If you like games, and the art that these games created, then this is for you. We collected some of the best video game art books, the perfect Christmas gifts for any gamer.
Video game art is what brings fantasy, science fiction, stories, characters, and emotions to life. For years, some of the best artists of our time have brought us their amazing works in Zelda, Elden Ring, Dark Souls, The Last of Us, and more. Sometimes, playing the games is not enough to fully appreciate the work and thought that went into its production. Here are some of the best art books if you would like to peek behind the curtains and see how your favorite games came to life.
The Best Video Game Art Books Out There
Here are our top picks!
The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts
The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts is one out of three incredible books about the series. It captures exactly what so many people adore about the franchise... The creativity in characters, the love that is put into details, the world-building, and fantasia.
I personally own a copy of "Art & Artifacts" and every now and then I find myself just browsing through concept art, and sketches for the games that literally built my childhood. This book is an absolute must-have for every Zelda fan or artist. There is so much to learn from Zelda's art and design principles, I promise you, this book will inspire you.
Elden Ring Official Artbook
If you’ve ever been mesmerized by the world of Elden Ring, the official art book is an absolute must-have.
The game’s art direction takes heavy inspiration from the European Dark Ages, filled with ancient castles, knights, and this sense of a world long past its prime. But then there are also places such as the Raya Lucaria Academy, a total visual twist that feels more Renaissance than medieval, with Greco-Roman inspired crowns and oil paintings that would fit in a 16th-century gallery.
It’s this mixture of eras that makes Elden Ring’s art so captivating. In this game, especially in its characters and environments, you can see history, myth, and imagination collide in the most beautiful way.
Dark Souls II: Design Works
If you love Dark Souls II, Dark Souls II: Design Works is the best way to see how its world came to life. The game’s art perfectly captures the emotion and feel of a kingdom in decline. Darkness and desaturation mixed with the Gothic architecture and harsh landscapes in the game build a strong sense of isolation and struggle.
The art style leans toward realism, but with a focus on decay and imperfection. The use of muted colors and strong contrasts makes it seem as if light was a rare, precious thing in the game world. Character and armor designs follow the same philosophy. In general, the game art clearly prioritizes atmosphere over beauty... which does in fact, ironically, make the game even more beautiful.
The art book captures how FromSoftware used these principles to create a world that feels heavy, but real.
Monster Hunter: World – Official Complete Works
If you’re looking for something a bit lighter than FromSoft’s dark fantasy worlds, check out "The art of Monster Hunter: World" . This is fantasy at its brightest. It’s the most realistic entry in the series, moving slightly away from the dramatic, stylized look of traditional Japanese media.
The world feels believable, with fantastical creatures that move and behave in ways grounded in real-world biology. The art direction focuses on function and realism, drawing heavily from research into animal anatomy and natural ecosystems. Monster Hunter: World also uses a more earthy, natural color palette than previous titles, yet still captures that sense of wonder when players explore its vibrant, living world.
The Art of Lies of P
Inspired by the tale of Pinocchio but reimagined through a grim, Belle Époque lens, the game art in Lies of P is extremely elegant. The streets are filled with ornate architecture and lifelike, unsettling puppets.
The art direction focuses on contrasts, human craftsmanship against mechanical horror, beauty against ruin. Every piece of environment and character design reflects this duality, making the world seem beautiful, yet deeply broken.
NieR Art – Koda Kazuma Works
If you look at the art of Koda Kazuma , you'll notice an ongoing color palette of pastel tones, and a pattern of post apocalyptic, metropolitan themes that show futuristic environments in decay and taken over by nature. Every landscape feels empty yet alive, every character distant yet full of meaning. It’s a perfect visual match for NieR’s themes of loss, memory, and what it means to be human.
If you enjoy Automata, check out NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, a reimagining of the original NieR with updated gameplay and the same philosophical depth. Both games will hit you harder than you expect.
The Art of The Last of Us
The Last of Us is a master in level design, and it really shows in its environment art. If you are a TLOU fan, you should definitely check out "The Art of The Last of Us" . The book dives deep into the game’s visual storytelling, showing the making-off of the overgrown cities and abandoned suburbs as well as the small hints of humanity that make every scene feel so real.
If you're into environment art and environmental storytelling, then this book is basically made FOR YOU.
Bloodborne Official Artworks
Out of all FromSoftware games, Bloodborne is the one that I personally consider having the most unique art. The Victorian horror art style perfectly translates the game's dark and gory theme into a visual masterpiece.
Every page of "Bloodborne Official Artworks" shows how FromSoftware brought Yharnam to life: A city that’s alive but slowly falling apart. You get a peek behind the scenes at how they created the feeling of madness, faith, and fear that make Bloodborne’s world so unforgettable.
The Art of Horizon Zero Dawn
Horizon: Zero Dawn is a masterpiece of modern environmental design in open-world games. Its premise is one of a kind: Over 1,000 years ago, a disaster wiped out most of humanity, and machines took over while nature slowly took back the cities. Now, scattered tribes live across the land, trying to survive among the ruins of the old world. Overgrown cities, huge robotic creatures, and ancient ruins show both the greatness of the lost civilization and humanity’s struggle to find its place in it again.
The world of Horizon is incredibly unique, and the artists working on the game did an amazing job in visual storytelling – you don’t need anything else but the environment to understand what this lost civilization was like.
Check out "The Art of Horizon Zero Dawn" to really get a grasp of how this incredible world was created.
Small note: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. If you buy through them, we get a little commission. The price stays exactly the same for you!