Image: Montage of in-game art and concept visuals

Author: VANAS Team

10 Best Video Games to Study Concept Art

Table of Contents

1. Why study games for concept art?
2. How to study these games effectively
3. The 10 best games to study concept art
4. Key exercises for artists
5. Further resources

Why study games for concept art?

Video games are immersive laboratories for worldbuilding. From small indie titles to blockbuster epics, games must communicate setting, mood, and function through environments, characters, and props that players explore up close. Concept art in games shapes not only the look but also the play—how a space guides a player, what a character’s silhouette says at a glance, and how materials read under different lighting.

Studying games trains artists to think in systems: how a single design decision ripples through level design, animation, and UI. The titles below were chosen because their visual development teams solved complex design problems with strong, teachable visuals.

How to study these games effectively

• Collect reference frames and concept art from official artbooks, galleries, and in-game photo modes.
• Break designs into silhouette, color, texture, and function.
• Recreate thumbnails and material studies from screenshots.
• Consider player perspective: how does the design read from ground level versus a cinematic shot?

The 10 best games to study concept art

1) Journey (Thatgamecompany)

Why it matters: Minimalism and color are used as storytelling devices. The game’s environments communicate scale and emotion with simple, elegant shapes.

Lessons:

• Economy of shape: convey mood with minimal elements.
• Color-driven narrative arcs that shift the player’s emotional state.
• Lighting as a directional storytelling tool.

2) Bioshock (Irrational Games)

Why it matters: Rapture’s art deco undersea world blends historical style with speculative decay—perfect for studying themed environmental storytelling.

Lessons:

• Thematic consistency: architecture, props, and signage all support a single ideological conceit.
• Aging and wear to tell backstory.
• Rich material studies: brass, water damage, and glass reflections.

3) Shadow of the Colossus (Team Ico)

Why it matters: Monumental silhouettes and sparse environments teach how scale and negative space build awe.

Lessons:

• Designing for scale and player emotion.
• Using sparse detail to focus attention.
• Integrating architecture with landscape.

4) The Last of Us (Naughty Dog)

Why it matters: A grounded, gritty world where environments communicate history, survival, and character.

Lessons:

• Environmental storytelling through small details (handmade repairs, posted notes, overgrowth).
• Naturalized color palettes that still read clearly for gameplay.
• Blending practical set dressing with cinematic composition.

5) Dishonored (Arkane Studios)

Why it matters: A stylized, industrial Victorian aesthetic that balances artistic exaggeration with functional design.

Lessons:

• Silhouette-first character and weapon design.
• Stylized textures that prioritize readability over photorealism.
• World motifs repeated across architecture and props.

6) Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games)

Why it matters: Combines primitive and futuristic elements into a coherent aesthetic—perfect for hybrid design studies.

Lessons:

• Designing plausible technology inspired by natural forms.
• Color and pattern for faction and creature differentiation.
• Resource-driven prop design that communicates culture.

7) Dark Souls (FromSoftware)

Why it matters: Dense lore expressed through oppressive, layered architecture—masterclass in mood and ambiguity.

Lessons:

• Making environments that imply history through ruin and accretion.
• Using verticality and pathway design to reveal narrative.
• Texture work that communicates centuries of use.

8) Okami (Clover Studio)

Why it matters: A painterly, traditional-art aesthetic translated into interactive spaces—excellent for studying stylized visual languages.

Lessons:

• Translating traditional media (ink, wash) into game visuals.
• Bold, graphic linework and color harmonies.
• Integrating symbolism into environmental design.

9) NieR: Automata (PlatinumGames)

Why it matters: Futuristic melancholy and decayed beauty—mixing melancholy storytelling with striking concept choices.

Lessons:

• Contrasting sterile futurism with natural decay.
• Using limited color accents to emphasize narrative beats.
• Designing machines and ruins that suggest backstory.

10) Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch)

Why it matters: Cinematic composition and cultural authenticity come together in a game that frames each scene like a brush painting.

Lessons:

• Framing and composition inspired by traditional art.
• Using weather, foliage, and color palettes to convey season and mood.
• Cultural research informing prop and costume design.

Key exercises for artists

• Thumbnail the principal silhouette of a level from three different angles.
• Do a 3-color study of a scene: main, secondary, and accent color.
• Create a texture sheet (cloth, metal, foliage) sampled from in-game screenshots.
• Redesign a prop with function-first thinking: what story does it tell?

Further resources

• Official artbooks and concept galleries for each title.
• In‑game photo modes and community screenshot hubs.
• Follow lead concept artists on social media for process breakdowns.

VANAS Online Design & Art programs teach visual development, concept art, and production design. Learn more at https://www.vanas.ca