Line #94 Main/LevelEditor


1	[[quoteright:240:[[VideoGame/NintendoWars https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aw2le_9353.png]]]]
2	Have you ever played a video game that you really like, so much that you started to daydream about making your own levels for it and playing your own creations? Some game companies are nice enough to help players achieve that dream, by adding a level editor to their games.
3
4	A level editor is a program, or feature built into a game, that allows players to make their own worlds, or in some cases, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin edit the ones built into the game itself]]. It has the potential to add a ton of replay value to an existing game, and can sometimes serve as a big selling point. Ironically, in some cases, the best levels tend to come from players rather than the less imaginative company that actually made the game.
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6	Of course, this is all good as long as the editor is easy to use. When it's complicated and frustrating, the result is that a tiny minority of players actually bother to make their own levels, while others download and play them (if [[PlayerCreationSharing such a feature]] is available, and if enough players know how to use that feature).
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8	Other games don't come with level editors, but editors may be unofficially created for them by fans.
9
10	Compare GameMod and GameMaker.
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12	----
13	!!Examples of games that come with their own editor:
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15	[[foldercontrol]]
16
17	[[folder:Action Game]]
18	* ''S. O. S.'' on the Platform/ZXSpectrum has cheat mode that includes a level editor. The victory screen tells you how to access it.
19	* The NES tank battle game, ''VideoGame/BattleCity'', was one of the first NES games to feature a level editor, though you couldn't save them.
20	* ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami2WrongNumber'' had a level editor added in a later update. Not only does it allow the players to create and populate their own levels, but it also allows for the creation of entire campaigns, complete with cutscenes.
21	* ''VideoGame/LegoIndianaJones 2: The Adventure Continues'' and ''VideoGame/LegoHarryPotter: Years 1-4'' both featured a level editor, which allowed players to create levels using preset bricks, plates, structures, and entities. Travellers' Tales promised one in both ''VideoGame/LegoStarWars 3'' and ''LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7'', but the level editor didn't make an appearance.
22	* ''Franchise/TombRaider'' has had a thriving community based around its level editor for the fourth game in the series for [[LongRunners over ten years]]. The InvisibleGrid engine makes it fast and easy to build levels, but the expectations of what makes a good level have become [[SeriousBusiness higher and higher]]. There is also [[WordSaladTitle Dxtre3D]] which allows modding of ''Tomb Raider''s 1 to 5; ''Tomb Raider Engine Patcher'' (TREP), which expands the limits of the engine and allows for more level features, and ''Next Generation Tomb Raider'', which isn't really next generation at all, but it includes a few features from TREP and some new ones. TREP and NGLE are not compatible with each other, which causes some debate over which is the better editor.
23	* ''VideoGame/WreckingCrew'' also features one, but like ''Excitebike'', this requires special hardware to save that was released only for the Famicom and not the NES.
24	[[/folder]]
25
26	[[folder:Adventure Game]]
27	* The PC adventure game ''VideoGame/{{Darkstone}}'' didn't come with a level editor, but players can download an official one from the makers of the game.
28	[[/folder]]
29
30	[[folder:Arcade Game]]
31	* ''VideoGame/{{Glider}} 4.0'' (where the Room Editor was a separate application) and ''Glider PRO'' (where it wasn't).
32	[[/folder]]
33
34	[[folder:Fighting Games]]
35	* The ''VideoGame/ChaosFaction'' duology allows players to make up to 4 stages of their own through placing down horizontal platforms and vertical walls.
36	* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' comes with a rather simplified, grid-based editor called the Stage Builder that doesn't allow the player to do even 1/10 of what the game designers themselves did. Even so, it's the first game in the series to include an editor, which provided a lot of fun for players who had specific ideas in mind of types of arenas they wanted to make.
37	* ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]'' expands the functionality by allowing players to draw the shape of the stages via the [=GamePad=] touchscreen, instead of placing blocks, although also is limited in what kind of features they have with 2 variations of each of the 4 given features (Springs, cannons, moving platforms and lava).
38	* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' initially didn't launch with an editor, but it was added in the [[DownloadableContent Version 3.0 Update]] (which was helmed by the launch of ''Persona 5'' character Joker to the roster). The major addition to the editor is that the stages now have three layers that can be edited, the background, the battlegrounds, and the foreground.
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:First-Person Shooter]]
42	* ''VideoGame/{{Crysis}}'' comes with the Sandbox Editor, a simple to use but difficult to master real-time level editor. The vanilla game has no way to share levels bar downloading it from a website, whereas the ExpansionPack enables in-game downloading. The ''[[VideoGame/MechWarrior MechWarrior Living Legends]]'' total conversion GameMod made great use of the level editor to make up for the relatively small number of official maps; many popular custom maps [[AscendedFanon were later made official and polished up]]. There was a number of unofficial gimmick levels such as the [[WackyRacing racing levels]] TSA_RACE_Kaido and TSA_Mariokart
43	* ''VideoGame/{{Cube}}'' is perhaps most famous for its level editor: due to the way maps work, they can be edited in-game, in realtime. Many other first-person shooter engines require external utilities to be run on a map before it can be used in-game. Cube also allows ''multiplayer'' level editing.
44	* ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' includes the [=SnapMap=] editor. It's not as advanced as dedicated modding tools for classic ''Doom'' games are, though (the fact that it was designed with multiplayer in mind shows this). It has since become much more elaborate in updates, with texture options for player blocking volumes to make custom geometry more viable in addition to single player and story options. It's even gained the ability to direct players to other maps in succession to create pseudo episodes.
45	* Of course, the Build editor. ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'', ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997'', ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'', ''VideoGame/RedneckRampage''... Every game that used the Build engine had a version of the Build editor.
46	* ''VideoGame/{{Eradicator}}'' shipped with two editors, a basic offline level editor, and the in-game "ROPE" editor which, as the game's documentation stated, gave you enough to hang yourself. However, much of the interactive parts of the game required specific [=DLLs=] to be compiled and added to the maps.
47	* ''VideoGame/FarCry2'' has a very detailed multiplayer map editor that allows item/vehicle/building placement, terrain shaping, vegetation, etc.
48	* ''VideoGame/Halo3'' introduced Forge Mode, which has been refined and expanded in virtually every ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' game since (including ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' and ''VideoGame/Halo4''). It has a rather extensive community.
49	* Maps can be created for games based in each of the first three [[Creator/IdSoftware idTech]] engines such as ''VideoGame/{{Quake\|I}}'', ''VideoGame/QuakeII'' and ''VideoGame/QuakeIIIArena'' (plus the tons of [[FreewareGames freeware]] and FOSS games such as ''VideoGame/OpenArena'', ''VideoGame/{{Nexuiz}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Xonotic}}'', and ''VideoGame/UrbanTerror'') with the swiss-army editor line [[http://www.qeradiant.com Radiant]] ([[http://www.icculus.org/gtkradiant/ GTKRadiant]] and Creator/AlientrapGames [[http://ingar.satgnu.net/gtkradiant/ NetRadiant]]) and [[http://quark.sourceforge.net QuArK]] (Quake Army Knife).
50	* ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}} Infinity'' was named for its inclusion of editing tools.
51	* The first two ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'' games come with level editors.
52	* The Source engine development tools are technically not tied to any one game, but Source games such as ''Half-Life 2'' do include their raw materials to work with. In fact, several ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' maps created by the fan community have been released publicly in content patches. Both ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' games, ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'', ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', and other Source engine games have the Hammer Editor program, which allows players to create maps, custom events, and other things. Valve has started to take community maps and host servers for them. ''VideoGame/Portal2'' features a simplified in-game editor, added in May 2012 for the Perpetual Testing Initiative.
53	* All three ''VideoGame/TimeSplitters'' games have level editors, the [[VideoGame/TimeSplitters first]] for multiplayer levels and the [[VideoGame/TimeSplitters2 second]] and [[VideoGame/TimeSplittersFuturePerfect third]] for multiplayer and single player levels. It goes beyond typical object placement and weapon placement; the player is allowed to place enemies, edit their health (in 3), determine how many will spawn, place objects, keys, doors, edit what doors need keys and which don't, place objectives, make objectives for multiplayer (in 3), place weapons, edit the look of the stage, choose if it's outdoor or indoor (in 3), place spawn points, change the lighting, place autoguns, place cameras and vehicles (3), and even a remote control cat. The best part: you make the map layout from scratch entirely, no preset map, and work your stage up from there with a large variety of map tiles and multiple floors.
54	* ''[[VideoGame/{{Tribes}} Tribes 2]]'' and all the games running on its Torque MediaNotes/GameEngine feature a robust in-game real-time level editor accessed with a keystroke in singleplayer or via super-admin privileges on online servers. The editor allows players to modify the terrain, {{skybox}}, water, and so on, and place/rotate/resize pre-made and custom objects (buildings, turrets, sounds, etc). If the level designer stuck to vanilla pre-made objects, the map could also be played by anyone joining the server without requiring a separate download.
55	* Every game in the ''VideoGame/{{Unreal}}'' franchise, sans the console-exclusive games such as ''VideoGame/UnrealChampionship2TheLiandriConflict'' for obvious reasons, comes with whatever version of the editor was used to make it. Some even include tutorials. There's also the ''Unreal Developer's Kit'' (engine, editor, script tools, [=SpeedTree=], and a few other nice goodies), which is free to download and use, although you don't get many premade resources to go with it, and you'll want the [[CrackIsCheaper Mastering Unreal Technology]] book series if you're inexperienced.
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Minigame Games]]
59	* At least several combat flight simulators (such as ''VideoGame/IL2Sturmovik'') are famous for their inbuilt "mission builders." One can find numerous missions and even campaigns built by players that are offered up for download on some parts of the Internet.
60	* ''Website/{{Neopets}}'' has a multitude of games with level editors, along with Featured Level of the Week for most of those. Most of the games are simple variations of other games, but a few are original content. The most popular of the games with a level maker, Hannah and the Pirate Caves, have several guilds dedicated to making levels for it, and has even sparked an off-site community dedicated to it.
61	* ''VideoGame/WarioWareDIY'' lets you make whole Microgames from scratch and share them. And thanks to a certain hack, you can make boss games as well.
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:MMORPG]]
65	* The added Architect feature in ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' does this for the game. Since it's an MMO, players can play one another's missions and even fight enemy groups created from the ground up (or a chimera of usual bad guys given a new purpose.).
66	* ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' has the released Foundry Toolset, which allows players to craft their own missions in a large variety of ways. Quite a few have created broad story arcs, and it has quickly become a major facet of STO. Cryptic has duplicated the Foundry for ''VideoGame/{{Neverwinter}}''.
67	[[/folder]]
68
69	[[folder:Pinball]]
70	* ''VideoGame/MileHighPinball'' for the Nokia Platform/NGage has a variation -- you couldn't edit the game's tables, but you could rearrange them to an easier (or harder) sequence, then post them online for other players to try.
71	* In the GameMaker category, Creator/ElectronicArts' ''VideoGame/PinballConstructionSet'' (by Bill Budge) was all about letting players make and play their own pinball tables. It was later updated and released as ''Virtual Pinball'' for the Platform/SegaGenesis.
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Platformer]]
75	* ''VideoGame/DewysAdventure'' allows you to make your own levels. They actually have a different format from the normal levels — they focus on collecting stars, and are ideally supposed to be more obstacle-based.
76	* ''VideoGame/{{Abuse}}'' has one that the player can access by using the [-ABUSE.EXE -edit-] command in DOS, and you can create your own levels with the game's level editor.
77	* ''VideoGame/ClusterTruck'': Integrated with the Steam Workshop to easily share and browse custom maps.
78	* ''VideoGame/{{CopyKitty}}'', even in the free version, has one available from the start, with most stuff used to make the built-in levels, including a smorgasbord of visual options and Hard Mode options, plus the ability to export. WordOfGod says there will even be more features at some point.
79	* ''VideoGame/{{Dustforce}}'' has an editor that offers all of the tools used to make the default levels, including lighting/fog, music, ambiance, and camera triggers. User-made levels are published to [[http://atlas.dustforce.com/ the Atlas]].
80	* The premise of ''VideoGame/EverybodyEdits'' is being able to edit and [[PlayerCreationSharing share]] worlds. Most worlds can be edited at any time, even while others are playing. Worlds can also be owned and protected, requiring permission from the world owner before it can be edited.
81	* ''VideoGame/JazzJackrabbit II'' has one. It's the only reason there are still people playing this game online.
82	* The first two ''VideoGame/{{Jumper}}'' games came with stand-alone programs for creating own stages. ''Jumper Two Editor'' allows for creating entire ''sectors'', also with ScoringPoints.
83	* The premise of ''VideoGame/{{Levelhead}}'' is that the player is an employee at the Bureau of Shipping tasked with creating L.E.V.E.L.s ([[FunWithAcronyms Limited Exercises for eValuating employEe Limitations]]) to train their delivery robot GR-18. As such, the game's level editor and level marketing system are some of its main features.
84	* ''VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet'' uses this as a major selling point. Players can make levels and share them online. And share them they do: there are tons and tons of levels online, including ones that are themed after other games, or various movies. As of February 2017, the game has ''ten million'' user-created levels. The possibilities were expanded when ''[=LittleBigPlanet=] 2'' added the Controllinator, which lets you change rules and play control, allowing you to essentially create your own ''game''.
85	* ''VideoGame/MegaManPoweredUp'' also featured one, though to unlock the more complex material and diverse enemy groupings, you had to find them in the main game.
86	* ''VideoGame/MegaManX1'' has one... kind of. What's that? Can't find it? It's a secret, DummiedOut Level Editor, as documented [[http://tcrf.net/Mega_Man_X#Map_Editor_Mode here]].
87	* ''VideoGame/MillieAndMolly'': Once you've completed all 100 stages in the game, you unlock the level editor function, allowing you to be able to make your own levels.
88	* In ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU'', there is a "Coin Editor" feature that lets a player edit a level by choosing to place coins in it for players to fight over in Coin Battle mode. The Coin Editor, however, acts as a precursor for a long-overdue ''actual, hacking-free level editor'' that WordOfGod seemingly promised to [[http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/12/user_created_mario_stages_are_a_possibility_in_the_future eventually become a reality in the future.]] The fruit of their efforts came to be known as ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker'', which proved popular enough to [[VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker2 merit a sequel]].
89	* ''VideoGame/NutsAndMilk'' has a level editor in the NES version (which wasn't even officially released outside Japan); the very different computer version came with a level editor too.
90	* ''VideoGame/OffspringFling'' has its own, though it must be downloaded separately from the game. Community-created levels can be played straight from the main game.
91	* Beginning with ''[[UpdatedRerelease Rayman Gold]]'', most PC releases of ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'' include a level editor. However, for reasons not explicitly stated but presumably having something to do with pacing, custom levels use slightly different mechanics than original ones (though new official ones usually use custom stage mechanics too).
92	* ''VideoGame/SpeedyEggbert'' (also known as Speedy Blupi), a Mario-style game created for Windows 98, came with a very easy-to-use level builder, allowing players to create levels entirely from scratch. Players could also modify the pre-existing levels.
93	* This is one of the main features of the fan game ''VideoGame/SuperMario63''. Its SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/LastLegacy'', greatly expands on the level designer, to the point that every level in the main story mode can be created in it.
94	* When ''VideoGame/TowerOfHeaven'' was ported to [[MediaNotes/AdobeFlash Flash]], a level creator (entitled "Pillars of Creation") was added; it is unlocked by beating the game once, and you have to beat the level you create in order to [[PlayerCreationSharing share it with others]].
95	* ''VideoGame/TrainYourMinibot'': You can alter the existing levels to allow [[PlayerCharacter Minibot]] to reach the end. You can also make whole new levels.
96	* ''VideoGame/UltimateChickenHorse'' is all about this:
97	** Level editing is a major feature even mid-game. Many levels are impossible to clear at the start, but each round, each player gets to place one object to make the level easier (or harder). Even if the level is possible to complete, you don't get any points for it unless one player died, so players also need to add hazards and avoid them.
98	** There is a regular level editor also available. You can either create your own level from scratch or add more blocks and obstacles to pre-existing levels, and then save it for use in future games.
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Puzzle Games]]
102	* ''VideoGame/BabaIsYou'' had a rudimentary one for its prototype version, and a more refined one was released via an update in late 2021, which includes many new pieces and logics that weren't in the main game.
103	* The 3DS download ''VideoGame/BlockFactory'' is a heavily disappointing game based on this idea. For example: ever dreamed of playing an endless version of ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' with gravity enabled? Too bad, enable gravity and the blocks always ''completely'' fall apart, ergo, no holes will ever be made, and thus, no cascading, strategy, or challenge. You can't even finish the name of the game, given that you can only input 5 letters.
104	* ''VideoGame/BoomBlox'' came with a basic level editor that let you place blox (In-game blocks) and set basic rules, while the sequel, Boom Blox Bash Party's level editor gave you access to all the tools the game developers used.
105	* ''VideoGame/BoulderDash'' had a separate level editor titled ''Boulder Dash Construction Kit'' released for most 1980s computers.
106	* ''VideoGame/CubicNinja'' has a level editor, which allows levels to be created and [[PlayerCreationSharing shared as QR codes]]. By far the most common use of this feature, however, is not to share levels, but rather to [[GoodBadBugs exploit a bug]] in the QR code reader to enable the 3DS to run homebrew software. In fact, since the game was never really popular or successful until this exploit came out, this is the only thing the game is known for at all.
107	* ''VideoGame/HelterSkelter'' has one. Level numbers from 81 to 128 are reserved for user-designed levels.
108	* ''VideoGame/HoshizoraBlock'' has an editor limited to 60 stages, which is the exact length of the main game itself. Interestingly, stage 4 of the main game is included in the editor as stage 4 in the editor, serving an example of how to use the bomb scripts.
109	* Every one of ''VideoGame/TheIncredibleMachine'' games come with an editor that lets you create your own RubeGoldbergDevice! In addition, its {{spiritual successor}}s, like ''Contraption Maker'' and ''Crazy Machines'', also have this feature.
110	* Both ''VideoGame/{{Jardinains}}'' and its sequel ''Jardinains 2!'' have fully functional level editors that one can access by pressing [E] at the main menu. Note that ''2!'''s is available only in the full version of the game.
111	* The PSP remake of ''VideoGame/{{Lemmings}}'' includes a level editor, for the first time ever. The closest thing available before it was a built-from-scratch clone of the Lemmings engine that was eventually [[ScrewedByTheLawyers cease-and-desist-ed]].
112	* ''VideoGame/LodeRunner'' was one of the earliest games with a level editor, having been released on the Platform/AppleII in 1983. This was a key feature of every port since (though, sd with the other NES games, one could only save his creations on the NES port in the Japanese version of the game).
113	* The ''VideoGame/MarbleMadness Construction Set'', released for the Platform/AmstradCPC and Platform/ZXSpectrum versions.
114	* Many games in the ''VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong'' series include level editors. ''Tipping Stars'' even makes it one of the focuses of the marketing, with the title itself referring to the means of giving feedback for custom levels.
115	* ''VideoGame/PatricksParabox'': Included with the game is a Unity file that serves as a level creation tool.
116	* ''VideoGame/PetalCrash'' has one for the game's Puzzle Mode, allowing players to make their own puzzles and [[PlayerCreationSharing share them via text code]]. Sharing is not available on consoles, and the editor is completely absent on iOS.
117	* ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'', in addition to the more advanced Hammer editor common to all games that use the Source engine (see entry in First-Person Shooters above) has another level editor built into the game which, while not nearly as powerful or flexible as Hammer, is a ''lot'' easier to learn, and can be used to make reasonably good-looking maps much faster. There's also an unofficial [[https://github.com/BEEmod/BEE2.4 program]] that lets you customize the editor's object palette and add additional items.
118	* ''VideoGame/{{Pushmo}}'' and the later games in its franchise all feature level editors, with [[PlayerCreationSharing various ways to share the created stages]].
119	* ''VideoGame/{{Repton}} 3'' included both level and graphics editors. The next instalment, ''Repton Infinity'', allowed you to create your own puzzle objects with a built-in miniature programming language.
120	* ''VideoGame/{{Scribblenauts}}'' has a fairly simple level editor, though you can really only use it to create "obstacle courses." They sadly can't be as big or as complex as the real levels. ''Super Scribblenauts,'' however, has a much more complex one, complete with simple coding abilities and a selection of level types.
121	* ''VideoGame/{{Shift}}'' introduced this in the second game.
122	* ''VideoGame/{{Sokoban}}'' has had a level editor since some of its earliest versions.
123	* ''[[VideoGame/SolomonsKey Solomon's Key 2]]'' has one with many of the objects present in the developer-made levels, excluding the gimmicks seen in boss stages.
124	* ''VideoGame/WorldOfGoo'' ended up with an editor, simply titled [[http://goofans.com/developers/world-of-goo-level-editor World of Goo Level Editor]] (or "Woo GLE" for short), that way.
125	* ''VideoGame/{{ZZT}}'' had a level editor as the focus of the game. It also had 4 worlds built-in to the game (though only one of them, Town of ZZT, was in the shareware version). Its spiritual sequel, ''Megazeux'', was closer to a GameMaker.
126	[[/folder]]
127
128	[[folder:Racing Games]]
129	* The Toy-Con Motorbike included in the [[VideoGame/NintendoLabo Nintendo Labo variety kit]] for the Platform/NintendoSwitch has a feature where you're able to modify the terrain in the stadium and create your own tracks with the Toy-Con Scanner and Toy-Con Mini-bike respectively. You can even change things like the road width, time of day and where dash items are placed!
130	* ''VideoGame/{{Crashday}}'' includes a tile-based in-game editor with several texture sets that aren't really textures: each tile design represents an obstacle that's going to appear in the game, and can vastly influence the race itself.
131	* ''VideoGame/DiddyKongRacing DS'' has a fairly simple track maker -- you draw a course, decide how bumpy or flat it is, and race. That's about all, sadly.
132	* Creator/ElectronicArts' early effort, ''Racing Destruction Set'' includes a track editor.
133	* The original ''VideoGame/{{Excitebike}}'' on the NES was marketed partially on the fact that it had a built-in level editor. Unfortunately, that turned out to be useless for most of the world, because saving a level requires a hardware expansion that was [[NoExportForYou never released outside Japan]].
134	* The randomized X-Cup in ''VideoGame/FZeroX'' was actually what was left after the level editor had to be cut when Nintendo refused to release [[VaporWare the 64DD]], and the game had to be sold as a normal cartridge title. Later, when the [=64DD=] was shipped in Japan, the editor was sold as ''[=F-Zero X-Pansion Kit=]'', which could work in unison with the original game to make new tracks and vehicles. ''F-Zero Climax'' also has a track editor with a password feature to send your custom tracks to your friends. Unfortunately it [[NoExportForYou never made it outside of Japan either]].
135	* ''VideoGame/GranTurismo 5'' has one which lets you make your own racetracks. Well, it's ''called'' an editor, but it's more of a random course generator: you change the length of the course and the complexity of the corners along with other features. ''Gran Turismo 6'' later received an updated version of the editor as part of an update.
136	* ''Race Driver: Create & Race'', a Nintendo DS SpinOff of the ''TOCA Race Driver'' series, had this as its main draw: using sections of track and decorative pieces, players could build their own circuits. The later DS ports of ''[[VideoGame/{{GRID}} Race Driver: GRID]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/DiRT Colin McRae: DiRT 2]]'' included updated versions of the editor, with the former also incorporating it into Career Mode, requiring you to design circuits according to specific criteria.
137	* ''VideoGame/LEGOStuntRally'' has a feature that allows the player to build their own race tracks, and winning races in the game's campaign earns more track pieces to use.
138	* ''VideoGame/MachRider'' on the NES also has a track editor that could also be only saved in japan, only this one doesn't have very good controls in the track designing department
139	* ''VideoGame/ModNationRacers'' has a track editor that even auto-generates scenery and power-up locations to go along with your finished track (Though to be honest, it's not recommended). To put the cherry on the top, it comes with very robust kart and character editors, which deserve a great deal of mention.
140	* ''VideoGame/MotoRacer 2'' has a level editor where you can not only amend the track's shape by controlling points, but are given options to select the environment (there are four in the final product) and class (motocross or superbike) you want for it. Unfortunately, you don't get to make courses with roads crossing one another, sharp curves, and very steep hills possibly because of collision detection.
141	* ''VideoGame/ReVolt'' has a built-in track editor, though tracks created with it are pretty similar to each other.
142	* ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer Unbounded'' is similar to Trials in that all the tracks were also made with the level editor.
143	* One of ''VideoGame/TrackMania''[='s=] biggest draws is its incredibly robust track editor. The only real requirements for fan-made tracks is that they have a start, a finish, and a means to get from one to the other. The editor is also fairly intuitive and easy to use, resulting in ''lots'' of fan-made tracks, all available for download. You can find numerous tracks on [[https://united.tm-exchange.com/ TMX]] if you're playing TM United or Nations Forever and [[https://tm.mania-exchange.com/ Mania Exchange]] if you're playing TM2. That was the main draw of its [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Predecessor]] too (''[=4D=] Sports: Driving'', aka ''Stunts'').
144	* A major selling point of ''VideoGame/{{Trials}} HD'' and subsequent games is that all the in-game levels were made with the editors. Some people have managed to really stretch what it can do, to the point of making games that have nothing to do at all with biking, such as first-person shooters and 2D platformers.
145	[[/folder]]
146
147	[[folder:Rhythm Games]]
148	* ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' console games allow you to map your own steps to a song, play them in the main game, or [[PlayerCreationSharing share them with others]].
149	* ''VideoGame/InTheGroove'' for the PC/Mac has it built-in. Those that only have access to the Arcade or [=PS2=] version can just use VideoGame/StepMania instead.
150	* ''VideoGame/{{Melatonin}}'' has an unlockable level editor for each level.
151	* ''VideoGame/SpinRhythmXD'' has one built directly into the game itself. Because of licensing issues, however, [[PlayerCreationSharing sharing custom levels]] isn't done via Platform/{{Steam}} Workshop, but instead via an external site/client called [[https://spinsha.re/ SpinShare]]. Most custom levels are way [[NintendoHard harder]] than the base game levels.
152	* ''VideoGame/TadpoleTreble'' comes with a [[https://youtu.be/aeNJKVnRMxk composition mode,]] since, by the game's conceit, all of the levels take place on music staves and the majority of the obstacles are notes of the levels' music.
153	[[/folder]]
154
155	[[folder:Roguelike]]
156	* ''VideoGame/ThirtyXX'' includes a level editor, letting players create their own ''Mega Man''-inspired levels.
157	* ''VideoGame/{{Spelunky}}'', in addition to its {{randomly generated level}}s, also comes with an editor.
158	[[/folder]]
159
160	[[folder:Role-Playing Games]]
161	* ''VideoGame/Disgaea4APromiseUnforgotten'' has a level editor that also works as a base editor, considering you can use your own level for your base if you are so inclined. Sadly, the international versions are going to wind up neutered a bit, and Japanese maps will not be usable in said versions. A similar level editor appears in ''VideoGame/Disgaea5AllianceOfVengeance''.
162	* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has an editor. It's very powerful (it's the same tools the game devs used, for the most part) but has a steep learning curve.
163	* The level editor for ''VideoGame/DungeonSiege'' is extremely powerful, and surprisingly easy to use.
164	* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' games since ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' have included the "Construction Set", the very same editing program the games themselves are created with. This makes modding the game with the editor incredibly easy, leading to the series having one of the largest modding communities in the gaming world. (In fact, the official "{{Expansion Pack}}s" for both ''Morrowind'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' are essentially "mods" of the respective original games made with the same level editor by the development team.)
165	* ''VideoGame/FightTheDragon'''s main selling point is the ACK, or Adventure Construction Kit, which allows users to make their own levels. Options include the ability to place floors, walls, props, weather effects, enemies, traps, puzzle elements, treasure chests, and [=NPCs=] with dialogue.
166	* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'', for which the campaign creation tools were arguably the very reason a lot of people bought the game in the first place. ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' has a toolset as much more in depth as the game.
167	* ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'' has one.
168	[[/folder]]
169
170	[[folder:Shoot Em Up]]
171	* ''VideoGame/BangaiO Spirits'' has an editor integrated right into the game itself. Which is to say, if you activate the appropriate cheat (press Select), you can edit any official level ''while you are playing it!'' Something else that's worth mentioning is ''Spirits'''s "Sound Load" function: individual levels can be encoded into a [[http://l.j-factor.com/bangai-o/soundload.wav sound file]], which can be transmitted between [=DSes=] via their microphones, or recorded to a PC, uploaded to the Internet, and read by other [=DSes=] worldwide.
172	* Since ''VideoGame/CrystalQuest'' levels are largely down to which creatures are spawned in which ratio, its content creation tool was called the Critter Editor.
173	* ''VideoGame/{{Fraxy}}'' is a famous example of this. Brace yourself for super-tough bosses - all fan made, fan tested, and fan fought.
174	* ''VideoGame/ZetaFlow'', a WebGame that's available [[http://zetaflow.skylogic.ca/ here]], is basically a level editor, with a little game added on for those who don't bother. 99.8% of the game is fan made!
175	[[/folder]]
176
177	[[folder:Simulation Game]]
178	* In ''VideoGame/AirfixDogfighter'', you are given the ability to edit the existing rooms by putting various objects and items in there.
179	* Both ''[[VideoGame/FreeSpace Descent: [=FreeSpace=]]]'' and ''VideoGame/FreeSpace2'' came bundled with the very same level creator that the designers used to create the main campaigns. It's so powerful and easy to use, people are still making campaigns (and even expanding the functionality) today, despite the game originally being released nearly ''twenty years ago''.
180	* ''VideoGame/{{Petz}} 4'' and ''5'' have the option to create custom playscenes using pictures on your computer, along with the game's own library of background sounds and various other options, just in case you want to play with your virtual dog or cat in a noisy rainforest, or on the moon. The files for these playscenes can be then copied from the game's folder and made available to other people who have the game.
181	* The second and third games in the ''VideoGame/RollerCoasterTycoon'' series have built-in scenario editors. Unofficial programs were available for the first game to create custom scenarios, which were often built from and distributed as saved games to get around the limited number of scenario slots available; those require the Drexler patch to run, or the game will refuse to open the saves or scenarios on which they were used due to the "anti-cheat" code added by Chris Sawyer in his crusade against sandbox players.
182	* The ''VideoGame/SimCity'' games were created as a result of a level editor; Creator/WillWright was designing levels for the game ''Raid On Bungeling Bay'' (an overhead helicopter-based ShootEmUp), and found that he was having more fun designing the levels than playing the game itself.
183	* ''Sim Copter'' and ''Streets of Sim City'' can load cities made in ''VideoGame/SimCity 2000'', technically making it a level editor for those two games.
184	* ''VideoGame/VectorThrust'' boasts a Map Editor, Mission Editor and a Campaign Editor, keeping with the creator's focus on moddability.
185	* The ''[[VideoGame/{{X}} X-Universe]]'' series has the Galaxy Editor, an in-engine editor to modify sectors (planets, skybox, asteroids, etc). It's a [[SomeDexterityRequired bit awkward to use]], so many users instead edit raw XML files after memorizing the appearance of every planet/skybox/whatever. There's also the far more powerful Script Editor, a coding engine which can modify the behavior of commands, ships and entire races; the Galaxy Editor edits the appearance, while the Script Editor modifies the gameplay.
186	[[/folder]]
187
188	[[folder:Sports Games]]
189	* The ''VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater'' series had one since the second game. Originally it was just grid based, with basic items, but as the series progressed onto the sixth generation consoles, a fully free form Rail Tool was added, allowing rails to be put anywhere at any height, making the editor much more useful and allowing skate lines to be better set up.
190	[[/folder]]
191
192	[[folder:Strategy Game]]
193	* Level editors in general are considered almost a required feature, especially for [=RTSs=], such that reviewers are known to complain if the game doesn't have one included (see [[http://www.gamespot.com/warhammer-40-000-dawn-of-war/reviews/warhammer-40000-dawn-of-war-review-6108038/ the Gamespot review]] for the first ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'', whose editor is a separate download).
194	* The ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires'' games all have editors.
195	* ''VideoGame/BattleForWesnoth'': As an open-source game, the vast majority of its content is user-generated. The level editor isn't exactly user-friendly, but it still has a large and active community of people creating everything from maps to factions to entire campaigns.
196	* The ever-popular ''VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients'' is a user-created map.
197	* ''VideoGame/GadgetTrial'' has its own level editor similar to ''Advance Wars'' above.
198	* The ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' series came with map editors. Since player-created maps contribute a lot to the games' longevity, the fifth game raised a significant outcry for not being released with a map editor immediately. It was added later with a patch.
199	* ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'' took it to another level by creating an entire ''game'' out of what was once technically a demonstration of ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'''s map editor. Eventually, it outgrew the Galaxy Editor and now runs on its own custom version of the [=StarCraft=] II engine.
200	* ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance 2'' received several editors along with its Unfinished Business expansion. Together with hacking some data files, this culminated in a load of completely new fan-made campaigns, one of which (Wildfire) was eventually bought by the publisher and sold on the shelf.
201	* In every ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars]]'' game, players can create maps and, starting with ''Days of Ruin'', [[PlayerCreationSharing share some of them over Wi-fi]].
202	* ''VideoGame/{{Sacrifice}}'' has Scapex. Notably, it even allows you to edit the game's campaign map.
203	* ''VideoGame/SongsOfConquest'': The game comes with a versatile map editor.
204	* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' has a level editor. ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'' seems to have taken this to a new level, as genres as varied as shmups, beat-em-ups, to outlandish things like kinetic novels are all possible. People have even used ''SCII's'' to do such things as a FanRemake of ''SCI'' [[http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=303166]], and a FanSequel to ''Warcraft III'' [[http://www.moddb.com/mods/warcraft-a-new-dawn]].
205	* The second and third ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' games have editors. The games have editors that allow for creating scripts and changing rules, essentially allowing players to create totally different ways to play. Custom maps are incredibly diverse and often bear little resemblance to the original game. ''Warcraft III'' gave everything from custom campaigns (set in Warcraft III or not, with some people even recreating tie-in novels or Warcraft 1 and 2 as campaigns), hero arenas, Sheep Tag (where you play as sheep, or as wolves trying to eat the sheep), to Pest control, where you play as an infestation of insects trying to wipe out the human tenants.
206	* ''VideoGame/{{Warlight}}'', a mostly free Indie Risk-like, allows you to create and upload your own maps, and also (if you are high level enough or cash in) to create customized scenarios on existing maps.
207	* ''VideoGame/WorldInConflict'' saw a map editor codenamed "[=WiCEd=]" released by the developers, which allows creation of both single and multiplayer levels. The notion proved so popular that the developers haven't released a single "official" map in about a year, instead endorsing fanmade ones and offering them for download at the official website.
208	[[/folder]]
209
210	[[folder:Stealth-based Game]]
211	* ''VideoGame/Hitman2016'' has introduced Contracts Mode, where you can select any level, walk through and select several of the hundreds of characters, and play through how they are assassinated and whether or not you are spotted or used a disguise. Players are automatically locked out of an impossible scenario because to upload it you have to be able to do it yourself using the equipment you have unlocked or bought, before writing up a title and briefing.
212	* The third entry of ''VideoGame/DeathToSpies'', ''Alekhine's Gun'' has a downloadable level editor for the PC version from the developer's forums.
213	[[/folder]]
214
215	[[folder:Survival Horror]]
216	* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys1'' (and its sequels except for ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3'') has a rather unique take on this. Instead of creating your own SuckECheeses map, it allows you to adjust how aggressive each animatronic is, from 0 to 20 (1 to 20 in the original). Setting all the animatronics' AI to 20 is the game's version of HarderThanHard.
217	[[/folder]]
218
219	[[folder:Third-Person Shooter]]
220	* ''VideoGame/{{Voxatron}}'' has this as one of its most advertised features. Players may create their own levels with custom objects, monsters (including API and such), and items. The levels may then be [[PlayerCreationSharing shared with other players]].
221	[[/folder]]
222
223	[[folder:Tower Defense]]
224	* ''VideoGame/{{Infinitode}}'': You can create new maps with tiles you get from beating levels in the Map Editor.
225	[[/folder]]
226
227	[[folder:Wide Open Sandbox]]
228	* ''VideoGame/{{Dreams}}''. The whole idea is taking VideoGame/{{LittleBigPlanet}}'s "Play, Create, Share" (it's made by [[Creator/MediaMolecule the same company]]) and mashing them together.
229	* ''VideoGame/InFAMOUS2'' includes a mission editor. It's fairly extensive, allowing for a wide range of mission types.
230	* ''VideoGame/{{Roblox}}'' does this very well. With the basic blocks and a few scripts, you can make whatever you want. You can also publish these "Models" so other players can use them.
231	* The Adventure Creator in ''VideoGame/{{Spore}} Galactic Adventures''.
232	* ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewHorizons'' gives players an unprecedented level of customization options to their village, from where villagers' homes and shops are located (with the ability to relocate almost any building for a nominal fee) to late-game terrain manipulation.
233	[[/folder]]
234
235	!!Examples of games in which the community ended up creating an editor of their own:
236
237	[[folder:Action Game]]
238	* Apogee Software had bad luck with fanmade editors:
239	** For ''VideoGame/DukeNukem 1'', they threatened the creator of the first editor with legal action, and the editor was only released under the condition that he modified it to work only with the full game, not the shareware version.
240	** For ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'', there were two contests planned: a secret item which told you to call Apogee and tell them the codeword, and a final score verification code so they could award the best player and confirm they weren't cheating. Then several fans started releasing level editors/viewers, and they realized neither would work and they had to call the contests off.
241	* ''Chaos Engine'' for the Platform/{{Amiga}} now has one too, [[http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=53449 Chaos Construct.]]
242	[[/folder]]
243
244	[[folder:Action Adventure]]
245	* ''VideoGame/ZeldaClassic'': Why stop at ROM hacking? Why not just [[https://www.zeldaclassic.com/ recreate an entire game from scratch just so you can edit it to your whims?]]
246	[[/folder]]
247
248	[[folder:Fighting Games]]
249	* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' has its own built-in editor, but that didn't stop people from making their own; this was mainly because the editor in the game has limitations such as how close certain blocks can be placed, and only so many are allowed to be placed, whereas the editor on the computer removes both these limitations, and you can even stack multiple objects onto each other. You can even edit the stage thumbnail with any picture you want from your hard drive. All of these stages will play but, be warned, placing more objects than usual may slow down gameplay big time, and there are chances you can cause a stage to be UnintentionallyUnwinnable, unless you [[UnwinnableByDesign did that on purpose.]]
250	[[/folder]]
251
252	[[folder:First-Person Shooter]]
253	* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' was so popular in its time that tons of editors were created for it, numerous competing level editors among them. Levels could even come with built-in music, sounds, and graphics to change the experience even further. Currently, one of the most popular editors is Doom Builder. Starting from early 2020, Creator/{{Bethesda}} began incorporating the most popular mods and wads into a list of curated add-ons available as free DownloadableContent for the Unity-based ports of the first and [[VideoGame/DoomII second]] games, as well as semi-official episodes and expansions like ''VideoGame/{{Sigil}}'' and its sequel, both halves of ''VideoGame/FinalDoom'', and ''No Rest for the Living''.
254	[[/folder]]
255
256	[[folder:Platformer]]
257	* Various Nintendo games of consoles past, in the form of [[GameMod ROM hacking]]. Popular level editors include SMB Utility (''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1''), Lunar Magic (''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''), and Hyrule Magic (''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast''). People have already made two, including [[http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=191279 this]], in literally a ''week'' for ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii''. Other fan-made ''Mario'' level editors include Super Mario Construct and Yoshi's Fabrication Station.
258	* ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen'' has almost a dozen editors for the various series produced by its community over the years.
259	* ''VideoGame/JazzJackrabbit 1'' had its own editor produced to match the official for the sequel.
260	* Numerous editors have been written for ''VideoGame/JetSetWilly''.
261	* ''Franchise/MegaMan'' has a [[GameMod ROM hacking]] community as well. In addition, a recent fangame that's essentially a level builder for the classic series came out in the form of ''VideoGame/MegaManMaker'' (formerly Mega Maker) in [[https://youtu.be/BpCarkGGoxIits first trailer posted on July 8, 2017]] and the game releasing on July 15. Its website can be visited [[https://megamanmaker.com/ here]] and its Discord channel can be found [[https://discord.gg/5nYtEEP here]].
262	* ''VideoGame/PizzaTower'' has its own community-made level editor titled [[https://gamebanana.com/mods/443629 "Create Your Own Pizza"]]. It’s fairly robust, containing most (if not all) of the mechanics in the base game, and even including some that didn’t end up making it into the final product.
263	* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosX'' comes with an extensive level editor that enables users to create levels with numerous [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]], items, and mechanics of the early two-dimensional Mario games.
264	* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland'' has a fairly primitive (it renders objects and sprites as simple blocks) one called Eggvine, and another called Golden Egg, a much more user-friendly editor in the vein of Lunar Magic.
265	[[/folder]]
266
267	[[folder:Puzzle Games]]
268	* ''VideoGame/ChipsChallenge'' has had several fan-made level editors over the years: [=ChipEdit=], [=CCEdit=], Chip's Workshop, etc. They were used by the fan community to draw their own levelsets, eventually amassing the most popular levels to create {{Fan Sequel}}s.
269	[[/folder]]
270
271	[[folder:Racing Games]]
272	* Because the aforementioned track editor for ''VideoGame/FZeroX'' was so rare, a member of the community who goes by BGNG created one for ROMS called ''Execution Project'', which contains all of the features from the original track editor.
273	* ''VideoGame/MarioKartWii'' has a fairly active modding community that has lots of custom tracks and other features people can play with.
274	[[/folder]]
275
276	[[folder:Rhythm Games]]
277	* ''[[VideoGame/PumpItUp Pump It Up Pro]]'' and its sequel have the Edit Creator on [[http://www.pumpproedits.com Pump Pro Edits]] available.
278	[[/folder]]
279
280	[[folder:Strategy Game]]
281	* While ''LEGO VideoGame/RockRaiders'' didn't technically have one on release. Modders discovered that one had been created but DummiedOut and are using it to create new levels.
282	[[/folder]]
283	----
284	!!Other examples:
285
286	[[AC:Web Video]]
287	* WebVideo/{{Akfamilyhome}}: In "Old Mario Flash Games", he mentions that he used to have a lot of fun making custom levels in the ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' fangame ''VideoGame/SuperMarioFlash''. Some of the levels he made were titled "Maths Lesson", "Pipe And Die", and [[NostalgiaLevel "Original World 1-1"]].

Context Main / LevelEditor