Gimp/Photoshop!

Just kidding, who wants to bother spending the time to learn and create with that? Why not download one of these fancy tools that were specifically made for it?

This will not include random map generators.

Free Resources

(..that are 100% free. Listed in no particular order.)

RPG Map Editor 2 Awesome tool for creating encounters or dungeon maps, limited furniture/placeables but surprisingly good lighting and coloration effects.

Dungeon Painter Online Downloadable program, snap high-resolution tiles onto a grid from a limited resource bank.

Dungeon Scrawler Like the next two, a "hand-drawn dungeon map" maker that has one of the better options for tools and scribing. Plus a fast UI. Plus a decent number of "stamp" resources, which you can import more into. Definitely check it out.

Mipui's Map Maker Simplistic browser-based dungeon maker, perfect for easy layout design.

Dungeon Map Doodler Similar to Mipui's, this is a browser-based dungeon designer, with a simple and fast UI.

Realm Engine Made by one of our own, this 3D mapmaking program frankly rivals a number of paid alternatives. There are DLC assets to be bought, but otherwise this is a phenomenal free option.

Limited-Trial Resources

(That restrict some features to premium/purchasable costs. Sorted roughly by price.)

Mapper RPG (Premium for full resource bank, unlimited save slots. $4.99/month) "Stamp"-based map drawing program, with a large amount of resources. Fairly limited features.

Inkarnate (Free version with limited resources and functions, monthly price $5/month or $25/year) VERY popular stamp-based software for world-mapping, but has decent versatility to make battlemaps too. Pro version unlocks commercial use.

Dungeon Fog (Free version with limited resources, monthly price 4.90/month, or $50/year) Fairly detailed dungeon-drawing software with multiplayer functionality. Commercial use allowed with an extra $50/year.

Battlemapp (Patreon version unlocks a much wider array of resources and functions, $6.50/month) Versatile 3D map maker with in-game dice-rolling and token options.

AstralTabeltop (Free version with limited resources and space, $10/month for premium access) Very detailed full-game suite with many GM options, but also a decent map-building resource.

Hobbyte (Demo available with limited functionality. One-time price of ~$72) A cutesie Isometric map builder that has a great hand-drawn style.

Purchasable Resources

(With no free options)

Illwinter's Floorplan Generator ($7) Simple yet effective map creator with a wide variety of resources.

Flowscape ($15) I personally use this. Great for making beautiful 3D pictures to set a mood, plus an orthographic mode to take a top-down. With a good eye and some decent manipulation, can create amazing wilderness or city battlemaps.

Dungeon Painter Studio ($15) Effectively the sequel to Dungeon Painter Online, has a much wider array of functions and resources.

Dungeon Draft ($20) u/geovincent "You can find tons of free asset packs or make your own, and it makes things very good with its lighting options and wide array of assets and textures."

theCalamus ($3/month or $30/year) Here's an interesting one. It's a full-game service where you can host your DND games for players, and has a functional mobile version, which isn't something you see often. Consider it if you're looking for Roll20 alternatives. Player version is $1/month.

Campaign Cartographer 3 ($33) u/Savageptts "The city designer add on is the best thing i've found for city maps."

Arkenforge ($35) Also an option for full-game playability given it's good DM tools, Arkenforge also has a fairly decent amount of map-making resources.

Did I miss anything? Have any suggestions? Feel free to throw them in the comments and I'll edit them into the post.

looking for some tools to make my own battle maps. I've tried a few free resources and they've been somewhat of a let down.

I am considering trying photoshop, but i'd need to compile a library of textures and objects to start with.

Hey folks! I’m trying to use Inkarnate to make a battle map with a 1 inch grid. I seem to have problems scaling things correctly (printing on standard home printer).

Are there a set of settings you all use to get a viable battle map in Inkarnate?

Or is there better software/sites to use to achieve a cool looking battle map?

All suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I know a lot that generate cities but i would love to know a good battlemap generator if there even is one