---
title: "Make your game look great"
content_type: collection
url: "https://learn.unity.com/collection/make-your-game-look-great?language=en"
language: en
author: "Unity Technologies"
topics: "null"
last_updated: "2026-08-04T14:25:06.000Z"
---

# Make your game look great

Elevate your game's visuals with Unity 6's rendering toolkit. This collection covers Universal Render Pipeline setup, real-time and baked lighting, Shader Graph materials, VFX Graph particle effects, and post-processing.

## Start with the render pipeline

_URP is the default render pipeline for Unity 6. Everything else in this collection builds on it._

- [Universal Render Pipeline: what it is and how to set it up](https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.render-pipelines.universal@latest) — URP is Unity's default render pipeline for Unity 6 — optimized for performance across all platforms.
- [The complete guide to URP in Unity 6](https://unity.com/resources/introduction-to-urp-advanced-creators-unity-6) — Deep-dive into URP features — lighting, shadows, post-processing, and rendering modes.

## Light your world

_Lighting is the single biggest lever on visual quality._

- [Real-time and baked lighting in URP](https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/LightingOverview.html) — Real-time lights, light probes, lightmapping — and when to use each.
- [Creative Core: Lighting](https://learn.unity.com/course/creative-core-lighting?language=en) ([md](https://learn.unity.com/course/creative-core-lighting.md?language=en)) — Go beyond basic illumination. This Creative Core course teaches you to light indoor and outdoor Unity scenes using URP — covering baked lighting, light probes, reflection probes, and shadow configuration to simulate real-world light behavior. 8h 20m

## Add shaders, effects, and post-processing						

_The final layer of visual quality — the effects that make a game feel polished._

- [Build custom materials with Shader Graph](https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.shadergraph@latest) — Build visual shaders without writing HLSL code.
- [Particle systems and simulations with VFX Graph](https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.visualeffectgraph@latest) — GPU-accelerated particle effects — explosions, fire, water, magic.
- [Post-processing: bloom, depth of field, color grading](https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/urp/post-processing-and-full-screen-effects-urp.html) — URP's post-processing stack adds cinematic effects as a final pass.
- [Creative Core: Post-processing](https://learn.unity.com/course/creative-core-post-processing?language=en) ([md](https://learn.unity.com/course/creative-core-post-processing.md?language=en)) — Learn to use post-processing like a photo filter for your scenes. This Unity 6 Creative Core course teaches you to evaluate when post-processing fits your goal and configure a profile to nail a specific look and feel. 2h 5m
- [Unity 6 Advanced VFX Guide – VFX Graph, Particles & Visual Simulations](https://unity.com/resources/creating-advanced-vfx-unity6) — The definitive Unity 6 reference for VFX Graph. Covers complex simulations with particles, lines, ribbons, trails, and meshes — plus URP/HDRP integration, profiling, and custom HLSL. Built for artists and technical creators ready to go beyond the basics.
- [Creative Core: Shaders and materials](https://learn.unity.com/course/creative-core-shaders-and-materials?language=en) ([md](https://learn.unity.com/course/creative-core-shaders-and-materials.md?language=en)) — Learn how Unity defines and renders surfaces, then build your own. This Creative Core course covers material properties, shader types, and Shader Graph — letting you simulate real-world objects or craft a completely original art style. 6h
- [Unity 6 URP Shader Recipes – Toon, Water, Clouds & Color Grading](https://unity.com/resources/create-shaders-visual-effects-urp-unity-6) — Practical shader and VFX recipes for URP in Unity 6. Covers toon shaders, procedural noise, volumetric clouds, water, reflections, decals, and color grading LUTs — each with a downloadable companion scene.
- [Creative Core: VFX](https://learn.unity.com/course/creative-core-vfx?language=en) ([md](https://learn.unity.com/course/creative-core-vfx.md?language=en)) — Learn to build visual effects in Unity from scratch — fire, weather, and smoke. This Creative Core course teaches you when to use Particle System vs. VFX Graph, and how to configure both for environmental and burst effects.