Where to Find Game Assets
I quickly realized, that making games on my own is very demanding. You have to manage every aspect, but you cannot be an expert in every aspect. Depending on which skills you have, you might want to focus on them and buy some of the other stuff from people, who probably do a better job at it. So, here is a list of my favorite websites where to find game assets (free and paid ones). I will mark websites with free or mostly free assets with “(!)”.
Disclaimer: I do not get paid to promote specific websites. Also, this is not a complete list in any way, shape or form. There are tons of websites out there with similar assets and services. Those listed are just my preferred ones. I will also try to update the list from time to time
Stores and Bundles
A collection of stores and bundles, which feature all kinds of assets.
Unity Asset Store
On the Unity Store, you can find tons of assets. Obviously, they can be a good choice, if you use Unity as your game engine. This one is widely known and used. I list it, same as the Unreal Marketplace, separated from the others, because they are more or less tied to a specific engine. For many assets, this might not be a problem, but for others, you might just be able to use this specific engine.
Unreal Marketplace
The Unreal Marketplace is the counterpart to the Unity Asset Store. Also, a huge collection, but some stuff might be tied to the Unreal Engine.
The Humble Bundle
Always have an eye out for the Humble Bundle. From time to time, you get lots and lots of assets for little money. Also, a good place for software bundles, which you might need as a developer.
Fanatical
An equivalent to the Humble Bundle is Fanatical. Just like the Humble Bundle, they also have all kinds of different bundles.
Itch.io (!)
On itch.io, you can find a lot of free 2D art. But most require you to give credit, so just keep that in mind. Also, many of them are a small part of a bigger bundle with a price tag.
Kenney (!)
Everyone knows about the Kenney collections. A great way to get some nice assets for your projects.
Open Game Art (!)
On open Game Art, you will find free-to-use game assets. Most of the assets on there are just somehow cobbled together, but if you are lucky, you might find one or another useful thing.
Game Dev Market
GameDev Market is another store with all kinds of different assets.
3D Game Assets
The following stores are focused on 3D game assets.
Synty Store
The Synty Store is a quite large collection of low poly assets. Personally I like to use their assets, with one caveat: I am not the only one, that likes them.
CGTrader
Personally, I used CGTrader quite a bit in the past. You can find free models, as well as premium ones. And most of them are available in many different formats.
Free 3D (!)
On Free 3D I did find one or another useful asset too. They also have a premium section.
Turbosquid
On Turbosquid you find more expensive stuff. I did end up buying from time to time from them, but usually, they are a little above my budget.
Sketchfab
Sketchfab has a nice website, where you can move and rotate the 3D assets.
Music and Sound Effects
There are so many sound effect websites out there, that I can’t list them all here. Also, there are tons of free royalty-free sounds available on most of these websites. So if you just subscribe to some newsletters and search the website, you might be able to build a nice sound effect library without spending any money. But I suggest you have a look at the premium bundles too, because you may be able to get excellent sound effects for little money (especially when they are on sale).
A Sound Effect
A Sound Effect have excellent sound effects and write interesting articles too. If you subscribe to their newsletter, you will get free sound effects from time to time.
Epic Stock Media
Epic Stock Media has lots of different sound effects and huge bundles too. Also, they have some free sound effects.
Action VFX
Action VFX is more for movie effects. But you will find sound effects there too.
Melody Loops
On Melody Loops, you find royalty-free music loops. There are many different filters, by which you can narrow down the style you are searching for.
Incompetech (!)
Besides royalty-free music, you can find other useful stuff for free on Incompetech.
Open Music Archive (!)
You can find one or another useful music on Openmusicarchive. A lot of them are Public Domain, so that is great.
Textures
If you need textures for your materials, there is also a site, where you can download a couple of textures for free every day. If you need more and fast, you can buy them too.
Icons
Icons are pretty much always needed, not only for games but also for apps, websites, etc.
Game-Icons (!)
On Game-Icons, you will find a ton of free icons.
Flaticons
Not free, but a really great site if you need icons.
So now You Know From Where to Find Game Assets
Well, this is not a complete list, nor is it the best list of websites where you can get assets. It is just a list of websites, which I happen to use. So, if you find this useful, or if you have good alternatives and suggestions, please let me know.
