Tile-based video game Tile-based video game A tile-based video game is a type of video or video game where the playing area consists of small square (or, much less often, rectangular, parallelogram, or hexagonal) graphic images referred to as "tiles" laid out in a grid. That the screen is made of such tiles is a technical distinction, and may not be obvious to people playing the game. The complete set of tiles available for use in a playing area is called a "tileset". Tile-based games usually simulate a top-down, side view, or 2.5D view of the playing area, and are almost always two-dimensional.
Tile-based video game Much video game hardware from the late 1970s through the mid 1990s had native support for displaying tiled screens with little interaction from the CPU. Tile-based games are not a distinct video game genre; rather, the term refers to the technology a game engine uses for its visual representation. For example, "Ultima III" is a role-playing video game and "Civilization" is a turn-based strategy game, but both use tile-based graphic engines. Tile-based engines allow developers to create large, complex gameworlds efficiently and with relatively few art assets. Tile-based video games usually use a texture atlas for performance reasons. They also