Create Dynamic Day Night Cycles in Unreal Engine 5.5 with Day Sequence

Create a day night cycle in Unreal Engine 5.5 using Day Sequence. Enable the plugin, add the Day Sequence Actor, control time of day, and set day length for dynamic lighting.

Hi I am Rambod and today we build a clean and realistic day night cycle with Day Sequence in Unreal Engine 5.5. No hacks, no spaghetti. One actor controls sun, moon, atmosphere, clouds, and the timeline. Follow these steps and you will have dynamic lighting that looks good and stays simple to maintain.

1) Enable the Day Sequence plugin

• Go to Edit → Plugins.
• Search Day Sequence.
• Click Enable.
• Unreal asks to restart. Accept and reopen the project.

Why this matters: without the plugin there is no Day Sequence Actor and no automated control over time of day.

2) Clean the default sky setup

If your level has the template sky, remove it to avoid conflicts:

• Delete Directional Light, Sky Atmosphere, Volumetric Clouds, Sky Light, and any sky components you added for the old system.

We want Day Sequence to be the single source of truth for sun, moon, and atmosphere.

3) Add the Day Sequence Actor

• Open Place Actors and search Day.
• You will see Sun, Moon, and Day Sequence Actor.
• Drag Day Sequence Actor into the level.

This actor wires everything for you. You get a moving sun and moon, dynamic clouds, and a timeline you can scrub.

4) Preview time of day

• Select Day Sequence Actor.
• In Details, use Time of Day Preview to scrub.
• Try 10:00 for morning light, then switch to 01:00 for a clean night sky.
• Toggle Live Preview to watch time advance in real time while you work.

Tip: test your materials and post process while scrubbing. You will quickly see which assets need tweaks for dusk and night.

5) Control day length and speed

• Still in the Details panel, set Day Length and Time per Cycle.
• For iteration, try a short loop like 60 seconds.
• For demos or gameplay, use longer values to match your design.

Short loop helps you dial in exposure, shadows, and emissive balance. Longer loops feel natural in play.

6) Understand the new workflow

With Day Sequence active:

• The Sun and Moon are driven by the sequence.
• Atmosphere and clouds follow automatically.
• You do not need external sky actors. Keep the scene clean and let Day Sequence handle the timeline.

If you ever re-add a Sky Light or Directional Light manually, make sure you are not fighting Day Sequence. One controller is enough.

Troubleshooting quick wins

• Scene is too dark at night: increase skylight contribution or use subtle emissive on key props.
• Sun looks flat at noon: adjust atmosphere parameters and shadow softness.
• Clouds feel static: verify Volumetric Clouds are enabled and not overridden by a custom sky material.

Wrap up

You now have a fully dynamic day night cycle in Unreal Engine 5.5 driven by one actor. It is clean, predictable, and easy to tune. Push the slider, watch the world react, and lock in the look that fits your game.

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