Building a Tilemap Level

Tiles on their own are just art. A tilemap is where they become a place — you paint them onto a grid to build ground, walls, water and props into a level the player can actually move through. Here's how a tilemap level comes together.

What a tilemap is

A tilemap is a grid you fill with your tiles, like painting with stamps. Because every tile shares the same size and (if made well) seams cleanly with its neighbors, you can build large, varied levels from a small set of tiles. This is how most 2D games make their worlds.

Step 1 — Prepare a tile set

Start with tiles designed to fit together — ground, edges, walls, water, and a few props. Seamless, tileable art is what makes a level look continuous instead of gridded. (See the tileable-textures and tile-design guides.)

Step 2 — Paint the layout

Lay your tiles onto the grid: ground first as a base, then walls and obstacles, then decorative props on top. Think in layers — a floor layer, a wall layer, and an overlay layer for details — so pieces stack correctly and you can edit each independently.

Step 3 — Add collision

Art alone doesn't stop the player. Mark which tiles are solid — walls, water, cliffs — so the character collides with them instead of walking through. This is what turns a picture of a level into a level you can navigate.

Step 4 — Handle depth and overlap

For a natural look, let the player pass behind tall objects (trees, walls) and in front of others. Sorting sprites by their vertical position so nearer things draw on top gives that sense of depth instead of a flat, stacked look.

Step 5 — Play and refine

Drop your character controller into the level and walk it. Levels always reveal problems in motion — dead ends, awkward collision, tiles that don't seam — that you'd never spot in the editor. Adjust, then repeat.

Where it leads

A level with collision and a moving character is a real game space. Add enemies and items and you have a playable stage.