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Head-to-head · Game Level Editors

Tiled vs DarkRadiant

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Tiled #2 in Game Level Editors 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit Tiled
DarkRadiant #8 in Game Level Editors 8.4/10 Open source Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit DarkRadiant

Tiled leads on 0 checks, DarkRadiant on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreTiled · 9.2/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresTiled · 4 of 5

Tiled scores higher on our rubric for game level editors: 9.2 against 8.4 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #8.

On level dimensions, DarkRadiant gives you 3d where Tiled offers 2d.

Tiled is the better fit for general-purpose 2D game level editing. DarkRadiant is the better fit for the Dark Mod and idTech4 level editing.

  • Tiled fits best

    General-purpose 2D game level editing

  • DarkRadiant fits best

    The Dark Mod and idTech4 level editing

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Side by side

Feature Tiled 9.2/10 Visit ↗ DarkRadiant 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.4
Ranking #2 in Game Level Editors #8 in Game Level Editors
Best for General-purpose 2D game level editing The Dark Mod and idTech4 level editing
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Open source
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Desktop Desktop
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business Solo, Small business
Features Tiled 4/5 · DarkRadiant 2/5
Tilemap tools ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Terrain tools ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Entity placement ✓ ✓
Prefab or template tools ✓ ✓
Visual scripting Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Level dimensions 2d 3d
Our review
Pros
  • Supports orthogonal, isometric, hexagonal and oblique maps.
  • Combines terrain tools, object templates, collisions and animations.
  • Exports to JSON, Lua, GameMaker, Defold and image formats.
  • Combines 3D camera and dockable 2D orthographic views
  • Supports brushes, patches, entities, shaders and reusable prefabs
  • Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux under GPLv2
Cons
  • Focused on 2D tile-based game content.
  • Custom scripting uses JavaScript rather than visual scripting.
  • Desktop platforms are limited to Windows, macOS and Linux.
  • Its supported game focus is narrower than general-purpose editors
  • Requires resources from a supported game to work with
  • Does not include AI features
Our verdict

Tiled is a free, open-source desktop editor for creating 2D tile maps and game-level content. It suits developers and designers working on RPGs, platformers and similar tile-based projects. The editor supports orthogonal, isometric,…

Read the review →

DarkRadiant is a desktop level and map editor for The Dark Mod and other idTech4-based games, including Doom 3, Quake 4 and Prey. It is designed for constructing 3D game environments from brushes and patches, placing and editing entities,…

Read the review →
  1. TiledGame Level Editors 9.2Free plan
  2. DarkRadiantGame Level Editors 8.4Open source

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Tiled — where it wins

    • Supports orthogonal, isometric, hexagonal and oblique maps.
    • Combines terrain tools, object templates, collisions and animations.
    • Exports to JSON, Lua, GameMaker, Defold and image formats.

    Where it doesn't

    • Focused on 2D tile-based game content.
    • Custom scripting uses JavaScript rather than visual scripting.
    • Desktop platforms are limited to Windows, macOS and Linux.

  • DarkRadiant — where it wins

    • Combines 3D camera and dockable 2D orthographic views
    • Supports brushes, patches, entities, shaders and reusable prefabs
    • Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux under GPLv2

    Where it doesn't

    • Its supported game focus is narrower than general-purpose editors
    • Requires resources from a supported game to work with
    • Does not include AI features

More comparisons

All game level editors comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update