Sustainable Games Alliance rolls out energy-saving tools across major engines

• Idle detection allows games to cut energy use without affecting gameplay.
• The tools dynamically lower frame rates and rendering during inactivity.
• Battery life on handheld devices could improve by up to 15%.

The Sustainable Games Alliance (SGA) has released a new set of power-saving plugins for Unreal, Unity and Godot to improve energy efficiency across the games industry.

The tools build on the organisation’s Sustainable Games Standard introduced in October 2025, and were developed through collaboration within its Energy Efficiency Network. 

Contributors included companies such as Microsoft, Ubisoft and Unity, alongside multiple independent studios.

Moreover, the plugins are designed to detect idle player behaviour and reduce power consumption by lowering frame rates and rendering resolution. 

In extended idle states, rendering can be temporarily paused before instantly returning to full performance once input resumes.

Power optimisation 

According to SGA, the approach could extend battery life on handheld devices by up to 15%, based on behavioural estimates from Fortnite, where players spend around 25% of their time idle. 

Additional benefits include reduced device heat, lower fan noise and decreased electricity usage.

“Sustainability in gaming isn't just about how we run our studios, but how our code behaves on millions of devices worldwide," said SGA energy efficiency network and technical director at GOALS Torbjörn Söderman. 

“By making these power-saving tools available across Unreal, Unity, and Godot, we’re helping the entire industry reduce its carbon footprint without compromising the high-fidelity experiences players expect."

The plugins are now available across the three major engines, with further technical insights expected to be shared at upcoming SGA events and Gamescom Dev in August.