Unity Particle System Presets

Inspector-ready settings for common particle effects. Every preset's full module values are listed below.

Setting up a Particle System from scratch is tedious. These presets give you the exact module values for common effects, so you can type them into the Inspector and have a working effect in seconds.

GameObject

Effects

Particle System

Campfire

Looping

Warm, flickering flame particles rising from a fire pit. Additive blending for a natural glow.

Module	Setting	Value
Main	Duration	2
Main	Looping	true
Main	Start Lifetime	Random Between Two Constants: 0.8 to 1.5
Main	Start Speed	Random Between Two Constants: 1 to 2
Main	Start Size	Random Between Two Constants: 0.3 to 0.8
Main	Start Colour	Gradient: yellow > orange > red
Emission	Rate over Time	30
Shape	Shape	Cone
Shape	Angle	15
Shape	Radius	0.2
Size over Lifetime	Curve	Shrink (1 to 0)
Colour over Lifetime	Alpha	Fade out (1 to 0)
Renderer	Material	Additive particle material

Tips

*Layer two systems: one for bright inner flames, one for softer outer glow at lower opacity.
*Add a separate Smoke Puff system above the campfire for added realism.
*Use Noise module with low strength (0.2) for organic flame flicker.
*For mobile, reduce emission rate to 15 and lifetime to 0.6 to 1.0.

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Smoke Puff

One-shot

A one-shot burst of soft, expanding smoke. Useful for impacts, explosions, or environmental effects.

Module	Setting	Value
Main	Duration	1
Main	Looping	false
Main	Start Lifetime	Random Between Two Constants: 1 to 2
Main	Start Speed	Random Between Two Constants: 0.5 to 1
Main	Start Size	Random Between Two Constants: 0.5 to 1.5
Main	Start Colour	Grey (RGBA: 0.6, 0.6, 0.6, 0.5)
Emission	Bursts	1 burst of 15 particles at time 0
Shape	Shape	Sphere
Shape	Radius	0.1
Size over Lifetime	Curve	Grow (0.5 to 1)
Noise	Strength	0.5
Noise	Frequency	0.5

Tips

*Use a soft, circular texture with alpha falloff for realistic smoke edges.
*Set Simulation Space to World so smoke stays in place if the emitter moves.
*Enable Colour over Lifetime to fade alpha from 0.5 to 0 for a natural dissipation.
*Combine with a slight upward Velocity over Lifetime for rising smoke.

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Sparks / Impact

One-shot

Fast, short-lived bright particles that fly outward on hit. Great for melee strikes, bullet impacts, and metal collisions.

Module	Setting	Value
Main	Duration	0.3
Main	Looping	false
Main	Start Lifetime	Random Between Two Constants: 0.2 to 0.5
Main	Start Speed	Random Between Two Constants: 3 to 8
Main	Start Size	Random Between Two Constants: 0.05 to 0.15
Main	Start Colour	Random Between: yellow and orange
Main	Gravity Modifier	2
Emission	Bursts	1 burst of 20 particles at time 0
Shape	Shape	Cone
Shape	Angle	45
Trails	Enabled	true
Trails	Lifetime	0.1
Trails	Width over Trail	Shrink (1 to 0)

Tips

*Rotate the system so the cone faces away from the impact surface normal.
*Use a small, bright, round texture (2x2 or 4x4 pixels is fine for sparks).
*Trails add a lot of visual impact but cost extra draw calls; disable on low-end devices.
*Add a tiny Sub Emitter on Death for secondary micro-sparks if you want extra flair.

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Rain

Looping

Dense, fast-falling stretched particles covering a wide area. Attach to the camera for seamless coverage.

Module	Setting	Value
Main	Duration	1
Main	Looping	true
Main	Start Lifetime	Random Between Two Constants: 0.5 to 1
Main	Start Speed	Random Between Two Constants: 10 to 15
Main	Start Size	0.02 (X) x 0.3 (Y) via 3D Start Size
Main	Start Colour	Light blue-grey (RGBA: 0.7, 0.75, 0.85, 0.4)
Emission	Rate over Time	200
Shape	Shape	Box
Shape	Scale	20 x 0.1 x 20 (wide, flat area above camera)
Renderer	Render Mode	Stretched Billboard
Renderer	Speed Scale	0.1
Renderer	Length Scale	3

Tips

*Parent the rain system to the camera so it follows the player without gaps.
*Use Prewarm so rain is already falling when the scene starts.
*For splashes on the ground, add a second system with short-lived burst particles at floor level.
*On mobile, reduce emission to 80 and use a smaller box shape (10 x 0.1 x 10).

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Blood Splatter

One-shot

Short, violent burst of dark red droplets with gravity. Suitable for melee hits and projectile impacts.

Module	Setting	Value
Main	Duration	0.5
Main	Looping	false
Main	Start Lifetime	Random Between Two Constants: 0.5 to 1
Main	Start Speed	Random Between Two Constants: 2 to 5
Main	Start Size	Random Between Two Constants: 0.1 to 0.3
Main	Start Colour	Dark red (RGBA: 0.5, 0.02, 0.02, 1)
Main	Gravity Modifier	3
Emission	Bursts	1 burst of 10 to 15 particles at time 0
Shape	Shape	Cone
Shape	Angle	30
Colour over Lifetime	Alpha	Fade out in last 30% (1 to 0)

Tips

*Use a circular splat texture with rough edges for organic-looking droplets.
*Orient the cone along the hit direction for directional splatter.
*Add a Collision module with a ground plane and Sub Emitter on Collision for floor splat decals.
*For a stylised look, reduce gravity to 1 and increase lifetime for floaty blood (common in anime-style games).

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Magic Trail

Looping

Glowing particles that linger behind a moving object. Perfect for projectiles, spells, and enchanted weapons.

Module	Setting	Value
Main	Duration	5
Main	Looping	true
Main	Start Lifetime	Random Between Two Constants: 0.3 to 0.5
Main	Start Speed	0
Main	Start Size	Random Between Two Constants: 0.1 to 0.3
Main	Start Colour	Gradient: cyan > purple
Emission	Rate over Time	20
Shape	Shape	Edge
Shape	Radius	0.1
Trails	Enabled	true
Trails	Lifetime	0.3
Trails	Colour over Trail	Fade alpha to 0
Renderer	Material	Additive particle material

Tips

*Set Simulation Space to World so particles stay where they were emitted as the object moves.
*Start Speed is 0 because the trail effect comes from the emitter moving, not from particle velocity.
*Use Size over Lifetime with a slight shrink curve for tapered trails.
*Combine with a second system emitting tiny sparkle particles at low rate for extra magic feel.

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Dust Poof

One-shot

Quick, small cloud of dust on landing or footstep. Low particle count, very short-lived.

Module	Setting	Value
Main	Duration	0.3
Main	Looping	false
Main	Start Lifetime	Random Between Two Constants: 0.3 to 0.6
Main	Start Speed	Random Between Two Constants: 1 to 2
Main	Start Size	Random Between Two Constants: 0.2 to 0.5
Main	Start Colour	Light brown (RGBA: 0.7, 0.6, 0.4, 0.5)
Emission	Bursts	1 burst of 8 particles at time 0
Shape	Shape	Cone
Shape	Angle	80
Size over Lifetime	Curve	Grow slightly (0.8 to 1)
Colour over Lifetime	Alpha	Fade out (0.5 to 0)

Tips

*Place the system at the character's feet and trigger it via animation events on landing or stepping.
*A wide cone angle (80 degrees) spreads particles horizontally, which looks natural for ground dust.
*Keep particle count low (8 or fewer). Dust poofs happen often and should be cheap.
*Tint the Start Colour to match the terrain: brown for dirt, grey for stone, white for snow.

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Frequently asked questions

Why are my Unity particles invisible?

The most common causes are: missing material on the Renderer module (set one with a Particle Standard or Standard Unlit shader), Start Color alpha at 0, particles spawning behind the camera or outside its frustum, or Simulation Space set to World while the system is moved away from origin. Check those four first.

How do I make particles follow a moving GameObject?

Set Simulation Space to Local in the Main module so particles move with the transform. If you want them to be emitted along a moving object's path but stay in place after spawn, leave Simulation Space as World and parent the system so the emitter follows but particles don't.

What is the difference between Rate over Time and Bursts?

Rate over Time emits particles continuously at the specified rate per second; use it for looping effects like fire, smoke, and rain. Bursts spawn a fixed number of particles at a specific time within the duration; use them for one-shot effects like explosions, impacts, and pickups.

How many particles can I emit before performance drops?

On modern PC and console, several thousand simple particles per system are fine. On mobile, aim for under ~200 active per system and use simpler shaders. Profile with the Unity Profiler's Render Thread track; particles cost more in fillrate (overdraw) than in CPU.

Last updated: 2 May 2026