The Ultimate 2D Top Down Unreal Engine Course by Cobra Code

Build three complete top-down games in Unreal Engine 5, from a retro monster-catcher to a 2D/3D hybrid RPG. You’ll start with the absolute basics of the engine and work your way up to advanced Paper 2D and PaperZD workflows, Blueprints, and Sequencer cutscenes. No prior experience needed.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• Build 2D top-down games from scratch using Unreal Engine 5
• Create 2D/3D hybrid games by mixing sprites with 3D environments
• Implement directional character animations and combat systems
• Design RPG dialogue systems with Data Tables and UI Widgets
• Use the Sequencer to create cinematic cutscenes

✅ Requirements

• Skills: No prior programming or Unreal Engine experience needed
• Tools: A 3-button mouse
• Hardware: A computer capable of running Unreal Engine 5 (minimum 16GB RAM, dedicated GPU recommended)

📝 Description

This course skips the fluff and gets straight to building. You’ll create three distinct games, each designed to teach you a different slice of the Unreal Engine 5 2D pipeline.

First up is a retro monster-catcher game. You’ll learn Paper 2D fundamentals: tile maps, sprite sheets, and directional animations. You’ll set up a top-down camera, build an interaction system, and create a simple HUD for dialogue. It’s a solid foundation for anyone new to 2D in Unreal.

The second project is a dungeon adventure. This is where things get meaty. You’ll use PaperZD to manage complex animation states, implement sword and bow combat with hitboxes and knockback, and build a wave-based enemy spawner. You’ll also create a health system, pickups, and a proper UI for player stats.

The final project is the highlight: a 2D/3D hybrid RPG. You’ll place 2D character sprites into a fully lit 3D environment, using Unreal’s post-processing and depth of field to create that modern JRPG look. The dialogue system gets a major upgrade here, using Data Tables and dynamic UI widgets that reveal text letter by letter. You’ll also learn to use the Sequencer for cutscenes and add gamepad support.

The instructor, Cobra Code, has been teaching Unreal Engine on YouTube and at a game dev school in Japan. The course is built around practical, project-based learning—no abstract theory, just real game mechanics you can use in your own projects.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Beginner Unreal Engine developers who want to make 2D top-down games
• Intermediate developers looking to expand into 2D/3D hybrid workflows
• Anyone interested in learning Paper 2D and PaperZD for Unreal Engine 5

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Cobra Code is a game developer and educator with years of experience teaching Unreal Engine both on YouTube and in person at a Japanese game development school. He focuses on practical, project-based tutorials that help students build real games from the ground up.

🏁 Final Result

• Three complete, playable top-down games: a monster-catcher, a dungeon adventure, and a 2D/3D hybrid RPG
• A solid understanding of Paper 2D, PaperZD, and Unreal Engine Blueprints
• A portfolio-ready dialogue system and combat mechanics you can reuse in future projects