inside Fortnite while you test it.

Step 1: Your first Verse device

In UEFN, open Verse > Verse Explorer.
Right-click your project and choose Add new Verse file to project.
Pick the Verse Device template, name it hello_world_device and click Create.

The template looks like this:

				
					using { /Fortnite.com/Devices }
using { /Verse.org/Simulation }
using { /UnrealEngine.com/Temporary/Diagnostics }

hello_world_device := class(creative_device):

    OnBegin<override>()<suspends>:void=
        Print("Hello, world!")

OnBegin is your Event BeginPlay. Print is your Print String.

Choose Verse > Build Verse Code.
Find the device in the Content Browser, drag it into the level, and click Launch Session. The message appears when the game starts.

Step 2: A Scene Graph component

Devices are Fortnite’s way of doing things. Scene Graph is the new framework that replaces Actors in UE6: an entity holds components, and you can write your own components in Verse.

Select an entity with a mesh in your level.
In Details, choose Add Component > New Verse Component, pick the Scene Graph Component template, and create it.

This component hides and shows its entity on a loop, which is a Delay-and-SetVisibility Blueprint in Verse:

				
					using { /Verse.org }
using { /Verse.org/Native }
using { /Verse.org/Simulation }
using { /UnrealEngine.com/Temporary/SceneGraph }

blink_component := class<final_super>(component):

    @editable
    var Seconds<public>:float = 2.0

    OnSimulate<override>()<suspends>:void =
        loop:
            Sleep(Seconds)
            if (Mesh := Entity.GetComponent[mesh_component]):
                Mesh.Disable()
            Sleep(Seconds)
            if (Mesh := Entity.GetComponent[mesh_component]):
                Mesh.Enable()

@editable is Instance Editable: Seconds appears in the Details panel.
Sleep(Seconds) is a Delay node. It only works in functions marked <suspends>.
GetComponent[...] uses square brackets because it can fail. The if runs only if the entity has a mesh, like an Is Valid check.

Scene Graph is in Beta in UEFN, and component logic runs in edit mode as well as play mode. Expect names and details to change before UE6.

Blueprint to Verse cheat sheet

Blueprint	Verse
Actor	Entity
Actor Component	Component (`class(component)`)
Event BeginPlay	`OnBegin` (device) or `OnBeginSimulation` (component)
Delay	`Sleep(2.0)` inside a `<suspends>` function
Variable	`var Score:int = 0`, then `set Score += 1`
Instance Editable	`@editable`
Branch	`if (Score > 10):`
Cast To / Is Valid	`if (Mesh := Entity.GetComponent[mesh_component]):`
ForEach Loop	`for (Item : Items):`
Event Tick	A `loop:` with a `Sleep` in `OnSimulate`

Three Verse ideas that feel new

Failure is normal. Expressions in square brackets can fail, and if handles it. It replaces many Is Valid and null checks.
Time is built in. <suspends> functions can wait without timers or Latent nodes.
Changes are transactional. If something fails partway, Verse rolls the changes back. That’s what Epic builds UE6’s large-scale features on.

FAQ

Can I use Verse in UE5? Not for normal UE5 projects. Use UEFN.

Do I need to learn C++ first? No. Verse is closer to Python in style, and your Blueprint experience counts.

Can AI write Verse for me? It can help, but current models know little Verse. Tim Sweeney expects that to improve early next year. Check everything in UEFN.