What is a pixel art color palette?

A pixel art color palette is a fixed, deliberately small set of colors you commit to for a sprite, a tileset, or a whole game. Limiting yourself forces clearer values and keeps every asset looking like it belongs to the same world, which is why hardware palettes like the Game Boy’s four greens still produce such readable art.

How many colors should a palette have?

For a single 16×16 or 32×32 sprite, 4 to 16 colors is plenty: one dark, one mid, one light per material, plus an outline. Reach for 32 or more only when a scene needs many materials at once. Fewer colors read better at small sizes and are far faster to shade consistently.

How do I use these palettes in MagicPixel?

Browsing and copying hex codes is free, and saving a palette takes a free account. Add a palette to your account here, then open the editor and it appears in the palette picker in the color sidebar. You can also snap an existing artboard to it from the palette button beside the canvas, which remaps every pixel to the nearest color in the set.

Can I import my own palette file?

Yes. The editor imports .gpl (GIMP / Aseprite), .pal (JASC and RIFF), and .hex files, so any palette file you download from a community site or export from another tool can be loaded as a custom palette.

How do I copy the hex codes?

Every palette has its own page listing each hex code. Click a single swatch to copy that one value, or use the copy button to grab the whole palette as a newline separated list you can paste into Aseprite, GIMP, Godot, Unity, or a CSS file.

Are these palettes free to use commercially?

Yes. Hardware and community palettes listed here are factual color sets or CC0 releases, and the MagicPixel-authored palettes are free to use in any project, commercial or otherwise. Colors themselves are not copyrightable.

Pixel art color palettes

Free palettes with every hex code listed: hardware classics like Game Boy, PICO-8 and NES, plus ramps built for dungeons, characters and tilesets. 256 palettes, one click to save any of them.

Every retro color palette here lists its full hex codes. Copy them straight off any palette page, or add a palette to your account and it shows up in the pixel art editor color sidebar, ready to draw with or to snap an existing sprite onto. Already have favourites from Aseprite or another editor? MagicPixel also imports .gpl, .pal and .hex palette files. New to working inside a limited set? Start with the color palette guide.

Chasing that 8-bit and 16-bit look? pulled straight from the consoles and computers that defined them.

Popular palettes: Game Boy DMG, PICO-8, NES, Commodore 64, CGA 16, ZX Spectrum.

63 palettes

Stone & Brick

8 colors

Warm masonry tones for brick, sandstone, and mortar tiles.

MagicPixel

stone
warm
environment

Mine Shaft

10 colors

Timber, dirt, and ore-flecked rock for mineshafts, tunnels, and quarry tiles.

MagicPixel

dungeon
warm
stone

Forest Canopy

12 colors

Layered leaf greens with a bark ramp: dense woodland tiles that keep depth.

MagicPixel

nature
forest
green

Spring Meadow

10 colors

Fresh grass greens plus two blossom pinks for cheerful overworld tiles.

MagicPixel

nature
green
bright

Desert Dunes

8 colors

Eight sand values from shadowed dune to blown-out highlight.

MagicPixel

nature
warm
desert

Arctic Tundra

8 colors

Cold blue-grays for snowfields, frozen rock, and overcast winter light.

MagicPixel

nature
cool
ice

Glacier Ice

10 colors

Translucent glacier blues with a white break for cracks and specular hits.

MagicPixel

nature
cool
ice

Ocean Depths

12 colors

A twelve-step descent from surface teal to abyssal near-black.

MagicPixel

nature
cool
water

Swamp Mire

10 colors

Murky olive greens and wet bark for bogs, moss, and stagnant water.

MagicPixel

nature
green
dark

Mushroom Grove

10 colors

Violet shade with capped pinks: fungal forests and spore-lit clearings.

MagicPixel

nature
fantasy
purple

Wood & Bark

8 colors

A single clean wood ramp for planks, crates, trunks, and furniture.

MagicPixel

nature
warm
texture

Night Sky

10 colors

Deep night blues rising to starlight: backgrounds that never fight the sprite.

MagicPixel

sky
cool
dark

Dawn Light

10 colors

Cool-to-warm sunrise gradient for morning skies and soft rim light.

MagicPixel

sky
warm
pastel

Dusk Glow

10 colors

Sunset falloff from violet shadow to burning horizon, in even steps.

MagicPixel

sky
warm
sunset

Tropical Sunset

10 colors

Hot sunset ramp with one sea-blue anchor so water still reads at dusk.

MagicPixel

sky
warm
vibrant

Water & Foam

8 colors

One tight water ramp ending in foam white: rivers, waves, and splash frames.

MagicPixel

water
cool
texture

Volcano Ash

10 colors

Ashen grays warmed by cooling rock: volcanic slopes and burnt ground.

MagicPixel

environment
warm
dark

Lava Forge

10 colors

Black rock cracking into molten orange: lava tiles and forge interiors.

MagicPixel

fire
warm
dark

Haunted Manor

12 colors

Dusty violets and old wood for gothic interiors, cobwebs, and candlelight.

MagicPixel

horror
dark
purple

Alchemy Lab

10 colors

Warm workbench neutrals with two reagent accents for lab and shop interiors.

MagicPixel

items
fantasy
muted

Medieval Town

16 colors

Timber, plaster, slate, and banner colors: a complete village tileset palette.

MagicPixel

environment
fantasy
town

Cozy Cottage

12 colors

Soft interior warmth for cottages, inns, and cozy farm-sim rooms.

MagicPixel

environment
warm
cozy

Pirate Cove

12 colors

Weathered deck wood against harbor teal: ships, docks, and coastal towns.

MagicPixel

environment
water
warm

Farm Harvest

12 colors

Soil, wheat, and crop greens for farming games and harvest scenes.

MagicPixel

environment
warm
nature

Warm Earth 16

16 colors

A dense warm ramp for terrain, wood, leather, and autumn scenes.

MagicPixel

warm
nature
general

Cool Ocean 16

16 colors

Blues and teals from abyss to foam, with two violet shadows for depth.

MagicPixel

cool
water
general

Sand & Ruins

8 colors

Sun-bleached sandstone with one dusty green for scrub: desert temples and buried ruins.

MagicPixel

environment
desert
warm

Oasis

12 colors

Palms and still water against warm sand: a green island in an otherwise dry tileset.

MagicPixel

environment
nature
water

Humid Jungle

12 colors

Layered green depth for dense foliage, plus a wet-bark ramp so trunks read against the leaves.

MagicPixel

environment
nature
forest

Bamboo Grove

8 colors

A single calm yellow-green ramp: bamboo, tall grass, and quiet Japanese-garden tiles.

MagicPixel

environment
nature
green

Cherry Blossom

12 colors

Pink blossom values with a muted foliage and bark ramp: spring maps that don’t go candy-sweet.

MagicPixel

environment
nature
pink

Winter Pines

10 colors

Cold blue-greens and snow whites for evergreen slopes and frozen trails.

MagicPixel

environment
ice
cool

Blizzard

8 colors

Eight steps of cold gray-blue for whiteout weather, snowfall vfx, and frozen skies.

MagicPixel

environment
ice
cool

Ashen Wasteland

10 colors

Dead gray ash with rusted warms: burnt-out fields, ruined cities, post-eruption ground.

MagicPixel

environment
dark
muted

Sewer Runoff

10 colors

Damp mossy stone and stagnant water: underground tunnels and drainage tilesets.

MagicPixel

environment
dark
dungeon

Crystal Cavern

12 colors

Deep blue rock lit by violet and teal crystal: glow-cave interiors and gem seams.

MagicPixel

environment
dungeon
purple

Mountain Pass

10 colors

Cool granite values with two greens for hardy alpine growth: cliffs, scree, and ridge lines.

MagicPixel

environment
stone
cool

Rice Fields

10 colors

Flooded terrace greens over reflective water: farmland maps and quiet countryside scenes.

MagicPixel

environment
nature
green

Storm at Sea

10 colors

Slate waves and spray under a bruised sky: sea tiles that stay readable when everything is gray.

MagicPixel

environment
water
cool

Deep Starfield

10 colors

A near-black to white ramp built for star density, with one warm star for accent.

MagicPixel

environment
sky
night

Rainy Street

12 colors

Wet asphalt blues with sodium-lamp gold and one neon pink: noir-adjacent city nights.

MagicPixel

city
night
cool

Rooftop Dawn

10 colors

Purple-to-peach sky steps with a cool building ramp for silhouetted skylines.

MagicPixel

city
sunset
warm

Market Awnings

12 colors

Striped canvas colors over a wood-and-dirt base: busy market and bazaar tiles.

MagicPixel

town
environment
vibrant

Temple Marble

10 colors

Warm-gray marble steps with gilt trim: shrines, halls, and boss arenas.

MagicPixel

interior
stone
gold

Greenhouse

10 colors

Sun-through-glass greens with a warm frame ramp for conservatories and plant rooms.

MagicPixel

interior
nature
green

Ship Deck

10 colors

Weathered planking and rope with sea-blue accents for decks, docks, and hulls.

MagicPixel

town
wood
environment

Brick & Mortar

10 colors

Brick reds paired with mortar grays so masonry tiles read at a glance.

MagicPixel

texture
stone
town

Bog Lantern

7 colors

Marsh greens climbing to a lantern-yellow highlight for nighttime wetlands.

MagicPixel

environment
forest
green

Salt Flats

6 colors

Cracked pale mineral crust for sun-bleached flats and dry lakebeds.

MagicPixel

environment
desert
muted

Canyon Strata

7 colors

Layered sandstone bands from shadowed base rock to sunlit rim.

MagicPixel

environment
desert
warm

Tide Pool

7 colors

Shallow saltwater greens for rock pools, kelp and wet stone.

MagicPixel

environment
water
cool

Frozen Lake

6 colors

Blue-grey ice shelf tones with a bright cracked surface highlight.

MagicPixel

environment
ice
cool

Terraced Hills

7 colors

Stepped farmland greens that read clearly at small tile sizes.

MagicPixel

environment
nature
green

Stormcloud Grey

7 colors

Neutral cloud ramp for overcast skies and rain-soaked backdrops.

MagicPixel

environment
sky
cool

Aurora Veil

7 colors

Deep polar night lifted by ribbon greens for aurora skies.

MagicPixel

sky
night
cool

Harbor Morning

7 colors

Soft dockside blues and warm haze for early-morning port scenes.

MagicPixel

environment
water
town

Moss and Ruin

7 colors

Overgrown masonry greens for crumbling walls and forgotten roads.

MagicPixel

environment
stone
forest

Badlands Dusk

7 colors

Purple shadow into ember light for arid country at last light.

MagicPixel

environment
desert
sunset

Kelp Forest

7 colors

Submerged green ramp for kelp stalks, murk and filtered light.

MagicPixel

water
forest
green

Geyser Basin

7 colors

Mineral terrace neutrals with steam-pale tops for thermal ground.

MagicPixel

environment
stone
warm

Loading more palettes…

Provenance and licensing. Hardware and system palettes here (Game Boy, PICO-8, CGA, C64, ZX Spectrum, NES and friends) are factual color sets from the machines themselves, credited on each card. Community palettes are included only when released CC0, credited to their authors. Every other palette is authored by MagicPixel. All of them are free to use in your projects, commercial work included, and color values themselves are not copyrightable.

Pixel art color palettes, explained

What is a pixel art color palette?: A pixel art color palette is a fixed, deliberately small set of colors you commit to for a sprite, a tileset, or a whole game. Limiting yourself forces clearer values and keeps every asset looking like it belongs to the same world, which is why hardware palettes like the Game Boy’s four greens still produce such readable art.
How many colors should a palette have?: For a single 16×16 or 32×32 sprite, 4 to 16 colors is plenty: one dark, one mid, one light per material, plus an outline. Reach for 32 or more only when a scene needs many materials at once. Fewer colors read better at small sizes and are far faster to shade consistently.
How do I use these palettes in MagicPixel?: Browsing and copying hex codes is free, and saving a palette takes a free account. Add a palette to your account here, then open the editor and it appears in the palette picker in the color sidebar. You can also snap an existing artboard to it from the palette button beside the canvas, which remaps every pixel to the nearest color in the set.
Can I import my own palette file?: Yes. The editor imports .gpl (GIMP / Aseprite), .pal (JASC and RIFF), and .hex files, so any palette file you download from a community site or export from another tool can be loaded as a custom palette.
How do I copy the hex codes?: Every palette has its own page listing each hex code. Click a single swatch to copy that one value, or use the copy button to grab the whole palette as a newline separated list you can paste into Aseprite, GIMP, Godot, Unity, or a CSS file.
Are these palettes free to use commercially?: Yes. Hardware and community palettes listed here are factual color sets or CC0 releases, and the MagicPixel-authored palettes are free to use in any project, commercial or otherwise. Colors themselves are not copyrightable.