Best free AI tools for 2D game art

These 2D art tools are listed as freemium in our library, meaning they have a free tier plus paid plans. Pricing labels are not verified, so check each site.

Easiest to start: rated 5/5

Leonardo.Ai

Generates game art, characters and concept images from text prompts.

Pricing: Freemium (unverified). Beginner rating: 5/5. Simple prompt interface with free daily credits.

PixelLab

Generates pixel art sprites, characters and animations for 2D games.

Pricing: Freemium (unverified). Beginner rating: 5/5. Built specifically for pixel art game assets.

Pick this if your game uses pixel art.

Good next steps: rated 4/5

Recraft

Generates vector art, icons and illustrations that are easy to use as UI and game assets.

Pricing: Freemium (unverified). Beginner rating: 4/5. Vector output is handy for UI and icons.

Pick this for UI and icons.

Krea

Real time AI image generation and upscaling for concept art and textures.

Pricing: Freemium (unverified). Beginner rating: 4/5. Fast visual feedback helps beginners experiment.

Adobe Firefly

Adobe's image generator for art, textures and edits, trained with commercial use in mind.

Pricing: Freemium (unverified). Beginner rating: 4/5. Familiar Adobe interface and clear licensing.

When you want one consistent style

Scenario

Trains custom image models on your own art style to generate consistent game assets.

Pricing: Freemium (unverified). Beginner rating: 3/5. Powerful but style training takes some learning.

Layer

Helps game teams generate and iterate on art assets in a consistent style.

Pricing: Freemium (unverified). Beginner rating: 3/5. Aimed at studios, some features feel advanced.

Paid options worth knowing

Midjourney and Retro Diffusion are listed as paid in our library, so they are not in the free picks above.

Planning a whole game? Read Make your first game with free AI tools, or see every 2D art and sprites tool and animation tool.