Conan Exiles is turning eight years old, and Funcom is marking the occasion with something genuinely surprising: a free, full-scale engine upgrade called Conan Exiles Enhanced. The update drops on May 5 exclusively on Steam, moving the game from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5, and it brings far more than a visual coat of paint. New rendering technology, merged world maps, multiple characters per account, a revamped UI, and an 80 GB reduction in client size are all part of the package.
What is Conan Exiles Enhanced?
Conan Exiles Enhanced is a free upgrade announced by Funcom that targets the game's 8th anniversary on May 8, 2026. According to the official Funcom blog, the update was developed in collaboration with Inflexion Games and represents the most significant technical overhaul the game has received since launch.
Funcom's CCO Joel Bylos confirmed in a press release that the upgrade is being offered at no cost as an anniversary gift, stating the team wanted to "breathe new life and energy into the game for a long time to come." Inflexion Games added that the collaboration involved "new technology, materials and shaders, UI, and a range of quality-of-life improvements" to build a new foundation for the next decade of play.
The Enhanced world in UE5
What's new in Conan Exiles Enhanced?
The changes split into several distinct categories. Here's a breakdown of what Funcom and Inflexion Games have confirmed:
Visual and performance upgrades
The entire game world has been rebuilt visually using Unreal Engine 5, with new materials, shaders, and rendering technology applied across every location. According to Funcom, the update targets 60+ FPS gameplay across Low, Medium, High, and Ultra settings on most PCs. Steam Deck performance is also specifically addressed, with Funcom confirming "strong performance" on the handheld device.
If you're playing on Steam Deck, the Enhanced update is the first time Funcom has explicitly targeted handheld performance, so expect a noticeably smoother experience compared to the current UE4 build.
Merged world: Exiled Lands and Isle of Siptah
One of the biggest gameplay changes is the unification of the two main maps. Players can now travel freely between the Exiled Lands and the Isle of Siptah without switching servers. Previously, players had to choose one or the other. You still need to own the Isle of Siptah DLC to access the island itself, but the two zones now form a single connected world.
Travel between the two areas is handled via teleport, according to reporting from mein-mmo.de.
Bases built on the Isle of Siptah will not carry over to the Enhanced version. The island's physical coordinates changed during the merge with the Exiled Lands, which makes preserving Siptah structures technically impossible. Back up your data before May 5.
Multiple characters per account
For the first time in Conan Exiles history, players can create multiple characters on a single account. This is a long-requested feature and makes the May 5 launch a natural moment to start a fresh character alongside your existing one.
Client size reduced by 80 GB
The game's install size drops from approximately 120 GB to 40 GB, a reduction of roughly 66%, as confirmed by mein-mmo.de. That's a substantial saving for anyone with limited storage, and it's happening at the same time as the visual quality goes up.
Revamped UI and other improvements
Funcom confirmed the user interface has been cleaned up and made clearer. Crafting and building mechanics have also been overhauled. Modding support is available from day one of the Enhanced release, which should reassure the game's active modding community.
How does the update affect your existing saves?
This is where things get specific, and it's worth reading carefully before the update goes live.
Official UE4 Exiled Lands servers (Steam)
According to Funcom directly: "If you play on an official UE4 Exiled Lands server on Steam, your server will be updated to UE5 with everything carrying forward in the update. Your character, followers, and bases should not be affected."
Isle of Siptah servers
This is the exception. Because the Isle of Siptah has been physically merged into the Exiled Lands map, the island's coordinates had to change. As a result, bases on the Isle of Siptah cannot be preserved in the UE5 update. Funcom has made a character transfer tool available that lets Isle of Siptah players move their character, inventory, and progress to an Exiled Lands server before the update hits.
Dedicated server players
The Enhanced client can read all save data from the current version of the game. Funcom strongly advises making backups before the update, as a precaution.
If you run a dedicated server or play on one, make a full backup before May 5. The Enhanced client is backward-compatible with existing save data, but Funcom's own advice is to back up regardless.
What platforms are getting Conan Exiles Enhanced?
Right now, the Enhanced update is Steam-only. Console players on Xbox and PlayStation, and PC players on the Epic Games Store or Microsoft Store, are not getting the update at launch.
Funcom has stated they are not ruling out a future release on those platforms, but there are "no current plans" to do so. Critically, the older UE4 version of the game will no longer receive major content updates, only essential bug fixes. All official servers will move to the new version, meaning non-Steam PC players will lose access to official servers.
Console servers (Xbox and PlayStation) will remain on the UE4 version and stay accessible for those players.
Epic Games Store and Microsoft Store PC players are in the most awkward position here. They lose official server access without getting the update. Funcom has not announced any solution for this group beyond the possibility of a future release.
How to prepare for the Conan Exiles Enhanced update
Here's a practical checklist based on Funcom's confirmed guidance:
- Back up your save data before May 5, regardless of which server type you play on
- Isle of Siptah players: use the official character transfer tool to move your character to an Exiled Lands server before the update
- Check your storage: the client shrinks from 120 GB to 40 GB, but the update process itself may require temporary space during installation
- Verify you own Isle of Siptah if you want to access the merged world from day one; the DLC is still required
- Plan a new character: the multi-character feature makes this the ideal time to start fresh and experience the Enhanced visuals from the beginning
You can find the complete FAQ and full scope of changes on the Conan Exiles updates page, which Funcom has been updating as the release approaches.
Is Conan Exiles Enhanced worth coming back for?
For lapsed players, the combination of a full UE5 visual overhaul, 60+ FPS targets, merged maps, and an 80 GB smaller install is a genuinely compelling reason to reinstall. The fact that it's free removes the usual barrier that remaster-style upgrades create.
The modding support from day one is a smart call. Conan Exiles has a healthy modding scene, and alienating that community on launch day would have been a mistake. Funcom avoided it.
The platform split is the real sore point. Non-Steam PC players and console players are getting left behind in terms of content, and the lack of a concrete timeline for other platforms is frustrating. That said, for Steam players, this is about as generous as a free update gets.
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