How to Create Stylized Maps for Games (Step-by-Step)
A practical, step-by-step guide to producing game-ready stylized maps from real locations, covering resolution, prompt structure, and export checklists.
To create a stylized map for a game, pick a real-world location, frame it at a zoom that matches your in-game camera, apply an AI art style that matches your game's visual direction, and export at 2K so the asset scales to any screen size.
Step 1 — Choose a location
Real places give your game a sense of weight. Even if the title is fictional, setting a mission in "a restyled Marrakech" reads as more grounded than a procedural map. Use the built-in search to pick a district rather than a whole city — zoom level determines how much detail survives the style pass.
Step 2 — Frame the shot
- For top-down strategy games: zoom 14–15, bearing 0°, streets map type.
- For painterly world maps: zoom 9–11, bearing 0°, satellite map type.
- For isometric pitches: bearing 45°, moderate zoom, then rely on the style pass to reinterpret the perspective.
Step 3 — Pick a style that matches your game
| Game genre | Recommended style | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cozy / indie | Watercolor, hand-drawn sketch | Soft, inviting, high legibility |
| Cyberpunk / sci-fi | Neon line art, cyberpunk | Saturated highlights pop on dark UI |
| Historical / strategy | Vintage cartography, parchment | Reads as an in-world artifact |
| Mystery / horror | Minimalist ink, faded sepia | Lowers visual noise, supports atmosphere |
Step 4 — Iterate with Modify and Inpainting
Rarely will the first generation be final. Use Modify to change the overall prompt ("make the buildings denser", "shift the palette to twilight blue") and Inpainting to refine a specific region — for example, to add more detail around a capital city or soften a busy corner.
Step 5 — Export at the right resolution
- In-game UI / web: 1K is usually enough (Plus plan).
- Print collateral, posters, art books: 2K (Credit Pack or Pro).
- Textures for 3D engines: 2K, then downsample per LOD.
FAQ
- Can I sell games that use CartoSketch maps?
- Yes — commercial use is allowed on every paid plan, including revenue-generating games and merch.
- How do I keep a consistent style across multiple maps?
- Save the prompt you used for the first generation and reuse it verbatim on every subsequent region. Style drift mostly comes from re-worded prompts.
- What if the AI adds people or text?
- The built-in system prompt already suppresses people, text, and weather. If something slips through, use Inpainting to remove just that region.