Pixel art level up and reward effects

Free pixel art level up and reward effects for games: a level up burst, quest complete banner, treasure chest opening, key unlock, coin and heart pickups and a combo counter.

Updated

Reward effects are the payoff for the player: a level up, a quest done, a chest opened, a pickup collected. They should be the brightest, bounciest moment on screen for a second, then get out of the way so the game can continue.

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.

Pixel Level Up, free game effectPixel Level UpPixel Art Quest Complete Banner, free game effectPixel Art Quest Complete BannerPixel Art Treasure Chest Open, free game effectPixel Art Treasure Chest OpenPixel Art Key Unlock, free game effectPixel Art Key UnlockCoin Pickup, free game effectCoin PickupHeart Pickup, free game effectHeart PickupPixel Art Combo Counter, free game effectPixel Art Combo CounterPixel Art Checkpoint Flag, free game effectPixel Art Checkpoint Flag

Make a level up feel big

  • A column of light. Light rising from the character’s feet says "stronger" more clearly than a burst out to the sides.
  • Real text. The words LEVEL UP should be crisp pixel lettering that pops in and holds, not letters made of particles.
  • A sound-shaped rhythm. A rising charge, a flash on the beat, a hold, then sparkles drifting away. Time the flash to your level up jingle.
  • Short. One to two seconds. The player wants to see it, then keep playing.

Change the words and colours

  1. Open Pixel Art Quest Complete Banner in the studio.
  2. Select its text layer to change the words, for example LEVEL 5, VICTORY or NEW RECORD, and pick one of the pixel fonts.
  3. Under Quick tweaks in Effect settings, press a Colour swatch to match your game’s palette.
  4. Press Export and choose Spritesheet or GIF.

More pixel rewards

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

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Questions

Can I change the words on the banner?

Yes. Pixel Art Quest Complete Banner uses a real text layer, so in the studio you can type any words, such as LEVEL UP or VICTORY, pick a pixel font and recolour it, then export. The lettering stays crisp.

How long should a level up animation be?

About one to two seconds: a quick rise, a flash, a short hold and a fade. Longer than that and it gets in the way of play, especially if the player levels up often.

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.

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