Did you know that it takes only several seconds to create a set of four designs for video game assets in Stable Diffusion? This text-to-image AI tool is incredible at producing designs quickly. You can use this to your advantage if you're making a video game.
If you want to have a rough idea of how items should look like in the video game or are simply looking for designs you can use as placeholders, the most effective approach you can take is to create images in Stable Diffusion. You'll be able to create a variety of different designs in just a few minutes.
No matter what your job or passion is, it's always a good idea to search for ways to become more efficient at what you do. Text-to-image models can help you with that. In today's article, I'll show you how relatively simple prompts can produce outstanding game assets.
How to Write Stable Diffusion Prompts for Game Assets
There are a few things I feel the need to mention when it comes to making game assets in Stable Diffusion. The first is that there are some interesting preset styles you can choose to make video game assets. I'll use three different styles that are already available in Stable Diffusion.
As you can see from the image above, the three styles I decided to use today include 'Low Poly', 'Isometric' and '3D Model'. I find the 'Low Poly' style incredibly useful when I'm making sprite sheets. The '3D Model' style is perfect for when you want to create a polished model of a single object. Meanwhile, the 'Isometric' style is an excellent choice when you're making buildings.
Of course, you don't have to use any of these preset styles. You can choose the 'No Style' option and simply mention a specific art style or aesthetic in your prompts. I find that the options that already exist work really well, which is why I'm going to be using them for the prompt examples I came up with.
Now that you know which styles to choose, I'll talk more about the prompt writing process. Basically, you need to carefully consider which details are important when you're writing prompts for game assets. I find it's best to put only the most important details in your prompts and leave the rest out. This will help keep your prompts concise and make it easier for you to get good results.
Use illustrative adjectives to better describe the assets you're making. This is especially recommended when you're making single 3D assets. If you're making sprite sheets, you don't have to describe what you've imagined in detail because the AI model will produce countless variations.
I think it's time to move on to the prompt examples. I have a feeling that will make it easier for you to understand how to write Stable Diffusion prompts for video game assets.
15 Stable Diffusion Prompt Examples for Game Assets
This is not the first time that I'm making video game assets with a text-to-image AI model. I have a great article where I talk about how to make game assets in Midjourney. I recommend that you check out that article as well, especially if you use both Stable Diffusion and Midjourney.
That was just a little shameless plug. We can now start looking at the prompt examples I prepared for you today.
Low Poly Style
I decided to separate the prompt examples for game assets in three different categories. The first five images will feature the Low Poly style that's already available in Stable Diffusion. In this category, I'll focus on making only sprite sheets for game assets.
prompt #1: sprite sheet, 2D art, assets for an underwater world, coral formations and aquatic plants
Although you should always keep your prompts concise, this is even more important to do when you want to generate numerous different objects in a single image. You can't expect too much from the AI model when you're making sprite sheets. Although there will be a nice level of variety, don't think you can create too many different types of objects in a single sprite sheet.
prompt #2: sprite sheet, video game assets for a cyberpunk cityscape, futuristic skyscrapers, neon signs, hover vehicles, dystopian aesthetic
I previously mentioned that you shouldn't expect the AI model to produce too many different types of objects in a single sprite sheet. This is exactly what I meant. Although I don't see hover vehicles here, I'm still incredibly happy with the result. You can start building a city with these assets.
prompt #3: sprite sheet, 2D game art, sci-fi laser weapons, laser guns, blasters, energy weapons
Some of these sci-fi weapons look weird, but the good news is that you have many different other assets to choose from. That's the beauty of generating a sprite sheet - you'll almost always have at least one asset that you like. It's recommended that you upscale an image like this if you want to separate certain assets.
prompt #4: sprite sheet, 2D game art, medieval fantasy flora, mystical plants, magical wildlife
There's something so great about the Low Poly style that makes these sprite sheets look like they're ready to be implemented in a game right away. There is a lot of variety in this image. It definitely has that fantasy aesthetic that I was looking for.
prompt #5: sprite sheet, 2D art, assets for a post-apocalyptic wasteland, rusty vehicles
Since I didn't want to mention different types of objects in this prompt, I decided that I wanted to see a sprite sheet that consists of only rusty vehicles. Most of them look a bit weird, but there are some that I really like.
3D Model Style
Up until now, I focused only on making sprite sheets in Stable Diffusion. We're going to switch things up now. I'm going to use the 3D Model style from the Stable Diffusion preset options to create video game assets one at a time.
prompt #6: 3D model video game asset, elven archer's bow, beautifully crafted with intricate designs and adorned with enchanted gemstones
This is a beautiful bow. When I wrote the prompt, I had to generate a lot of different images to get to this one. I was skeptical that I was going to find something that I truly liked and then this image appeared. The gemstones add such a nice touch to the overall design.
prompt #7: 3D video game asset, mechanical steampunk airship with spinning gears, billowing steam, and brass details
Let's say that you want to explain what an asset should look like to a professional designer. You can write a prompt like the one above and then generate countless examples of the asset until you find a design that you like. When you find one, you simply show it to the designer and point out all the details you love about it. The designer will then know exactly what to focus on when making the asset. This approach will save you a lot of time.
prompt #8: 3D video game asset, futuristic combat drone with advanced weaponry
Wow, this one is a bit scary. I wouldn't want to live in a world where combat drones like this one are flying around and prepared to use its weapons. The 3D Model style is truly impressive and can make stunning images from simple prompts.
prompt #9: 3D rendered game asset, ancient crystal orb with the power to foresee the future, the orb radiates a soothing, ethereal glow
There are so many intricate details featured in this design. It almost feels like the orb really exists. I don't know what to say about this design other than I'm very impressed with how it turned out.
prompt #10: 3D video game asset, cursed amulet with an eerie, pulsating glow, harboring a malevolent spirit
This is an amazing game asset. I know that it's a cursed amulet and that it harbors a malevolent spirit, but if I ever saw something like this I would immediately put it around my neck. I don't care about the consequences because it looks incredible.
Isometric Style
We're now entering the final section of this article which contains prompt examples. In the next five prompts, I will use the Isometric style to create stunning buildings and structures.
prompt #11: isometric style video game asset, Ancient Egyptian tomb with hieroglyphics
This is the perfect aesthetic for a structure that is supposed to resemble something from Ancient Egypt. I didn't expect the AI model to generate any hieroglyphics, so I was surprised to see that there were some carvings engraved on certain walls.
prompt #12: isometric video game asset, steampunk city floating in the sky, Victorian-style architecture, rotating gears
Steampunk is an awesome aesthetic. It's sometimes hard to comprehend that not too long ago, people imagined the future would incorporate steam-powered machinery in such a big way.
prompt #13: isometric game asset, Ancient Mayan temple ruins hidden deep in a lush jungle
There's something about ancient buildings that I've always found fascinating. I hope that I'll see some new discoveries made of structures that survived for hundreds or thousands of years. This temple here looks just like I imagined it would.
prompt #14: isometric video game asset, sci-fi underground city with neon-lit tunnels and hidden rebel bases
This prompt could've been a bit better, but I was so impressed with the result here that I decided to keep it in the article. But that just goes to show you that you can never know what to expect when you press that 'Generate' button. I always feel really happy when I find an image that I truly like.
prompt #15: isometric game asset, secret laboratory hidden in an Arctic tundra with advanced research equipment
I was running a bit low on inspiration at this point of the article, and then I remembered a documentary that I watched about Antarctica recently and the research stations on the continent. As soon as I remembered the film, I immediately knew what my next prompt was going to be. Before I even generated the images, I had a feeling that the design was going to be incredible.
This was the first image Stable Diffusion created from my prompt. I was instantly astounded at how good the image is. The colors blend perfectly.
Final Thoughts
You can create both 2D and 3D game asset designs in Stable Diffusion. I personally find the simplicity of creating a sprite sheet with the 'Low Poly' style to be such a fun process that I often do it for fun. It reminds me of my childhood when game assets looked really simple.
It's also always a great idea to use the 'Isometric' style whenever you're making any building designs that could be used in a video game. I feel designs like this are especially useful when you're coming up with game assets for mobile games. That's where you see a ton of isometric designs.
Finally, you can use the '3D Model' style when you want to focus on making a single game asset. This can be very useful if you want to explain to the designer how an asset should be designed but lack the design skills to roughly show what you want to be created. That's why you can simply write a prompt, and the AI model will make a design that you can use as a draft until a professional designer creates the finished asset.
In the end, it all comes down to what you're looking to create and how you want to use this AI-powered tool. There are options available regardless of what type of design you want to make. That's why Stable Diffusion and other text-to-image models became popular so quickly and will continue to be useful to countless people across the world.
