The best game art books can inspire us to create as well as reveal how a video game is created. While a great resource for artists, a great video game art book can motivate us to improve our work and experiment with new approaches and styles.
Some of the best art books on my list below are for new games available on consoles such as PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, but others focus on retro gaming. If you're keen on discovering the best video games of the 90s we have a feature on that, and take a look at our guide to the best retro consoles.
The best game art books
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Square Enix has some of the best artists in the industry, and this 300 page official art book contains hundreds of pieces of concept art and illustrations from this year's hit role-playing game, Final Fantasy XVI.
This art book is printed on archival-quality paper stock for quality and features detailed insights into the world, creatures and items of Final Fantasy XVI (see our feature on the art of Final Fantasy XIV for more from this developer). Pre-order to avoid missing out.
The Elden Ring: Official Art Book Volume I is the first in a series, if you like this one then a second volume is available too. I think you will love it, From Software has a defining gothic fantasy style.
This book is over 400 pages of sublime concept art printed in an over-sized format and containing illustrations and commentary translated from the Japanese book.
Square Enix is finally bringing its Japanese-language art and developer commentary to the US and UK in March 2024, so you can pre-order now to avoid missing out. This is an extensive collection of beautiful watercolour art.
This 200-page book features concept art and illustrations from both Octopath Traveler and Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent, including translated comments and insights.
This premium art book features over 350 images across 564 pages and contains art and profiles of some of video games' most iconic illustrators, including Bob Wakelin, Steve Hendricks, Ken Macklin, Tom DuBois, Steinar Lund, Marc Ericksen, Julie Bell and Susumu Matsushita.
The collection starts with Atari's VCS console right up until modern day game releases. This is a wonderful insight and celebration of memorable art.
Bitmap Books created unique compendiums of game and game box art, and its collection of PC Engine box art illustrations and photos is a must-read for retro game fans.
This 372 page book features professional photos and art that charts one of the 1980s and early 1990s most innovative trends in commercial art and design. This is a real gem.
This At 372 page hardback book of collected Game Boy box art featuring scans and professional photography of known and rare titles to release on Nintendo's handheld console.
The book features contributions from respected collectors as well as a foreword from Gameboycameraman, collector's interview and Japanese translated content.
Cuphead is an experiment in style that can't fail to raise a smile; it transports you back to classic 1930s animation and this art book reveals how the style was recreated by a team of talented animators and artists at developer Studio MDHR.
The game features beautiful hand-drawn frame-by-frame animation, and in The Art of Cuphead you can see how it was created. An inspirational art book for game fans and animators alike.
This oversized, full-colour hardcover art book collects concept art, sketches and final renders together to chart the creation of the game, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
This is another one you'll need to pre-order, as it releases February 2024. If you do pre-order, you may want to opt for the deluxe edition, which includes special metallic printing treatments, a protective slipcase, and a folio containing an archive-quality lithograph.
God of War Ragnarok is a monster hit for PlayStation 5 and this art book delivers unseen concept art behind the game's most memorable characters, creatures and worlds.
An oversized art book created with developer Sony Santa Monica, it features developer commentary alongside its catalogue of concept art illustrations. For collectors, there's a Deluxe Edition that features a faux leather clamshell case and lithograph.
