Level Design Essentials: Get Good At Making Game Levels

Name: Level Design Essentials: Get Good At Making Game Levels
Rating: 4.6 (43 reviews)

Learn level design using frameworks, greyboxing and real game analysis to create engaging, playable levels.

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Created byGameDev.tv Team, Rick Davidson

Last updated 6/2026

English

What you'll learn

Design engaging video game levels that guide players and create meaningful decisions
Use proven level design frameworks to structure levels with purpose and clarity
Greybox and prototype levels quickly to test ideas before full development
Create level flow, pacing and layouts that feel natural and rewarding to play
Analyse successful video game levels to understand what makes them work
Design memorable gameplay moments that keep players engaged and curious
Add variety to your levels to avoid repetition and improve player experience
Follow a clear step-by-step workflow to plan, build and refine your levels

Course content

3 sections • 26 lectures • 4h 21m total length

Welcome To The Course3:24
Set Up Your Test Space3:07
Throughout the course we’ll have opportunities to make things so in this lecture we’ll take a quick moment to set up our work environment - you can use whatever engine or editor you like.
Quick Win To Get Going9:36
Before we dive into theory and frameworks lets get our hands dirty and create something quick and easy in our test environment.
The Orchestra Conductor12:24
Being a level designer is more than just adding geometry to the world, its about integrating all of the parts of the game into a cohesive experience for the player.
Level Design Workflow12:15
It can be difficult to know when to do particular things when building your game and your levels so in this lecture we map out the 10 main steps to building your levels.
The 5 D’s Of Level Design13:42
As you’re designing and implementing your levels keep these 5 important concepts in mind.
Distances - The First Thing To Fix6:38
The biggest problem with bad level design is that the distances aren’t set up correctly, we discuss this and look at examples.
Decisions - Make Them Interesting13:20
All game design requires interesting decisions for the player and level design is an important mechanism for providing interesting decisions to players.
Direction - Guide The Player10:43
Players need some guidance or direction in most games, we discuss what that means and how to go about providing it.
Desire - Make The Player Care7:52
A level that noone wants to play isn’t much use, so we need to ensure that we’ve given our player enough desire and interest to interact with the game world we’ve made for them.
Diversity - Keep Their Attention6:26
Mixing things up through variety is critical. Keeping the requirement of diversity front and centre will help level designers to vary their game for players.

Section Intro - Level Layout Ideas0:52
We discuss the level pathing and layout ideas that will be presented in this section.
Three Levels Of Level Design8:11
We can think in terms of high, medium and low level aspects of our level layout.
Some Different Game Types11:30
Different genres of games require different ideas to level layouts.
Level Pathway Examples24:40
We take a look at a bunch of layout ideas and flows.
Heights & Perspectives15:31
Varying the heights in your level go a long way to creating interest and variety. There is also an emotional relationship between height and perspectives.
Purposeful Placement18:20
As a level designer if you ask yourself the 2 Why’s whenever you place elements or make design decisions you’ll ensure that your level is consistent and immersive.
Narrative - Show Don’t Tell11:10
Story is an important part of level design. Many designers are too heavy-handed with story however so we’re discussing how you can show your player rather than telling your player the important information.
Affordances & Signifiers8:27
Level designers need to guide the player and teach them how to interact with the world. Understanding affordances will help with that objective.
Pathway Design Vs Discovery5:56
Rick outlines a technique he used to brainstorm a level layout.
More To Come0:03

Section Intro - Make A Level1:01
In this section we’re going to pull everything together and make a level.
Your Level Gameplan6:29
We need to figure out what we’re going to create in terms of the genre, goals, etc.
Make a Playable Level7:58
This is the big challenge for the course and the time where we bring it all together to make something amazing.
Level Creation Timelapse31:28
Rick shows you his level being created as a timelapse so you can see his thought process.
Level Gameplay Walkthrough10:52
Rick talks you through his particular level from a gameplay perspective so you can see his decisions.

Requirements

A basic understanding of video games and how they are played
No prior level design experience needed - just curiosity and creativity
Any game engine or tools can be used (concepts apply across all engines)

Description

Ever wondered why some games feel engaging from start to finish, while others lose your interest after a few minutes?

The difference is often level design.

Great level design is what turns mechanics into memorable experiences. It guides the player, creates tension, delivers meaningful choices and keeps players coming back for more.

But here's the thing - good level design isn't magic. It's a craft. And once you learn how it works, you'll see it everywhere.

In this course, you'll go beyond simply placing objects in a scene. You'll learn how to structure levels using proven frameworks, analyse real levels from popular games to understand exactly what makes them work, and apply those lessons directly to your own designs.

You'll learn how to:

Brainstorm and develop level ideas with confidence
Design player paths and level flow that feel natural and intentional
Create engaging gameplay moments and meaningful player choices
Add variety and pacing so your levels never feel repetitive
Greybox and prototype your ideas quickly before committing to anything

You'll also follow a clear, step-by-step workflow so you always know what to build next and how to improve your levels over time.

This course is perfect for:

Indie developers wearing multiple hats
Game jam participants
Beginner designers looking to build strong foundations
Anyone who wants to understand why great games feel so good to play

By the end, you won't just understand level design - you'll feel it. And your levels will show it.

Please note this course is still under development and new content is being added regularly.

Who this course is for:

Beginner to intermediate game developers who want to improve their level design
Indie developers wearing multiple hats and building their own games
Game jam participants looking to create more engaging levels quickly
Anyone interested in game design and crafting better player experiences

Level Design Essentials: Get Good At Making Game Levels

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Design Frameworks11 lectures • 1hr 39min

Level Layout Ideas10 lectures • 1hr 45min

Make A Level5 lectures • 58min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: