Seeking Tips on Optimizing Niagara Effects for Better Performance in UE5

Hey Unreal community!

I’ve been working on a UE5 project and recently dove deep into using Niagara for visual effects. It’s incredibly powerful and fun to use—but I’ve hit a wall when it comes to performance optimization. Some of my effects look amazing, but they’re tanking the frame rate on lower-end machines.

I’m hoping some of you with more Niagara experience can help answer a few questions or share best practices:

1. Particle Count and GPU Budget:

  • How do you usually calculate or estimate a “safe” particle count per scene? Is there a general rule for balancing looks vs performance?

2. Niagara System LODs:

  • I’ve seen that Niagara supports LODs, but I’m not sure how to properly set them up for different hardware specs or camera distances. Are there any real-world examples or templates you’d recommend?

3. Update Frequency and Culling:

  • Is reducing update frequency a good idea for background VFX? Also, how do you handle culling or deactivating effects that are off-screen or far away?

4. Common Pitfalls:

  • Are there any rookie mistakes I should watch out for when working with complex Niagara systems?

I’m mainly targeting PC, but I’d eventually like to port this to consoles. So I want to build smart and optimize early.

Any advice, resources, or project examples would be super appreciated.

Thanks in advance to anyone who shares their wisdom—this community is the best.