GTA 6 Move Aside, Bully Is Back With An Unreal Engine 5 Remake

Published Oct 20, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work. Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work. Grand Theft Auto 6 is undoubtedly going to be the biggest game of the year, but it may not actually be the most exciting Rockstar release. A surprising twist of events has landed fans with a brand-new Unreal Engine 5 remake of Rockstar's cult classic Bully, a game that resonated a lot with fans back in 2006 and that has continued to be fondly remembered ever since. Indeed, there have been calls for Bully to get a sequel or get a remake ever since it originally launched, so this UE5 remake is a pretty big deal. With Bully joining the pantheon of great PS2 games turning 20 this year, one would have expected Rockstar to have officially announced some form of sequel or remake. After all, one is long overdue, and the revelation that there was a sequel in the works several years back that was eventually canceled only makes it all the more tantalizing. Fortunately, this UE5 remake more than makes up for it all, as it offers fans new and old an opportunity to relive their high school glory days through the eyes of the legendary Jimmy. It's hard to deny that Bully is one of Rockstar's greatest games, ranking among the likes of GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2. Its unique setting and dedication to replicating the angst permeating much of the late 90s and early 00s adolescent media elevated it beyond being a simple simulation of school. Bully's cast of memorable characters, its twist-laden narrative, and endlessly enjoyable hijinks made it a legitimately great game to play on the PlayStation 2 that largely holds up today. However, that isn't to say that the original Bully isn't without its flaws. Fortunately, the aforementioned Unreal Engine 5 remake has the potential to fix them and then some. Developed by just one fan, ashen, this remake takes the original game and transplants it into the UE5 engine with the aid of AI. The goal is to offer a more faithful remake than previous UE5 proof of concepts that skewed too heavily into unnecessary realism, something that is largely achieved by utilizing the same assets as the original Bully, albeit upscaled and enhanced by UE5.8's incredible lighting. The available build already looks pretty incredible, although far from being finished. The remake is available on GitHub in its decompiled entirety, allowing others to swoop in and continue ashen's work should they elect to stop at any point. It makes the job feel a little more communal, which makes sense given just how much Bully's fandom has rallied around the idea of a remake. Short of getting an official Bully sequel or remake, something that feels nearly impossible at this stage, this fan remake will have to do. To be clear, this remake is very much a work in development, with the game's entire campaign currently missing. Ashen has been very upfront about their ambitions and the fact that it is more of an experiment in these early stages. Still, it showcases just what a Bully remake could feasibly look like, and indeed further illustrates the insatiable hunger fans have for a Rockstar-produced one. For now, this fan-made Bully remake will have to do and should hopefully give fans something to look forward to as they play through GTA 6, wishing it were Bully 2 instead. Systems Released October 17, 2006 ESRB T For Teen due to Crude Humor, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence Developer(s) Rockstar Vancouver Publisher(s) Rockstar Games Engine RenderWare, ‎Gamebryo‎ Multiplayer Local Multiplayer, Local Co-Op