Data insight
VFX went UE5-native faster than the rest of the marketplace
Niagara is a UE5-era story.
UE5 vs UE4 in new VFX releases
Share of each month's new VFX releases targeting UE5 vs UE4
as of May 2026
| Month | UE5 % | UE4 % |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-01 | 0 | 100 |
| 2019-02 | 0 | 100 |
| 2019-03 | 0 | 100 |
| 2019-04 | 0 | 100 |
| 2019-05 | 12.5 | 87.5 |
| 2019-06 | 0 | 100 |
| 2019-07 | 0 | 100 |
| 2019-08 | 0 | 100 |
| 2019-09 | 0 | 100 |
| 2019-10 | 0 | 100 |
| 2019-11 | 0 | 100 |
| 2019-12 | 0 | 100 |
| 2020-01 | 0 | 100 |
| 2020-02 | 0 | 100 |
| 2020-03 | 0 | 100 |
| 2020-04 | 0 | 100 |
| 2020-05 | 0 | 100 |
| 2020-06 | 0 | 100 |
| 2020-07 | 0 | 100 |
| 2020-08 | 0 | 100 |
| 2020-09 | 4.3 | 95.7 |
| 2020-10 | 0 | 100 |
| 2020-11 | 0 | 100 |
| 2020-12 | 0 | 100 |
| 2021-01 | 0 | 100 |
| 2021-02 | 4.8 | 95.2 |
| 2021-03 | 0 | 100 |
| 2021-04 | 0 | 100 |
| 2021-05 | 0 | 100 |
| 2021-06 | 5.9 | 94.1 |
| 2021-07 | 0 | 100 |
| 2021-08 | 0 | 100 |
| 2021-09 | 0 | 100 |
| 2021-10 | 11.1 | 88.9 |
| 2021-11 | 8.3 | 91.7 |
| 2021-12 | 0 | 100 |
| 2022-01 | 5.6 | 94.4 |
| 2022-02 | 0 | 100 |
| 2022-03 | 13.3 | 86.7 |
| 2022-04 | 33.3 | 66.7 |
| 2022-05 | 33.3 | 66.7 |
| 2022-06 | 36 | 64 |
| 2022-07 | 63.6 | 36.4 |
| 2022-08 | 31.2 | 68.8 |
| 2022-09 | 41.4 | 58.6 |
| 2022-10 | 27.3 | 72.7 |
| 2022-11 | 37 | 63 |
| 2022-12 | 23.8 | 76.2 |
| 2023-01 | 23.1 | 76.9 |
| 2023-02 | 45.8 | 54.2 |
| 2023-03 | 61.5 | 38.5 |
| 2023-04 | 26.9 | 73.1 |
| 2023-05 | 46.2 | 53.8 |
| 2023-06 | 60 | 40 |
| 2023-07 | 35 | 65 |
| 2023-08 | 42.9 | 57.1 |
| 2023-09 | 60.6 | 39.4 |
| 2023-10 | 51.7 | 48.3 |
| 2023-11 | 48.4 | 51.6 |
| 2023-12 | 61.8 | 38.2 |
| 2024-01 | 76.9 | 23.1 |
| 2024-02 | 72.7 | 27.3 |
| 2024-03 | 80.9 | 19.1 |
| 2024-04 | 55.8 | 44.2 |
| 2024-05 | 69.7 | 30.3 |
| 2024-06 | 77.3 | 22.7 |
| 2024-07 | 83.3 | 16.7 |
| 2024-08 | 79.3 | 20.7 |
| 2024-09 | 78.6 | 21.4 |
| 2024-10 | 89.1 | 10.9 |
| 2024-11 | 80.5 | 19.5 |
| 2024-12 | 71.8 | 28.2 |
| 2025-01 | 76.8 | 23.2 |
| 2025-02 | 72 | 28 |
| 2025-03 | 60.9 | 39.1 |
| 2025-04 | 59.8 | 40.2 |
| 2025-05 | 54.4 | 45.6 |
| 2025-06 | 43.4 | 56.6 |
| 2025-07 | 65.1 | 34.9 |
| 2025-08 | 88.4 | 11.6 |
| 2025-09 | 90.7 | 9.3 |
| 2025-10 | 92.5 | 7.5 |
| 2025-11 | 27.9 | 72.1 |
| 2025-12 | 66.3 | 33.7 |
| 2026-01 | 88.9 | 11.1 |
| 2026-02 | 98.6 | 1.4 |
| 2026-03 | 95.8 | 4.2 |
| 2026-04 | 92.1 | 7.9 |
| 2026-05 | 95 | 5 |
VFX is the category most tightly bound to Niagara, so it has tracked Unreal Engine 5 faster than almost anything else on the store.
The practical upshot: build UE5-native from the start. The residual UE4 VFX back-catalogue is thin, so there's little to gain from targeting the old engine.
About this number
From the MythicLemon Marketplace Index, recomputed for this reporting period. Catalogue coverage is complete through May 2026. Methodology →