Pixel art coins, gems and pickups

Free pixel art coins and pickups for games: a spinning coin, a coin burst, a shining gem, hearts, stars and XP orbs, as sprite sheets and GIFs.

Updated

Pickups are the effects a player sees most: a coin that spins in place until it is collected, then a small burst when it is. Each one below is either a seamless idle loop for the item in the level, or a one-shot collect effect to play where the item was.

Every effect here is free. Its page has DOWNLOAD GIF and PNG SHEET buttons that need no account: the files have a transparent background, are cropped to the effect and run at 30 frames a second. To change an effect first, press OPEN IN THE STUDIO; a free account exports 3 effects a day.

Coins and gems

Pixel Art Spinning Coin, free game effectPixel Art Spinning CoinPixel Art Coin Burst, free game effectPixel Art Coin BurstPixel Art Gem Shine, free game effectPixel Art Gem ShinePixel Art Treasure Sparkle, free game effectPixel Art Treasure SparkleCoin Pickup, free game effectCoin PickupPixel Art XP Orbs, free game effectPixel Art XP Orbs

Hearts, stars and power-ups

Pixel Art Heart Collect, free game effectPixel Art Heart CollectPixel Art Star Collect, free game effectPixel Art Star CollectHeart Pickup, free game effectHeart PickupPixel Art Potion Bubbles, free game effectPixel Art Potion BubblesPixel Art Quest Marker, free game effectPixel Art Quest MarkerPixel Art Level Up Aura, free game effectPixel Art Level Up Aura

Pickups that feel good

  • Idle motion. A coin spins or bobs and a gem glints every second or two, so collectables stand out from the level art.
  • A burst on collect. Swap the idle sprite for a short burst the moment it is collected: a ring, a few sparkles, done in under half a second.
  • Fly to the counter. For coins, send a copy of the sprite to the coin counter on the HUD and pulse the counter when it arrives.
  • Sound on the same frame. A pickup with no sound feels broken however good it looks.

Change it in the studio

  1. Open Pixel Art Spinning Coin in the studio.
  2. Under Quick tweaks, press a Colour swatch for silver or copper coins, or a red or blue gem.
  3. Press Export and choose Spritesheet or GIF. The idle loops repeat with no visible jump.

Or describe it

More pixel pickups

Browse every pixel art effect in the library, or describe the one you need and the agent builds it as real, editable pixel art.

All pixel art VFXDescribe an effect

Questions

How many frames does a spinning pixel coin need?

Six to eight frames at 10 to 12 fps is the classic spin. The Spinning Coin download runs at 30 fps; export it from the studio at 12 fps for fewer frames.

Can I make silver or copper coins?

Yes. Open the coin in the studio and press a Colour swatch under Quick tweaks, or change the palette under Pixel art and palette.

Why does my pixel art effect look blurry in the engine?

The engine is smoothing the texture when it scales it. Set the texture filter to nearest neighbour (Point in Unity, Nearest in Godot, turn off texture interpolation in GameMaker) and scale the sprite by whole numbers, such as 2x or 3x, so every pixel stays square.

Can I use these pixel art effects in a commercial game?

Yes. Exported effects, including ones started from the library, can be used in any project, including paid games sold on Steam or console stores, with no per-project licence and no credit needed. The few effects that contain CC BY sprites by CodeManu say so on their page and ask you to credit CodeManu.

More pixel art VFX

  • Pixel art fireballs and fire effectsA pixel fireball projectile, blasts, breath, a meteor and looping campfires, torches and braziers, free as sprite sheets and GIFs.
  • Pixel art rainA tileable pixel rain overlay, rain loops, raindrop splashes, a thunderclap and snow, all seamless.
  • Pixel art sparklesTwinkles, glints on items, a crafting burst, fireworks, stun stars and a starfield, free as sprite sheets and GIFs.
  • Pixel art auras and status effectsPower-up auras, heals, shields and buffs, and burning, poisoned, frozen and stunned status effects that loop around a character.
  • Pixel art level up and reward effectsA level up burst, a quest complete banner, a chest opening, a key unlock, pickups and a combo counter.
  • Pixel art smoke and dustSmoke puffs, a smoke bomb, death poofs, jump and landing dust, wall jumps and a dust devil.
  • Pixel art lightning and electric effectsA lightning strike, a thunderclap, a plasma orb, an EMP blast, energy impacts and a mana bolt.
  • Pixel art explosions and bombsA cartoon bomb with a burning fuse, dynamite, a landmine, a classic dot-art blast, rocket and barrel hits and a boss death chain.
  • Pixel art sword slashesA sword swing, claw rakes, a spin attack, a delayed dash strike, wind and lightning slashes and two blades locking.
  • Pixel art hit effectsLight, medium and heavy hit sparks, a comic punch, a critical star, and fire, ice, electric, blood and shield-break hits.
  • Pixel art projectilesFireballs, a magic orb, ice shards, a lightning ball, a shadow bolt, a laser beam, darts, arrows, a boomerang and an axe.
  • Pixel art portals and teleportersA portal door, a warp portal, a teleporter pad, a respawn beam and a save point crystal, all seamless loops.
  • Pixel art palettes for game effectsPICO-8, Sweetie 16, Endesga 32, DawnBringer, NES, Game Boy and CGA: what each palette suits and how to snap an effect or a picture to it.
  • AI pixel art effects for gamesDescribe a pixel effect, pick a palette and pixel size, and get editable pixel art that exports as a sprite sheet or GIF, with prompts that work.