diff --git a/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderableParticleEffectEntityItem.cpp b/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderableParticleEffectEntityItem.cpp
index a7bdffc020..bc82159fbd 100644
--- a/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderableParticleEffectEntityItem.cpp
+++ b/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderableParticleEffectEntityItem.cpp
@@ -204,8 +204,6 @@ void RenderableParticleEffectEntityItem::updateRenderItem() {
     // sort particles back to front
     // NOTE: this is view frustum might be one frame out of date.
     auto frustum = AbstractViewStateInterface::instance()->getCurrentViewFrustum();
-    ::zSortAxis = frustum->getDirection();
-    qSort(particleDetails.begin(), particleDetails.end(), zSort);
 
     // allocate vertices
     _vertices.clear();
@@ -312,7 +310,7 @@ void RenderableParticleEffectEntityItem::createPipelines() {
     if (!_untexturedPipeline) {
         auto state = std::make_shared<gpu::State>();
         state->setCullMode(gpu::State::CULL_BACK);
-        state->setDepthTest(true, true, gpu::LESS_EQUAL);
+        state->setDepthTest(true, false, gpu::LESS_EQUAL);
         state->setBlendFunction(true, gpu::State::SRC_ALPHA, gpu::State::BLEND_OP_ADD,
                                 gpu::State::ONE, gpu::State::FACTOR_ALPHA,
                                 gpu::State::BLEND_OP_ADD, gpu::State::ONE);
@@ -324,7 +322,7 @@ void RenderableParticleEffectEntityItem::createPipelines() {
     if (!_texturedPipeline) {
         auto state = std::make_shared<gpu::State>();
         state->setCullMode(gpu::State::CULL_BACK);
-        state->setDepthTest(true, true, gpu::LESS_EQUAL);
+        state->setDepthTest(true, false, gpu::LESS_EQUAL);
         state->setBlendFunction(true, gpu::State::SRC_ALPHA, gpu::State::BLEND_OP_ADD,
                                 gpu::State::INV_SRC_ALPHA, gpu::State::FACTOR_ALPHA,
                                 gpu::State::BLEND_OP_ADD, gpu::State::ONE);