• 60 palettes

Game Color Palette: Background, Player, Hazard and Pick-Up

Press the button for one level's colors: background, ground, player, hazard, pick-up and text, with hex codes.

Game Color Palette: Background, Player, Hazard and Pick-Up

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  1. Dock lights: peach on dark tealDark teal background, slate ground, peach player, bright red hazard, turquoise pick-up, white text.#0E3238 · #46505E · #F8BE94 · #F23A30 · #30C8BC · #F8F8F4

Next step Design a player for this level

All 60 palettes

Forest 10

  • Autumn grove: bone on dark brown Dark brown background, rust ground, bone player, bright red hazard, amber pick-up, cream text.
  • Bamboo forest: white on dark green Dark green background, leaf green ground, white player, hot pink hazard, lemon pick-up, cream text.
  • Birch morning: deep violet on cream Cream background, fern ground, deep violet player, bright red hazard, teal pick-up, charcoal text.
  • Firefly glade: lemon on midnight blue Midnight blue background, bark ground, lemon player, hot pink hazard, aqua pick-up, white text.
  • Jungle canopy: yellow on dark teal Dark teal background, jade ground, yellow player, magenta hazard, orange pick-up, cream text.
  • Mossy wood: bone on pine green Pine green background, fern ground, bone player, orange hazard, pink pick-up, white text.
  • Mushroom hollow: cream on dark plum Dark plum background, bark ground, cream player, red hazard, aqua pick-up, white text.
  • Rainy pines: ice blue on storm blue Storm blue background, moss ground, ice blue player, orange hazard, gold pick-up, white text.
  • Swamp edge: bone on dark olive Dark olive background, olive ground, bone player, lime hazard, cyan pick-up, white text.
  • Treehouse at dusk: peach on deep indigo Deep indigo background, bark ground, peach player, red hazard, gold pick-up, cream text.
Show all 60 palettes (50 more)

Cave and dungeon 10

  • Buried temple: white on deep violet Deep violet background, tan ground, white player, ember hazard, turquoise pick-up, cream text.
  • Crystal grotto: ice blue on deep indigo Deep indigo background, violet ground, ice blue player, magenta hazard, aqua pick-up, white text.
  • Flooded cellar: cream on dark teal Dark teal background, teal ground, cream player, orange hazard, pink pick-up, white text.
  • Fossil dig: bone on dark umber Dark umber background, clay ground, bone player, red hazard, turquoise pick-up, white text.
  • Ice cave: snow on navy Navy background, steel ground, snow player, hot pink hazard, lime pick-up, ice blue text.
  • Lava tunnel: lemon on soot Soot background, brown ground, lemon player, ember hazard, cyan pick-up, cream text.
  • Mine shaft: yellow on dark brown Dark brown background, brown ground, yellow player, red hazard, cyan pick-up, white text.
  • Mossy cave: cream on charcoal Charcoal background, moss ground, cream player, ember hazard, gold pick-up, white text.
  • Torchlit dungeon: peach on black Black background, stone ground, peach player, red hazard, gold pick-up, bone text.
  • Web-hung vault: mint on ink Ink background, purple ground, mint player, red hazard, amber pick-up, white text.

Desert and canyon 10

  • Cactus flats at dusk: lemon on dark plum Dark plum background, fern ground, lemon player, hot pink hazard, orange pick-up, cream text.
  • Canyon at noon: dark teal on peach Peach background, rust ground, dark teal player, crimson hazard, cobalt pick-up, dark brown text.
  • Desert night: sand on deep indigo Deep indigo background, slate ground, sand player, red hazard, orange pick-up, cream text.
  • Dry riverbed at dusk: cream on storm blue Storm blue background, clay ground, cream player, orange hazard, lemon pick-up, white text.
  • Mesa at first light: peach on navy Navy background, rust ground, peach player, bright red hazard, turquoise pick-up, cream text.
  • Mesa sunset: bone on deep red Deep red background, rust ground, bone player, aqua hazard, amber pick-up, white text.
  • Narrow canyon: sky blue on dark brown Dark brown background, terracotta ground, sky blue player, magenta hazard, orange pick-up, cream text.
  • Night oasis: cream on midnight blue Midnight blue background, jade ground, cream player, coral hazard, gold pick-up, white text.
  • Noon dunes: navy on sand Sand background, clay ground, navy player, crimson hazard, purple pick-up, ink text.
  • Sandstorm: dark brown on bone Bone background, tan ground, dark brown player, crimson hazard, deep blue pick-up, black text.

Snow 10

  • Aurora snowfield: lemon on midnight blue Midnight blue background, ice blue ground, lemon player, magenta hazard, neon green pick-up, white text.
  • Fresh snow: navy on snow Snow background, silver ground, navy player, red hazard, teal pick-up, ink text.
  • Glacier night: lemon on deep blue Deep blue background, ice blue ground, lemon player, ember hazard, aqua pick-up, cream text.
  • Ice floe: navy on sky blue Sky blue background, snow ground, navy player, deep red hazard, dark green pick-up, black text.
  • Lake ice: deep blue on ice blue Ice blue background, steel ground, deep blue player, crimson hazard, magenta pick-up, navy text.
  • Pine slope: deep violet on snow Snow background, pine green ground, deep violet player, bright red hazard, jade pick-up, charcoal text.
  • Ski village at dusk: peach on deep indigo Deep indigo background, pale blue ground, peach player, hot pink hazard, gold pick-up, white text.
  • Snow day: charcoal on snow Snow background, sky blue ground, charcoal player, red hazard, cobalt pick-up, navy text.
  • Snowstorm: black on pale gray Pale gray background, steel ground, black player, crimson hazard, cobalt pick-up, ink text.
  • Winter cabin night: snow on soot Soot background, brown ground, snow player, red hazard, amber pick-up, cream text.

Night city 10

  • Arcade lights: aqua on deep violet Deep violet background, purple ground, aqua player, neon pink hazard, amber pick-up, white text.
  • Bridge at midnight: bone on navy Navy background, storm blue ground, bone player, ember hazard, aqua pick-up, white text.
  • Dock lights: peach on dark teal Dark teal background, slate ground, peach player, bright red hazard, turquoise pick-up, white text.
  • Lantern market: cream on black Black background, rust ground, cream player, magenta hazard, lime pick-up, white text.
  • Neon alley: lemon on ink Ink background, purple ground, lemon player, hot pink hazard, cyan pick-up, white text.
  • Parking garage: mint on soot Soot background, slate ground, mint player, yellow hazard, sky blue pick-up, white text.
  • Rooftops: cream on midnight blue Midnight blue background, slate ground, cream player, orange hazard, mint pick-up, white text.
  • Skyline at dusk: gold on dark plum Dark plum background, storm blue ground, gold player, bright red hazard, cyan pick-up, cream text.
  • Subway platform: lime on charcoal Charcoal background, gray ground, lime player, bright red hazard, sky blue pick-up, cream text.
  • Wet pavement: pale blue on storm blue Storm blue background, navy ground, pale blue player, coral hazard, lilac pick-up, white text.

Space 10

  • Alien moon: cream on dark olive Dark olive background, purple ground, cream player, neon pink hazard, cyan pick-up, white text.
  • Asteroid belt: aqua on soot Soot background, stone ground, aqua player, ember hazard, lilac pick-up, white text.
  • Comet chase: snow on midnight blue Midnight blue background, cobalt ground, snow player, orange hazard, aqua pick-up, ice blue text.
  • Deep space: snow on black Black background, deep blue ground, snow player, red hazard, lemon pick-up, silver text.
  • Lunar outpost: ink on silver Silver background, gray ground, ink player, crimson hazard, deep blue pick-up, black text.
  • Nebula: mint on dark plum Dark plum background, violet ground, mint player, coral hazard, sky blue pick-up, cream text.
  • Red planet: cream on dark umber Dark umber background, rust ground, cream player, cyan hazard, gold pick-up, white text.
  • Satellite repair: white on navy Navy background, steel ground, white player, magenta hazard, orange pick-up, pale blue text.
  • Station corridor: lemon on charcoal Charcoal background, silver ground, lemon player, bright red hazard, cyan pick-up, white text.
  • Wormhole: neon green on ink Ink background, cobalt ground, neon green player, magenta hazard, amber pick-up, white text.

How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-01: palettes of six colors for one screen of a 2D game, always in the same order of jobs: background, ground or platform, player, hazard, pick-up, text. Every palette, name, color word and hex code is our own; no console, game, studio or published palette is named or copied, and a level name is a kind of place. One color word is one code everywhere on the list. The contrast test uses the WCAG formulas, read on 2026-10-01 in W3C, Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.3, Contrast (Minimum) (https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html): the relative luminance of an sRGB color is L = 0.2126 R + 0.7152 G + 0.0722 B on linearized values, and the contrast ratio of two colors is (L1 + 0.05) / (L2 + 0.05) with the lighter color first. That page asks 4.5 to 1 of text, and Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.11, Non-text Contrast (https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/non-text-contrast.html) asks 3 to 1 of the parts of a graphic. We use those two figures as our own thresholds for a palette and make no claim that a game built with one meets any standard. Checked on 2026-10-01: in every palette the player, the hazard and the pick-up each contrast with the background by 3 to 1 or more, the text by 4.5 to 1 or more and the ground or platform by 1.5 to 1 or more (a figure of our own), the player contrasts with the background more than the hazard or the pick-up does, and the hazard is 25 or more apart in CIE Lab from the player and from the pick-up; every code is #RRGGBB, no palette and no name repeats, each color word fits its code, and no palette is on another palette list of this site or of its sister sites. The contrast is measured against the background only. Licence: own work

How it works

A game color palette here is six colors for one screen of a 2D game, each with a job: background, ground, player, hazard, pick-up and text. Every one comes as swatches with hex codes.

Read the full guide

Read the strip by job

The strip always runs in the same order from the top: background, ground or platform, player, hazard, pick-up, text. The name gives the level and the pair that matters most, the player on the background. The line under it names all six.

Pick a level

A menu under the button keeps to one kind of level: forest, cave and dungeon, desert and canyon, snow, night city, or space. In every palette the player stands out from the background more than the hazard or the pick-up does.

Questions and answers

How many colors should a game palette have?

There is no fixed number. These have six, one for each job on a simple 2D screen: background, ground, player, hazard, pick-up and text. Shades and highlights of each can be added to those six.

What contrast do the palettes keep?

Measured against the background, the player, the hazard and the pick-up each reach a contrast ratio of 3 to 1 or more, and the text 4.5 to 1 or more. The ratio is the WCAG one.

Why does the player stand out the most?

It is the thing the person playing controls. In every palette here the player contrasts with the background more than the hazard or the pick-up does. That is our rule for this list.

Are these palettes taken from real games?

No. Every palette was made up for this list. None is copied from a console, a game or a published palette, and a level name is only a kind of place, such as a mossy cave or a lantern market.

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