The new site is faster, easier to search and now supports video.
(Image credit: Game UI Database)
Game UI Database was already a great place for game designers to search for UI reference materials, and it's just got a ton better. The platform has been revamped with a new look and fresh features.
It's faster, supports video and has filters for more efficient searches. It may well be the best online resource available for video game design, and it's completely free to use.
After nearly 3 years of work, Game UI Database 2.0 has officially launched!! WE DID IT EVERYONE!!!! 😭Explore an incredible 55,500+ game UI screens and videos, all filterable by screen types, controls, textures, patterns, HUD elements, colour and more!https://t.co/nUxp1DgXhO pic.twitter.com/TzsqAk30AJAugust 5, 2024
Created by Edd Coates, Game UI Database 2.0 contains more than 55,000 screenshots and 1,700 videos from 1,341 games. Three years in the making, the updated version of the repository can now be searched by screen type, color, controls, patterns, HUD elements, textures and more.
The addition of video support means the database is now a reference tool for animations, screen flow, mechanics and game feel as well as UI. There's also a new gallery viewer providing details on things like icon usage and font size, while visualizers can change how images and videos appear, including the application of colourblind filters.
The new Game UI Database (Image credit: Game UI Database)
in the 2.0 changelog, Edd says he rebuilt everything from scratch "in an attempt to create the dream website that I’ve had in my head for well over a decade. He also suggested that there's more to come, adding "stay tuned for even more feature updates in the coming weeks, and more games than you can shake a health bar at."
Users are already heaping praise on the endeavour. "As a lifelong art hobbyist who has worked in various roles the game industry for 8+ years; and JUST transitioned into UI art, this is an absolute goldmine of inspiration. Congrats and thanks for all your hard work," one person wrote on X.
"I love the ability to search by things like 'Tilted UI' or 'Distress brush'. It helps me pinpoint what I like about certain UI and then find more examples of things I might like," was another response.
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Some have pointed out that AI developers would no doubt love to get their hands on a resource like this for training, but Edd has clarified that content is prohibited from being employed in anything related to machine learning or crypto. He says an AI company that produces a tool for generating game art already reached out to him asking for an API.
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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
