The Best Game Level Editors in 2026
We researched game level editors through official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables, and product documentation. Rankings focus on each tool’s core level-design job, value for money, and verified features, so buyers can compare practical options for creating playable game levels.
Our top picks
-
Top ranked
GridCraft#1 of 289.4/10A capable collaborative map editor with broad exports, but paid plans start at 19.99.
Free plan
-
Runner-up
Tiled#2 of 289.2/10A flexible 2D editor with deep tile, object, terrain and export support.
Free plan
-
Top-ranked free plan
LDtk#3 of 289.0/10A capable free editor for structured 2D levels across major engines and desktop platforms.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 28 tools, best first
-
Best forCollaborative teams editing 2D maps
A capable collaborative map editor with broad exports, but paid plans start at 19.99.
- Terrain tools
- Tilemap tools
- Entity placement
9.4/10★★★★★Visit GridCraft -
Best forGeneral-purpose 2D game level editing
A flexible 2D editor with deep tile, object, terrain and export support.
- Prefab or template tools
- Terrain tools
- Tilemap tools
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Tiled -
Best forStructured 2D projects with broad engine support
A capable free editor for structured 2D levels across major engines and desktop platforms.
- Tilemap tools
- Entity placement
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit LDtk -
Best forWeb-based 2D editing with asset tools
A capable browser-based 2D editor with terrain, asset, AI, and export tools.
- Terrain tools
- Tilemap tools
- Entity placement
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit 2D Tiler -
Best forFree 3D Quake-family level editing
A capable free editor for brush-based Quake-family mapping across major desktop platforms.
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit TrenchBroom -
Best forId Tech game level construction
A free, focused toolkit for building and compiling 3D id Tech game levels.
- Terrain tools
- Entity placement
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit GtkRadiant -
Best forDoom-family mapping with terrain tools
A capable free editor for Doom-family maps, with visual 3D, terrain, and scripting tools.
- Terrain tools
- Entity placement
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit the project -
Best forThe Dark Mod and idTech4 level editing
A free editor for building 3D maps in The Dark Mod and idTech4 games.
- Prefab or template tools
- Entity placement
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit DarkRadiant -
Best for2D maps targeting many game engines
A focused 2D map editor with auto-tiling, collision layers, and broad exports.
- Terrain tools
- Tilemap tools
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Sprite Fusion -
Best forDoom mapping with scripting and prefabs
A capable free editor for Doom mapping, scripting, prefabs, and classic engine workflows.
- Prefab or template tools
- Entity placement
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Doom Builder X -
Best forTomb Raider-focused 3D level design
A focused Windows editor for Tomb Raider level design, scripting, and camera work.
- Visual scripting
- Terrain tools
- Entity placement
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Tomb Editor -
Best forBroad legacy 3D game-editing workflows
A broad free editor for legacy 3D worlds, assets, terrain, and engine files.
- Prefab or template tools
- Terrain tools
- Entity placement
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit QuArK -
Best forSource map makers seeking enhanced 3D previews
A Windows desktop editor for Source maps, with dynamic previews and reusable geometry.
- Prefab or template tools
- Terrain tools
- Entity placement
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Hammer++ -
Best forDuke Nukem 3D map creation
A free, open-source editor focused on Duke Nukem 3D map creation.
- Entity placement
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit EDuke32 -
Best forCreating and sharing Mega Man levels
A free, focused editor for building and sharing 2D Mega Man stages.
- Terrain tools
- Tilemap tools
- Entity placement
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit Mega Man Maker -
Best forEditing Celeste maps
A free, open-source editor focused on building and modifying Celeste maps.
- Tilemap tools
- Entity placement
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit Lönn -
Best forDoom 64 map editing
A focused, free editor for creating and refining Doom 64 maps on Windows.
- Entity placement
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forSimple project-based 2D level workflows
A focused free editor for building and exporting project-based 2D game levels.
- Tilemap tools
- Entity placement
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit Ogmo Editor -
Best forOpenTibia map and terrain production
A free, cross-platform editor focused on building and scripting OpenTibia maps.
- Terrain tools
- Tilemap tools
- Entity placement
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit Remere -
Best forEditing Sonic engine levels and assets
A focused Windows toolkit for editing classic Sonic levels, assets, and game data.
- Prefab or template tools
- Terrain tools
- Tilemap tools
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit SonLVL -
Best forMulti-format Quake-style mapping
A capable multi-format editor for Quake-style mapping across desktop platforms.
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit J.A.C.K. -
Best forEditing Tibia OTBM maps
A focused, self-hosted editor for creating and maintaining Tibia OTBM maps.
- Tilemap tools
- Entity placement
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit YATME -
Best forEmbedding tilemap editing in JavaScript projects
A focused 2D tilemap editor for JavaScript projects that need JSON and API integration.
- Tilemap tools
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit Tilemap Editor -
Best forDune II-style skirmish map editing
A focused, open-source editor for building 2D Dune II skirmish maps.
- Terrain tools
- Tilemap tools
- Entity placement
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit site -
Best forSimple browser tilemap prototyping
A free web editor for quickly building and exporting layered 2D tilemaps.
- Tilemap tools
- Entity placement
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit PixLab -
Best forOpen-source mapping for supported idTech games
A capable free editor for supported idTech games, with a narrower scope than broad game engines.
6.2/10★★★☆☆Visit NetRadiant -
Best forBasic desktop video processing
Avidemux is useful for basic video processing, not game level editing.
6.1/10★★★☆☆Visit Avidemux -
Best forDevelopers building browser-based 2D games
A capable JavaScript and TypeScript framework with optional visual editing.
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit Phaser
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Level dimensions | Tilemap tools | Entity placement | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GridCraft | Yes | 2d | Yes | Yes | 9.4 | |
| 2 | Tiled | Yes | Free | 2d | Yes | Yes | 9.2 |
| 3 | LDtk | Yes | Free | 2d | Yes | Yes | 9.0 |
| 4 | 2D Tiler | Yes | Free | 2d | Yes | Yes | 8.8 |
| 5 | TrenchBroom | Yes | Free | 8.7 | |||
| 6 | GtkRadiant | Yes | Free | 3d | Yes | 8.6 | |
| 7 | Ultimate Doom Builder | Yes | Free | 2d_and_3d | Yes | 8.5 | |
| 8 | DarkRadiant | Yes | Free | 3d | Yes | 8.4 | |
| 9 | Sprite Fusion | Yes | 2d | Yes | 8.3 | ||
| 10 | Doom Builder X | Yes | Free | 2d_and_3d | Yes | 8.1 | |
| 11 | Tomb Editor | Yes | Free | 3d | Yes | 8.0 | |
| 12 | QuArK | Yes | Free | 3d | Yes | 7.9 | |
| 13 | Hammer++ | Yes | Free | 3d | No | Yes | 7.8 |
| 14 | Mapster32 | Yes | Free | 2d_and_3d | Yes | 7.7 | |
| 15 | Mega Man Maker | Yes | Free | 2d | Yes | Yes | 7.6 |
| 16 | Lönn | Yes | Free | 2d | Yes | Yes | 7.5 |
| 17 | Doom Builder 64 Enhanced | Yes | Free | 2d_and_3d | Yes | 7.4 | |
| 18 | Ogmo Editor | Yes | Free | 2d | Yes | Yes | 7.2 |
| 19 | Remere's Map Editor | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | 7.1 | |
| 20 | SonLVL | Yes | Free | 2d | Yes | Yes | 7.0 |
| 21 | J.A.C.K. | Yes | 6.8 | ||||
| 22 | YATME | Free | 2d | Yes | Yes | 6.7 | |
| 23 | Tilemap Editor | Free | 2d | Yes | 6.6 | ||
| 24 | Dune II - The Maker Map Editor | Free | 2d | Yes | Yes | 6.5 | |
| 25 | PixLab Tilemap Editor | Yes | Free | 2d | Yes | Yes | 6.3 |
| 26 | NetRadiant | Yes | Free | 3d | 6.2 | ||
| 27 | Avidemux | Yes | Free | 6.1 | |||
| 28 | Phaser | Yes | Free | 6.0 |
Head-to-head All 28 comparisons →
- GridCraft vs Tiled
- GridCraft vs LDtk
- GridCraft vs 2D Tiler
- GridCraft vs TrenchBroom
- GridCraft vs GtkRadiant
- GridCraft vs Ultimate Doom Builder
- GridCraft vs DarkRadiant
- Tiled vs LDtk
- Tiled vs 2D Tiler
Explore other topics All topics →
- AI Tools 303 directories · 8,269 tools ranked AI Writing Tools · AI Video Generators · Text-to-Speech Software
- Web Hosting & Domains 275 directories · 6,107 tools ranked Shared Web Hosting · Managed Cloud Hosting · Dedicated Server Hosting
- Productivity 157 directories · 4,948 tools ranked Note-Taking Apps · Calendar Apps · Project Management Software
- Marketing 135 directories · 3,978 tools ranked SEO Tools · Influencer Marketing Platforms · Email Marketing Software
- Sales & CRM 152 directories · 4,161 tools ranked Real Estate CRM Software · CRM Software · Proposal Software
- Customer Service 55 directories · 1,547 tools ranked Chatbot Builders · Knowledge Base Software · Call Center Software
How we rank game level editors
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update