Unreal uses C++, I myself only use blueprints. It is quite advanced and you don’t really need to touch code at all even for quite complex games. I am an artist first, not programmer, so working with blueprints is better for my current skillset. I’ve been trying Renpy, it’s python based, yea, completely different experience. Python is so simple, love it.
I actually work fully on my laptop, I don’t have a PC. Unreal Engine 5 works much better than last versions of Unreal engine 4, when working with realistic assets. They did a lot of optimization to make UE5 a more smooth experience. My games have not been too complex, so far I don’t have too much issues, as long as I optimize my assets.
I have been looking at Godot and I’ll probably eventually try it, I know it is a very good option for multiple reasons. But the idea of building from scratch the basics that are already in other engines by default, sounds daunting. It is probably better to learn this way, because you get more insight into how things work together, but I don’t want to jump around engines anymore. I am experienced enough in Unreal by now, so my current goal is to make a proper game with it.