Plugin for Unreal: Deploy your game to a managed container fleet - Amazon GameLift Servers
Before you startStep 0: Set your profileStep 1: Assess container readinessStep 2: Configure image deploymentDeploy container fleetLaunch clientUpdate a container fleetClean up deployed resources

Plugin for Unreal: Deploy your game to a managed container fleet

Use this guided plugin workflow to create a container image for your game server and deploy it to a container-based hosting solution. When you’ve successfully completed this workflow, your containerized game server is running in the cloud, and you can use the plugin to start a game client, connect to a game session, and play the game.

Before you start

This workflow assumes that you’ve completed the following tasks.

  • Integrate your game server code with Amazon GameLift Servers server SDK. Your hosted game server must be able to communicate with the Amazon GameLift Servers service so that it can respond to requests to start new game sessions and report game session status. If you haven’t completed this task, we recommend that you follow the plugin workflow Host with Anywhere first. For guidance on preparing your game server code, see Integrate your server game mode . For a managed container fleet, you must integrate your game with server SDK version 5.2 or higher.

    Note

    If you're using the startup game map, this task is already done for you.

  • Package your game server executable to run on Linux. If you’re developing on Windows, you’ll need to work with the Unreal cross compile toolkit for your version. Alternatively, you might set up a separate Linux workspace or use a tool such as Windows subsystem for Linux (WSL).

  • Gather files to deploy with your game server build. On your local machine, create a working directory to organize the files, which will be built into your game server container image. These might include game dependencies, a script to launch game servers and other processes when starting a container, etc.

  • Add the OpenSSL library files for your game server build. You must use the same OpenSSL version that Unreal Engine 5 uses when packaging your game build. This is a critical step. If you include the wrong version, you might be able to deploy this build, but your game servers won't be able to host game sessions.

    Look for the OpenSSL libraries in your game engine source. They're located in the following directories:

    On Windows:

    • [ENGINE_ROOT_DIR]\Engine\Extras\ThirdPartyNotUE\libimobiledevice\x64\libssl-1_1-x64.dll

    • [ENGINE_ROOT_DIR]\Engine\Extras\ThirdPartyNotUE\libimobiledevice\x64\libcrypto-1_1-x64.dll

    On Linux:

    • Engine/Source/Thirdparty/OpenSSL/1.1.1n/include/libssl.so.1.1

    • Engine/Source/Thirdparty/OpenSSL/1.1.1n/include/libcrypto.so.1.1

    When you find the OpenSSL libraries, copy them to your game build package directory at <YOURGAME>/Binaries/Linux or <YOURGAME>/Binaries/Win64.

  • Integrate your game client code with Amazon GameLift Servers. One way to complete this task is to add a sample asset (included with the plugin) that’s already integrated. For guidance on preparing your game client code, see Integrate your client game map .

  • Install Docker on your local machine. You need this tool installed if you want the plugin to create container images for you and push them to an ECR repository. Alternatively you can do these tasks manually and instruct the plugin to use an existing container image. For more information about building your image manually, see Build a container image for Amazon GameLift Servers.

To start the Amazon GameLift Servers managed containers workflow:

  • In the Unreal editor main toolbar, choose the Amazon GameLift Servers menu, and select Managed Containers. This action opens the plugin page Host with Managed Containers, which presents a step-by-step process to create a container image with your game server build, deploy it to a container fleet, and launch your game.

Step 0: Set your profile

This section displays your currently selected user profile. Verify that the current user profile is the one you want to use for this workflow. All the resources that you create in this workflow are associated with the profile's AWS account and are placed in the profile's default AWS Region. The profile user's permissions determine your access to AWS resources and actions.

You might need to modify the selected user profile if:

  • No profile is currently selected.

  • You want to select a different profile or create a new profile.

  • You need to bootstrap the selected profile (if bootstrap status is inactive).

To set or change the selected user profile

  • In the Amazon GameLift Servers menu, choose Open AWS Access Credentials.

Step 1: Assess container readiness

Before deploying your game server to a container fleet, you must package it into a container image and store in an Amazon ECR repository. The plugin can complete these tasks for you or you can do these tasks manually. In this step, provide information about the status of your container image and the ECR repository.

Use the assessment questions to tell the plugin what steps it needs to take:

  • Create a new container image. If you choose this option, the next step will prompt you for the location of your game server build directory and the build executable. The plugin uses a Dockerfile template (supplied by Amazon GameLift Servers) and automatically configures it for your game. You can view the template at Build a container image for Amazon GameLift Servers. After choosing this option, indicate where you want the plugin to store the new image:

    • Create a new Amazon ECR repository and push the container image to it. The plugin creates a private ECR repo using the AWS account and default AWS Region in your selected user profile.

    • Push the container image to a previously created Amazon ECR repository. If you choose this option, the next step will prompt you to select an existing Amazon ECR repository from a list. The list includes all Amazon ECR repositories for the AWS account and default AWS Region in your selected user profile. You can select a public or private repository.

  • Use an existing container image. If you've manually built an image, we recommend that you use the Dockerfile template supplied by Amazon GameLift Servers, which is available at Build a container image for Amazon GameLift Servers. After choosing this option, indicate where the image is located.

    • A locally stored Docker-generated image. If you choose this option, the plugin creates a new Amazon ECR private repository and pushes the local image file to it. The next step will prompt you for an image ID, which the plugin uses to locate the image file.

    • A container image that's already stored in an Amazon ECR repository. If you choose this option, the next step will prompt you to select an existing Amazon ECR repository and image from a list. The list includes all Amazon ECR repositories for the AWS account and default AWS Region in your selected user profile. You can select a public or private repository.

Step 2: Configure image deployment

In this step, provide information that the plugin needs to deploy your container image to a container fleet. This step requests the following information:

  • The location of your game server build, container image, or Amazon ECR repository, based on your selections in Step 1.

  • The scenario to use for your managed containers deployment.

  • The client configuration output path. Select the folder in your client build that contains your AWS configuration. Look for it in the following location: [client-build]/[project-name]/Content/CloudFormation.

  • Optional deployment settings. This section has configuration settings that the plugin uses by default. You can modify these or keep the default values

    • Game name is set to the name of your game project by default. All AWS resources that the plugin creates references the game name value.

    • Port range, memory limit, and vCPU limit are configuration settings for the container fleet. For more information about customizing these values, see Configure network connections for connection port range, and Set resource limits for resource limits.

    • Container image tag is used to categorize your container images in Amazon ECR. The default value is unreal-gamelift-plugin.

    • Name of the Amazon ECR repository. You can edit this field to suggest a custom name only when the plugin is creating an ECR repository for you. The default value is unreal-game lift-plugin-ecr-repository.

Deployment scenario options

This scenario deploys your game server to a single container fleet. It's a good starting point for testing your server integration with AWS and your container configuration. It deploys the following resources.

  • Amazon GameLift Servers container group definition describes how to deploy and run your container images on a container fleet.

  • Amazon GameLift Servers container fleet (On-Demand) with your game server container installed and running, with alias.

  • Amazon Cognito user pool and client to enable players to authenticate and start a game.

  • API Gateway authorizer that links the user pool with APIs.

  • Web access control list (ACL) for throttling excessive player calls to API Gateway.

  • Backend service to make requests to the Amazon GameLift Servers service on behalf of game clients, such as to request game sessions and join games:

    • API Gateway + Lambda function for players to request a game session slot. This function calls CreateGameSession() if no open slots are available.

    • API Gateway + Lambda function for players to get connection info for their game request.

This scenario deploys your game server to a container fleet, configures game session placement, and sets up FlexMatch matchmaking. This scenario is useful when you're ready to start designing a custom matchmaker for your hosting solution. Use this scenario to create the basic resources for this solution, which you can customize later as needed. It deploys the following resources:

  • Amazon GameLift Servers container group definition that describes how to deploy and run your container images on a container fleet.

  • Amazon GameLift Servers container fleet (On-Demand) with your game server container installed and running, with alias.

  • FlexMatch matchmaking configuration and matchmaking rule set to accept player requests and form matches.

  • Amazon GameLift Servers game session queue that fulfills requests for proposed matches by finding the best possible hosting resource (based on viability, cost, player latency, etc.) and starting a game session.

  • Amazon Cognito user pool and client to enable players to authenticate and start a game.

  • API Gateway authorizer that links the user pool with APIs.

  • Web access control list (ACL) for throttling excessive player calls to API Gateway.

  • Backend service to make requests to the Amazon GameLift Servers service on behalf of game clients, such as to request game sessions and join games:

    • API Gateway + Lambda function for players to request a game session slot. This function calls StartMatchmaking() if no open slots are available.

    • API Gateway + Lambda function for players to get connection info for their game request.

  • DynamoDB tables to store matchmaking tickets for players and game session information.

  • Amazon SNS topic + Lambda function to handle GameSessionQueue events.

Deploy container fleet

When your fleet configuration is complete, choose the Deploy container fleet button to start deployment. This process can take several minutes while the plugin creates a container image and pushes it to ECR, provisions hosting resources for the container fleet, deploys the fleet and other AWS resources for the selected hosting solution scenario.

When you start a deployment, you can track the progress of each step. Depending on your configuration, the steps might include the following:

  • Configuring container image

  • Creating an Amazon ECR repository

  • Building an image and pushing to Amazon ECR

  • Creating container group definition

  • Creating container fleet

For more detailed deployment information, choose View in AWS Management Console. When the container fleet reaches active status, the fleet is actively running containers with server processes that are ready to host game sessions.

When deployment is complete, you have a working container fleet that’s ready to host game sessions and accept player connections.

You can’t stop a deployment in progress. If the deployment enters a bad state or fails, you can start over by using the Reset deployment option.

Launch client

At this point, you've completed all the tasks to launch and play your multiplayer game hosted with Amazon GameLift Servers. To play your game, choose Start Client to launch a local instance of your game client.

  • If you deployed the single fleet scenario, open one instance of your game client with one player and enter the server map to move around. You can open a second instance of the game client to add a second player to the same server game map.

  • If you deployed the FlexMatch scenario, the hosting solution waits for at least two game clients to make matchmaking requests. Open at least two instances of your game client with one player. The two players will be matched and prompted to join a game session for the match.

Update a container fleet

If you've successfully deployed a managed containers hosting solution, you can use the Update deploymentfeature. This option lets you update configuration settings for a deployed container fleet, without having to create a new fleet.

When updating a deployment, you can deploy a container image with a different game server build, change the Amazon ECR repository, choose a different deployment scenario, and customize optional configuration settings.

When you're ready to deploy your changes, choose Update. The time required for a deployment update is similar to a full deployment. For detailed deployment information, choose View in AWS Management Console.

Clean up deployed resources

As a best practice, clean up the AWS resources for your managed containers solution as soon as you no longer need them. You might continue to incur costs for these resources if you don't remove them.

Delete the following resources:

  • Managed container resource stack. The resources in this stack depends on the deployment scenario you selected. To delete the entire stack, use the AWS CloudFormation console. Stacks that are generated from the Amazon GameLift Servers plugin use the following naming convention: GameLiftPluginForUnreal-{GameName}-Containers. Wait for the stack deletion process to complete before you initiate a new managed containers deployment in the plugin. For more information, see Delete a stack from the CloudFormation console.

  • Amazon ECR repository. If you used the plugin to create a repository for your container image, you might want to delete any repositories that are no longer needed. You don't need to delete a repository before resetting a managed containers deployment. If you update or reset a deployment, the plugin will automatically use the same repository unless directed to use another one. For more information, see Deleting a private repository in Amazon ECR.