Video of ‘UFO’ in Germany is CGI

A video circulating on social media with claims it shows a “UFO” or “UAP” in Germany is not real—it was made using CGI.

The video appears to have been filmed from the front seat of a car, as it drives down a tree-lined road at night. There are several bright lights in the sky ahead which move above the forest on the right hand side of the screen, where they become slightly obscured by the trees. In some versions, the video starts with a violent shake of the camera. 

The video dates back to at least July 2021. Some of the posts sharing it claim it was taken in the Black Forest, while others claim it shows a UFO in the German town of Dinkelsbühl instead. 

But the video is not real—it was created using CGI. Mick West, a former video game programmer who runs metabunk.org, a forum where users debunk pseudoscientific claims and conspiracy theories, explained in a YouTube video posted in 2021 that the repeating road texture, which loops several times over and is a technique often seen in game programming, is a clue the video has been computer generated. 

Mr West also notes that the description of the original video—which has since been deleted—states that it is “just a test”.

We’ve written several fact checks about CGI scenes—often from video games—being shared as if they were real. 

Bohemia Interactive, developer of the military simulation game Arma 3, footage from which has been shared alongside claims it was filmed in Ukraine or depicts recent events inside Gaza, has published a blog post providing tips on how members of the public can distinguish in-game videos from real-world footage. 

Clues include a very low resolution, shaky camera footage or a scene taking place at night to hide the video game scene’s insufficient level of detail. The UFO video features all of these. 

For further advice on how to verify videos before you share them, read our guide.