Piskel

A simple, free online editor for animated sprites.

  • Free
  • Open source
  • Good for beginners
  • Jam-friendly

What it does

Piskel is a quick browser-based sprite editor with a live animation preview. It is perfect when you need a small animated sprite in a hurry.

Highlights

  • Runs in the browser
  • Live animation preview
  • Export GIF and sprite sheets
  • Free and open source

Is it right for me?

Skill level
Beginner, Intermediate
Useful for
Game jams, Indie developers, Students, Hobby projects
Game jams
A good fit — quick to pick up and use under time pressure.

Pairs well with

Krita

Art & graphics

A free, open-source painting program for concept art and sprites.

  • Free
  • Open source
  • Good for beginners

Aseprite

2D & pixel art

The go-to editor for pixel-art sprites and animation.

  • Paid
  • Good for beginners

itch.io game assets

Game assets

Free and paid asset packs from independent creators.

  • Free + paid plans
  • Good for beginners

LDtk

Level design

A modern, free 2D level editor from the creator of Dead Cells.

  • Free
  • Open source
  • Good for beginners