Our verdict: Tiled is the standard free tool for building 2D tile-based levels, and many game frameworks read its TMX and JSON files directly. Terrain brushes, Automapping and object templates save a lot of repetitive work. It only edits maps, so tiles and sprites are drawn elsewhere.
About Tiled
Tiled is a free and open source level editor created by Thorbjørn Lindeijer and funded by sponsors. The editor itself is under the GNU GPL, while the libtiled library and map viewer are under the BSD 2-clause license, so games can use them freely.
Maps can be orthogonal, isometric or hexagonal and combine multi-layer tile editing with object layers for rectangles, ellipses, polygons and freely placed tiles. Infinite maps grow as needed, and several maps can be arranged into a world. Maps export to JSON, Lua, images, GameMaker, Defold and other formats.
What it does well
- Tile layers. Multi-layer tile painting with fast terrain brushes for orthogonal, isometric and hex maps.
- Object layers. Annotate levels with shapes, place and rotate tiles freely and reuse object templates.
- Automapping. Rule-based placement of tiles and objects to fill in details automatically.
- Worlds and infinite maps. Edit maps that grow as needed and organize many maps in one world.
- JavaScript extensions. Add custom file formats, actions and tools with scripts.
Who it is for
Good fit
Indie and hobby game developers building 2D levels for engines and frameworks that read TMX or JSON maps.
Look elsewhere
Anyone looking to draw the tile art itself; use a pixel art editor for that, then import the tileset.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free, open source and actively developed
- Supports orthogonal, isometric and hex maps
- Automapping and terrain brushes save time
- Wide game engine and framework support
Cons
- No built-in tile or sprite drawing
- Engine import often relies on third-party plugins
- Advanced features like Automapping take learning
How to install Tiled
Download the Windows 10+ x86_64 MSI from the official download page, which links to Tiled's GitHub releases. A separate 32-bit MSI is offered only for Windows 7 and 8. The same release is also available on itch.io, where you can pay what you want to support development.
Questions about Tiled
Is Tiled free?
Yes. Tiled is free and open source. You can optionally pay what you want on itch.io or become a sponsor to support development.
Which file formats does Tiled export?
Maps are saved as TMX or JSON and can be exported to Lua, images, GameMaker, Defold, tBIN and other formats.
Can Tiled make isometric maps?
Yes. Tiled supports orthogonal, isometric, staggered isometric and hexagonal map orientations.
