Dynamic vs Volumetric Fog

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Volumetric Fog & Mist 2 (URP) · Start Here

Which to pick?

Choose Dynamic Fog & Mist when you need a lightweight, fast fog effect for gameplay with simple fog-of-war and minimal setup. Great for mobile, VR/XR and mid/low-end targets.

Choose Volumetric Fog & Mist when you need true volumetric lighting, richer interactions (lights, voids, terrain fit, transparency support), and advanced fog-of-war tooling. Best for cinematic or higher-fidelity targets on desktop and console.

Tip: When you purchase Volumetric Fog & Mist, you get Dynamic Fog & Mist included for free. You can also combine both in the same scene - use Volumetric Fog for close-range immersion and Dynamic Fog for fast background/horizon fog.

Feature comparison

CategoryDynamic Fog & Mist 2Volumetric Fog & Mist 2
Rendering model2D/height-based screen fogRaymarched volumetric fog (3D)
Fog of WarYes - square texture, main-thread updates, circle/rect editsYes - separate width/height, optional background-thread updates, circle/rect + collider + mesh stamping, coverage preview
FoW texture sizeSingle size (square)Independent width/height, local/world anchoring
FoW transitionsUp to 10kUp to 64k
FoW blurYesYes
Fog voidsNot availableYes - up to 8 tracked voids per volume
LightsLimited - day/night cycle from main light onlyNative spot/point/directional lights with shadows, fast point lights (up to 16), APV support
Distant/sky fogNot a separate passDedicated distant-fog pass with noise & lighting
Terrain fitNot availableHeightmap capture to conform fog to terrain/meshes
Sub-volumesYes (profile blending)Yes (profile blending)
Follow modeBasic (controller fade)Follow target (Full XYZ / XZ) with offsets
Update throttlingStandard per-frame"When visible" / "camera inside bounds" modes
TransparencyStandard URP passDepth prepass options, transparent/semi-transparent masks, depth peeling, ShaderGraph integration
VR / XRYes (Single Pass Instanced)Yes (Single Pass Instanced)
PerformanceLower cost - minimal passesHigher cost - raymarch + optional depth prepasses, lights, distant fog, voids, terrain capture
Best forGameplay, open worlds, fast weather, mobile, VRCinematics, light shafts, high-fidelity atmosphere, authored volumes

Performance notes

Dynamic Fog: Typically one main pass. Fog of War and blur add modest cost. Good for lower-end GPUs, mobile devices and standalone VR headsets like Meta Quest.

Volumetric Fog: Cost scales with sample density, resolution, number of lights (native/point), depth prepasses (transparent/semi-transparent, depth peeling), distant-fog pass, voids, and terrain-fit capture. Use downscaling, edge-aware blur, and update-throttling modes to keep cost under control.

VR / XR recommendations

Both assets support VR with Single Pass Instanced rendering. For choosing between them in VR projects:

  • Standalone VR (Meta Quest, Pico) - use Dynamic Fog. The lower GPU cost leaves headroom for the rest of your scene.
  • PC VR (SteamVR, Oculus Link) - either works. Start with Volumetric Fog for best visuals and switch to Dynamic Fog if you need to reclaim GPU budget.
  • Combining both - use Volumetric Fog for close-range volumes (e.g. a cave entrance) and Dynamic Fog for the distant horizon haze. This gives cinematic quality where it matters while keeping the overall cost manageable.
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