What Game Designers Actually Use: A Honest Look at Level Design and Economy Tools in 2026

Ask any game designer what tools they use and you'll get a surprisingly scrappy answer. The reality is far from polished - and that's exactly what makes this space interesting. There's a recurring thread that pops up in game design communities every few months. Someone asks: "What tools do you use for level design?" And the answers are always a mix of the expected and the surprising. Draw.io. Google Sheets. Blender. Pen and paper. MS Paint. Yes, Paint. And not ironically. The truth is, game design tooling is still a remarkably unsettled space. Unlike concept art (where everyone gravitates toward Photoshop or Procreate) or 3D modeling (Blender, Maya, ZBrush), game design — particularly level design and systems design — doesn't have a clear default. Designers piece together workflows from general-purpose tools, engine-specific editors, and a lot of improvisation. That gap says something important about where the craft is right now — and where it's going. The Case for Simple Tools One of