The best way to improve your pixel art is to study games that do it brilliantly.
Not to copy them, but to understand the decisions behind them. Why does this game read so clearly? Why does that one feel so alive? Once you start looking, you learn something from every screen.
Here are twelve pixel art games worth studying, and what each one teaches.
1. Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley shows how a cohesive palette and consistent scale create a warm, inviting world.
Study how everything feels like it belongs together, even across hundreds of objects. The visual consistency is a huge part of why the game feels so comfortable.
2. Celeste
Celeste is a masterclass in readability and expressive small sprites.
The main character is tiny but full of personality, and hazards are always instantly clear. Study how a small sprite can carry so much emotion through pose and animation.
3. Shovel Knight
Shovel Knight embraces deliberate retro constraints and uses them with confidence.
Study how a restrained, classic look is executed so cleanly that it feels timeless rather than dated. The discipline is the point.
4. Hyper Light Drifter
Hyper Light Drifter shows how colour and atmosphere can carry a whole game.
Study its bold palettes, moody lighting, and how much story it tells with almost no text. The mood lives entirely in the art.
5. Owlboy
Owlboy is famous for its detailed, painterly pixel art.
Study how far pixel art can be pushed towards lush detail while still reading clearly in motion. It is a reminder of the upper ceiling of the craft.
6. Dead Cells
Dead Cells blends pixel art with smooth animation in an unusual pipeline.
Study how fluid its movement feels and how readable the action stays even when the screen is busy with enemies and effects.
7. Eastward
Eastward shows gorgeous environment art and lighting.
Study how its scenes use depth, detail, and warm lighting to make spaces feel lived-in and atmospheric.
8. Undertale
Undertale proves that simple, characterful sprites can carry an enormous emotional punch.
Study how charm and personality matter more than technical polish, and how a strong style beats raw detail.
9. Hyper-readable arcade classics
Older arcade and console games are worth studying for pure readability.
Limited hardware forced incredibly efficient sprites. Study how much information a tiny, low-colour sprite can communicate when every pixel has to earn its place.
10. Octopath Traveler
Octopath Traveler mixes pixel characters with modern lighting and effects.
Study how classic sprite work can be combined with contemporary rendering to create something that feels both nostalgic and new.
11. Blasphemous
Blasphemous shows dark, detailed pixel art with strong silhouettes.
Study how its characters stay readable against busy, ornate backgrounds through careful contrast and silhouette design.
12. Katana ZERO
Katana ZERO is a lesson in style, mood, and bold colour.
Study how its neon palette and confident art direction create an unmistakable identity that you could recognise from a single frame.
How to actually study a game
Do not just admire these games. Look closely and ask questions.
- How big are the character sprites compared with the tiles?
- How many colours are in the palette?
- How many frames does a walk cycle use?
- How does the game keep characters readable against the background?
- Where does the eye go first, and why?
Take screenshots, zoom in, and count pixels. You will learn more in an hour of close looking than a week of scrolling.
Turn study into practice
Studying is most useful when you immediately put it to work.
After looking at how these games handle colour, scale, and readability, try building a small scene of your own with the same principles. Mixing your own sprites with ready-made assets is a great way to focus on composition and mood without drawing every single piece.
You can browse free pixel art on Pixelbook to gather sprites, tiles, and props, then arrange a scene that applies what you learned from the games above.