How to make a 2D game

2D is the best place to start making games. You only need flat images, a grid to build levels on and a camera that follows the player. Here are the four building blocks and the tools people actually use.

The four building blocks

Sprites. The images for the player, enemies and items. Animations are just several sprites shown in a row.
Tiles. Small square images placed on a grid to make floors, walls and backgrounds. Tilemaps let you paint a whole level fast.
Camera. Follows the player with a little delay so movement feels smooth. Decide early: side view, top-down or fixed screen.
Collisions. Invisible shapes that decide what you can stand on and what hurts you. Keep them a bit smaller than the sprite, so hits feel fair.

Free tools for 2D

Godot. Free and open source (MIT license), with a strong 2D mode and tilemaps.
GameMaker. A common 2D engine, free for non-commercial use.
Unity. Free Personal plan. Used for many 2D mobile games.
Scratch and GDevelop. Free, no typed code. Good for a first 2D game.
Piskel and Aseprite. Pixel art editors. Piskel is free, Aseprite is paid and widely used.

A first 2D game plan

Pick one genre: platformer, top-down shooter or side-scrolling brawler. Make one screen with one enemy type and one goal, using placeholder squares. When jumping or shooting feels good, swap in real sprites.

Pixel art tip: pick a small size, like 16 by 16 pixels per tile, and a palette of a few colors. Small and consistent looks better than big and messy.

Get a 2D-style game by describing it

In Roam, a free iPhone app, describe the 2D game you want, like "top-down quest in a pixel meadow" or "side-view sword duels", and play it. Change the look or the rules by asking.

Play it on Roam

Create your 2D game with Roam

Describe the view, the hero and the goal. Roam makes it playable on your iPhone, and you tune it by talking.

Try: "top-down pixel quest, clear the haunted meadow, a slime king boss, collect 5 crystals"

Create it with Roam See Roam

Questions people ask

What is the best free engine for 2D games?

Godot is a popular free choice. GameMaker is free for non-commercial use, and Scratch or GDevelop work without typed code.

Is 2D easier than 3D?

Usually, yes. Art, cameras and collisions are all simpler in 2D, so beginners finish more often.

How do I make pixel art for my game?

Use a pixel editor like free Piskel or paid Aseprite, pick a small tile size like 16 by 16, and limit your palette.

Keep exploring

More on Roam: All Roam games Games to play, by kind