Unreal Tournament 3 is the fourth game in the Unreal Tournament series and the eighth Unreal game, but it has been numbered in terms of the engine it runs on. The original Unreal Tournament uses the original Unreal Engine, while UT2003 and UT2004 use the Unreal Engine 2, and 2004 incorporates all of the content from 2003; therefore they are considered as the same generation. UT3 is subsequently part of the third generation, because it runs on the Unreal Engine 3, and does not reuse any content.

    Similar to the previous entries of the series, the game is primarily an online multiplayer title offering several game modes, including large-scale Warfare, Capture-the-Flag, and Deathmatch. It will also include an extensive offline single-player game with an in-depth story, advancing from the simple tournament ladder to such concepts as team members with their own individual personalities. The following game modes are included:

• Deathmatch
• Team Deathmatch
• Capture the flag
• Duel: A one versus one gametype. It uses a queueing system, the winner stays, and the loser goes back to the end of the queue. A typical match last five minutes with an unlimited amount of rounds.
• Warfare (formerly known as Conquest): An amalgamation of Onslaught and Assault. While basic game rules are equal to those of Onslaught, Warfare adds unlinked nodes which can always be captured (supplying the capturing team with vehicles and a spawnpoint) and countdown nodes (which, after being captured and defended for a certain period of time, create a vehicle or trigger an event helpful to the capturing team) as well as the orb, which can be used to instantly capture and defend nodes.
• Vehicle Capture the Flag: Capture the Flag, with vehicles as part of the map; this exists as a separate game type to Capture the Flag, above.

    Unlike the previous Unreal Tournament games, the single player campaign does not follow a plot based around the Tournament Grand Championship, and therefore several of the teams within Unreal Tournament III are not Tournament competitors:

• Necris, appearing in several previous titles, the Necris are a species of nanotechnologically modified humans who were originally designed by the Phayder Corporation to function as ultra-high performance Black Opsgothic-looking and with advanced nanotechnology-based equipment designed by Phayder, they are the antagonists of UT3. The Necris Championship team are known as "Black Legion," though there is no indication that the Necris featured in this game are the same group. forces for hire from Phayder. White-skinned,
• "The Corrupt", though not specifically identified by this name within UT3, are a team of artificially intelligent cybernetic beings, maintained and financed by the mysterious Liandri Mining Corporation (originators of the Tournaments) whose domination of the robotics markets is unchallenged. They were originally lead by Xan Kriegor, the first Tournament Grand Champion until his defeat by Malcolm and his team Thundercrash. The Corrupt are now lead by newcomer Matrix, a Liandri executive who upgraded at the request of his superiors.
• Iron Guard, an ancient Tournament team of hardened mercenaries and ex-military, led by long-time Tourney veteran Lauren. Iron Guard have been hired by the Axon Corporation.
• Iron Skull, a reptillian species called the Krall, they served as expendable slave warriors in the Skaarj empire before its contact with the human empire under the New Earth Government. Many Krall prisoners of war entered the empire during the Human/Skaarj War, some entering the Tournaments. The Necris chose to make use of this resource, purchasing the Iron Skull clan and putting them into service as shock troops.
• Ronin, a team protected by red armour, with yellow glowing LEDs and henna tattoos; they were a clan of warriors whose duty was to defend the Twin Souls mining colony - after Twin Souls was destroyed by the Necris, they fled to Earth and now represent Izanagi Corporation, who sponsor them as mercenaries and Tournament combatants. They were given their name by the Izanagi.
• Thundercrash, although this team was not initially in the game itself, Malcolm now appears on the UT3 website, hinting that this team may return to the franchise.

• M.L.F Fighters,new possibly mysterous clan unknown by overs and passed a hidden clause to enter but what are there intentions? what does the mlf stand for muthaidliketofook