Art styles for 2D games

Decide what art style you want your game to have. The following table describes the main types of 2D art style:

Art style / technique	Description
Minimalist	Flat colors, clean lines and high readability, for example a mobile puzzle game.
PixelThe smallest unit in a computer image. Pixel size depends on your screen resolution. Pixel lighting is calculated at every screen pixel. More info See in Glossary art	Pixelated graphics, for example a retro gaming art style.
Illustrative	A cartoon, stylized or realistic art style.
Pre-rendered 3D	Use this technique to create 2D art with 3D tools. You create art that is rendered as Sprites or SpriteA 2D graphic objects. If you are used to working in 3D, Sprites are essentially just standard textures but there are special techniques for combining and managing sprite textures for efficiency and convenience during development. More info See in Glossary sequences. You can use this technique when you need multiple angles of an asset, for example for the 8- or 4-direction Sprite characters used in retro art.

Most sections of this guide are relevant for games with any art style. However, this guide does not cover working with pre-rendered 3D assets; to learn more about this see 2D or 3D projects: 2D gameplay with 3D graphics.