Build a Festival Time Trial in Unreal

Build a timed 3D racing course with a festival chicane in Unreal Engine.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

Fast racing games feel effortless when the road shows you where to turn before you reach the corner. A barrier that looks exciting from above can stop a car cold once you take the wheel.

In this project, you will turn Unreal Engine's Vehicle Template Time Trial variant into an original festival sprint with a custom chicane. Each drive test will shape the course until a clean lap updates the time and best-time UI.

What You'll Build

You will watch the sports car clear your festival chicane at speed before the time and best-time UI records a completed lap.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A controllable 3D car you can drive through the supplied gate sequence while the race UI tracks your lap.
An original festival chicane that changes the route while leaving every supplied gate in place.
A before-and-after playtest that shows a cramped layout stopping the car before a wider racing line supports a clean timed lap.
Secret Mission: Build a recognizable festival arch around the finish without blocking the car or disrupting the timed lap.

Are there any prerequisites?

You need a Windows PC with an internet connection. Step 1 checks its hardware before guiding you through the required Epic Games account and software setup.

Before We Start

Before the hands-on work begins, commit to the racing prototype you are about to build. This gives every later visual decision a clear purpose.

Install Unreal Engine and Launch the Time Trial

Your festival sprint needs reliable vehicle controls before any course change can be judged. Building vehicle physics from scratch would shift this project away from level design.

Epic's Vehicle Template provides the driving foundation. Its Time Trial variant supplies lap timing, checkpoint logic, and race UI.

In this step, you'll prepare Unreal Engine 5.6.1 on your Windows PC. You'll finish by launching the default course in Play In Editor.

In this step, get ready to:

Verify your Windows PC against Epic's hardware baseline.
Set up Epic Games Launcher with Unreal Engine 5.6.1.
Launch the Time Trial variant as FestivalSprint in Play In Editor.

Check your PC and set up the launcher

Real-time 3D editing depends on compatible hardware. Epic's baseline gives you a clear checkpoint before a large download.

Right-click Start on the Windows taskbar.
Choose Windows Settings.
Select System.
Pick About.
Compare the edition under Windows specifications with Epic's published baseline of Windows 10 64-bit.
Confirm the system type under Device specifications shows a 64-bit operating system.
Confirm the listed processor is a quad-core Intel or AMD running at 2.5 GHz or faster.
Confirm the installed memory is at least 8 GB RAM.

The About screen now confirms the operating system, processor, and memory portions of the baseline.

The graphics check uses Windows' diagnostic tool. This confirms which DirectX version is available for your graphics setup.

Press the Windows key to open search.
Enter dxdiag in the search box.
Select dxdiag from the results.
Approve the driver-signing check by selecting Yes if Windows displays it.
Select the System tab in the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.
Read the DirectX version under System Information.
Confirm the reported graphics setup supports DirectX 11 or DirectX 12.

Good progress. Your PC clears the compatibility checkpoint when every reported value meets or exceeds Epic's baseline.

Does Your PC Miss a Baseline Item?

Use a Windows PC that meets every baseline item before downloading Unreal Engine.
Review the requirements again on the official Unreal Engine download page.

Help me compare my PC with Unreal Engine's baseline.

The Epic Games Launcher manages the engine installation. It also keeps the required version available for this project.

Visit the official Unreal Engine download page.
Download the Epic Games Launcher installer for Windows.
Run the downloaded installer.
Approve the Windows permission request if it appears.
Follow the installer prompts to complete the installation.

The launcher is now available from Windows search.

Epic handles account sign-in through its own account flow, so this project never asks you to share your password.

Press the Windows key to open search.
Type Epic Games Launcher and press Enter.
Create an Epic Games account if you need one.
Sign in to Epic Games Launcher with your Epic Games account.

You should see Epic Games Launcher open in its signed-in state. Your account is ready to manage the engine installation.

Launcher Won't Install or Sign In?

Download a fresh installer from the official Unreal Engine page if the current installer does not open.
Check your internet connection if the Epic account sign-in flow does not load.

Help me troubleshoot Epic Games Launcher on Windows. You can also compare notes in the community forum.

Install Unreal Engine 5.6.1

Version 5.6.1 keeps this project tied to the documented Unreal Engine 5.6 Vehicle Template. That template includes the Time Trial variant used throughout the project.

Select the Unreal Engine tab in Epic Games Launcher.
Use the engine-version selector to inspect which engine version is available on this PC.

The engine download can extend this project's 58-minute estimate. A long progress bar can be normal on a slower connection.

✔️ I see version 5.6.1 installed

Your installed engine version matches the project. Unreal Engine 5.6.1 is ready for project creation.

ⓧ I see an older version

This project uses the documented Time Trial variant from the 5.6 template line. Install 5.6.1 as the project's engine version.

Use the engine-version selector to add 5.6.1.
Click Install.
Keep Epic Games Launcher open until installation completes.
Confirm the installed engine entry shows 5.6.1.

ⓧ Unreal Engine is not installed yet

Epic Games Launcher handles the full engine download. Select the pinned version before starting the installation.

Select 5.6.1 with the engine-version selector.
Click Install.
Keep Epic Games Launcher open until installation completes.
Confirm the installed engine entry shows 5.6.1.

That's the heaviest setup complete. Epic Games Launcher now manages the exact Unreal Engine version used by your festival sprint.

Can't Install Version 5.6.1?

Reopen the engine-version selector if 5.6.1 is not selected.
Confirm Epic Games Launcher remains connected while the installation progresses.

Help me install Unreal Engine 5.6.1 through Epic Games Launcher. You can also ask for help in the community forum.

Launch the Time Trial in FestivalSprint

The project template determines which driving systems are ready on the first launch. Choosing the Time Trial variant gives you the supplied route plus its race feedback.

Why the Time Trial Variant?

The Vehicle Template provides a starting point for driving games. The Time Trial variant adds lap timing systems.

It also provides checkpoint logic plus the time and best-time UI. That keeps this project focused on level design and playtesting.

Open Unreal Engine 5.6.1 from its installed entry in Epic Games Launcher.
Choose the Vehicle Template on the New Project screen.
Open the Variant dropdown.
Select Time Trial.
Enter FestivalSprint as the project name.
Create the project.

The Unreal Editor opens the supplied Time Trial course. You'll see the vehicle plus the existing gate structure in the level.

Keep the supplied vehicle, checkpoint gates, finish gate, timing logic, and race UI in their default state.

Before you test the course, which parts of the timed-lap flow do you expect to appear?

Start Play In Editor by clicking Play in the toolbar or pressing Alt + P.
Drive the supplied course through its checkpoint gates.

You'll see the vehicle respond while the checkpoint gates mark the lap route.

You'll also see the time UI plus the best-time UI. These signals confirm the default Time Trial systems are working.

Vehicle or Race UI Not Working?

Confirm Time Trial was selected from the Variant dropdown if the gates or race UI are missing.
Click inside the Play In Editor viewport if the vehicle does not respond to your controls.
Start a fresh Play In Editor session if the previous session stopped.

Help me troubleshoot the FestivalSprint Time Trial test.

You now have a working timed driving foundation. Next up, you'll add a festival chicane that looks convincing in the editor but fails its first driving test.

Build a Festival Chicane That Fails

Your FestivalSprint prototype already completes the supplied timed course. Now it needs an original level-design decision.

The stock track works. Editor appearance alone cannot prove that a route is playable.

In this step, you will add an offset barrier chicane in the Unreal Editor. You will test it with the real car.

In this step, get ready to:

Choose a straight section without moving any supplied race actors.
Build an offset left-right chicane from transformed Cube Actors.
Test the chicane in Play In Editor.

Choose a safe blockout area

A primitive blockout uses simple shapes to test the space needed for a playable route. Keeping the blockout between existing gates protects the supplied race logic.

Switch back to FestivalSprint in the Unreal Editor from earlier.
Locate a straight section between two existing lap gates.
Protect every supplied checkpoint gate, finish actor, and race-logic actor by leaving it unmoved.

Your chosen straight is now the only area you will change.

Click Window in the top menu.
Select Place Actor.

The Place Actors panel is now open beside the Level Viewport. Its Shapes section contains the primitive pieces for your blockout.

Expand the Shapes section in the Place Actors panel.
Drag a Cube Actor from the panel onto your chosen straight.

You will see a cube sitting on the track between the supplied lap gates. This is the first temporary festival barrier.

Cannot see the cube?

Check that the Place Actors panel is visible beside the Level Viewport.
Drag the Cube Actor directly onto the track surface inside your chosen straight.

Ask for help if the Actor does not appear where you expect. Help me place a Cube Actor on my Unreal Engine track.

Build the cramped chicane

A chicane forces the racing line to shift from one side of the track to the other. 3D transforms let you shape that path through position, angle, and size.

Select the Cube Actor in the Level Viewport.
Use the scale gizmo to stretch the cube into a temporary barrier.

You will see the cube become a long barrier across part of the track.

Duplicate the barrier by using Alt + Left-click and drag on a translation gizmo.
Use the rotation gizmo to angle the duplicated barrier toward the opposite side.

You now have two barrier pieces with different positions. Their angles begin to suggest a change of direction.

Move the original barrier from one track edge toward the center with the translation gizmo.
Move the duplicated barrier farther down the straight from the opposite edge with the translation gizmo.

From the driving approach, the route now shifts around the first barrier before turning back around the second.

Extend the first barrier with the scale gizmo until its opening is visibly narrower than the vehicle.
Inspect the offset route from the vehicle approach in the Level Viewport.

You will see an offset left-right chicane made from Cube Actors. The first opening is visibly smaller than the car.

Drive the failed racing line

Collision testing reveals how the blockout behaves at driving speed. The vehicle now provides the evidence that the editor view cannot.

Before you press Play, decide whether the car can clear the first opening at driving speed.

Start Play In Editor by clicking Play in the toolbar or pressing Alt + P.
Accelerate toward the custom chicane at driving speed.
Attempt to clear the first opening through the intended route.

You will see the car collide, become wedged, or nearly stop because the first opening is too narrow for a clean racing line. This visible shortfall is the intended result.

The supplied timer and best-time UI remain available during the test. Your only level change is the temporary Cube Actor blockout.

Car clears the opening cleanly?

A clean pass means the first opening is still wide enough for the vehicle. Tighten the designed obstacle before completing this step.

End the test session.
Move the inner end of the first barrier farther into the lane.
Repeat the Play In Editor test at driving speed.

If the car still passes cleanly, help me make this Unreal Engine chicane intentionally unplayable.

That failed run is a useful win. Next, you will reshape the barriers around the car's real movement until the route supports a clean timed lap.

Fix the Racing Line and Complete a Lap

The deliberately cramped chicane did its job in the FestivalSprint project. A Play In Editor test in the Unreal Editor proved that the route cannot support a clean racing line at speed.

This step turns that collision feedback into a wider route. You will use 3D transforms to make the route readable before proving it with a full timed lap.

In this step, get ready to:

Give the chicane vehicle-wide clearance.
Guide the driver with angled barriers plus short outside walls.
Complete a clean lap with updated timing UI.

Widen the chicane openings

Each barrier position controls how much room the car has to turn. Each barrier angle controls how clearly the driver can read the next opening.

How barrier angle guides the driver

A flat barrier face looks like a wall across the route. An angled face points the driver's attention toward the next opening.

Clearance makes the route passable. Direction makes it readable.

Return to the Level Viewport from the Play In Editor test.
Select the Cube Actor on one inner face of the first opening.
Move the selected Actor away from the racing line with the translation gizmo.
Select the Cube Actor on the opposite inner face.
Move the selected Actor outward until the gap is clearly wider than the vehicle.
Rotate the first inner barrier toward the second opening with the rotation gizmo.
Rotate the opposite inner barrier toward the same opening.
Position the Level Viewport at the driver's approach to confirm that the next opening remains visible.

Before you test this pass, do you expect the vehicle to clear the first opening without slowing to a crawl?

Start Play In Editor by clicking Play in the toolbar or pressing Alt + P.
Drive into the chicane at normal racing speed.

Watch where the vehicle touches the cubes. A clean pass reaches the second opening without wedging or nearly stopping.

Return to the Level Viewport after the test.
Move any barrier touched by the vehicle farther outward.
Start Play In Editor again.
Drive through the chicane at speed.
Repeat this test loop until the vehicle clears the chicane without contact.

Still clipping an inner barrier?

Adjust the barrier that the vehicle actually touches. Small outward movements preserve the chicane shape while adding usable clearance.

Check the opening from the driver's approach after every adjustment. This keeps the next turn visible.

Help me refine my chicane clearance.

Good work. Your chicane now supports the vehicle's real width at speed.

Add short outside guide walls

A readable route needs outer boundaries that show the driver where the turn continues. Short guide walls strengthen that shape without changing the supplied checkpoint logic.

Return to the Level Viewport from your successful driving test.
Select a Cube Actor on one outside edge of the chicane.
Duplicate the selected barrier along the outside edge with Alt + Left-click and drag on the translation gizmo.
Rotate the duplicate so its long face continues the route toward the chicane exit.
Inspect the new wall from the driver's approach to confirm that the next lap gate remains visible.
Select a Cube Actor on the opposite outside edge.
Duplicate that barrier with Alt + Left-click and drag on the translation gizmo.
Rotate the duplicate to form a short outside wall.

Why leave the race actors untouched?

The supplied checkpoint gates plus finish actors control the timed lap. Keeping them untouched preserves the template's working race flow.

The Cube Actors change the driving challenge while the original race systems keep doing their jobs.

Inspect every guide wall to confirm that it remains clear of the supplied lap gates.
Inspect every guide wall to confirm that it remains clear of the finish structure.
Reposition any overlapping Cube Actor with the translation gizmo.
Start Play In Editor by clicking Play or pressing Alt + P.
Drive through the complete chicane at racing speed.

You should clear both openings without touching the barriers. The outside walls should point you toward the exit while leaving the next gate visible.

Do the guide walls create a new collision?

Return to the Level Viewport after the collision.
Select the guide-wall piece touched by the vehicle.
Move that piece farther from the racing line.
Retest the chicane at speed.

Help me fix a guide-wall collision.

Save the current level changes from the Unreal Editor toolbar.

Your barrier blockout now communicates the route from the driver's seat. It also gives the vehicle enough space to carry speed.

Complete a full timed lap

A section test proves that the chicane works on its own. A full lap proves that the supplied gate sequence plus finish still work with your level design.

Before you begin the final test, what do you expect the timing UI to do when you pass every gate before crossing the finish?

Start Play In Editor by clicking Play or pressing Alt + P.
Drive through each supplied checkpoint gate in sequence.
Clear the festival chicane at racing speed.
Cross the supplied finish structure.

You should complete the lap without becoming stuck. The time plus best-time UI should update when you cross the finish.

Did the timing UI stay unchanged?

A missed checkpoint can prevent the lap from completing. Follow the supplied gate sequence from the beginning before crossing the finish again.

Repeat the full lap through every supplied gate.
Return to the Level Viewport if the vehicle still clips a guide wall.
Move only the Cube Actor touched by the vehicle farther from the racing line.
Retest the complete lap.

Help me complete the timed lap.

Strong finish. Your festival chicane now supports a clean timed lap while the template's race systems remain intact.

Secret mission

Build a Finish-Line Festival Arch

Your chicane now supports a clean timed lap. This optional mission gives the finish its own festival landmark. You will build a primitive arch that preserves the vehicle opening.

Clean Up Your Resources

Your festival sprint lives entirely on this Windows PC, so there are no paid cloud or hosted resources. Decide whether to keep it open, pause it for later, or delete its local resources.

Resources you used:

The local FestivalSprint project folder containing the Time Trial course, festival chicane, finish-line arch, checkpoint logic, timing logic, and race UI.
The open FestivalSprint project session in Unreal Editor.
The Unreal Engine 5.6.1 installation managed by Epic Games Launcher.

Keep everything running

No action is needed. This option keeps the playable project ready for more driving tests.

The FestivalSprint project stays open with its tested chicane and finish-line arch.
Unreal Engine 5.6.1 remains installed on your Windows PC.
Epic Games Launcher remains signed in to your Epic Games account.
Your local project creates no ongoing cloud or hosting charges.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Pausing closes the local apps while preserving every level change. Your project remains available for another drive test.

Save the FestivalSprint project in Unreal Editor.
Close Unreal Editor.
Close Epic Games Launcher from its running window.
Create a ZIP archive beside the FestivalSprint project folder by using Windows compression.
Confirm the original FestivalSprint project folder remains beside the new archive.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Deletion permanently removes the local level work. Your Epic Games account remains available if you install the engine again later.

Close Unreal Editor.
Right-click the local FestivalSprint project folder in the location where you created it.
Select Delete from the folder menu.
Confirm the FestivalSprint project folder no longer appears in that location.
In the Epic Games Launcher from earlier, use the engine-version selector for 5.6.1 to uninstall that engine installation.
Confirm 5.6.1 no longer appears among the installed engine versions.

Nice Work!

You did it! You built a playable 3D festival sprint in Unreal Engine 5.6.1. Your timed lap now runs through a tested chicane plus a collision-safe finish-line arch.

You've learned how to:

Build a controllable 3D racing prototype from the Vehicle Template's Time Trial variant.
Create an original festival chicane from transformed Cube Actors. Preserve the supplied checkpoint gates plus finish structure.
Use Play In Editor for iterative playtesting that exposes a cramped racing line. Widen the chicane until the vehicle clears it at speed. Complete the lap to update the time and best-time UI.
Secret Mission: Build a collision-safe finish-line festival arch from transformed primitives. Drive through its opening during a full timed lap. Preserve a clear view of the next gate.

Ready to quiz yourself?