pixelfx
244 pixel art effects you can drop into a game, plus a Claude Code skill that makes new ones
Image: a frame from the pixelfx README montage, by patch-gg (MIT licensed).
7,200+
GitHub stars
244
pixel art effects, each one a small piece of code
21
categories, from fire and explosions to weather and UI
What it actually does
pixelfx is a free, MIT licensed library of 244 pixel art effects and animations, every one a small piece of code. You can play them live, recolor and mirror them, drop them into a browser game, or export sprite sheets for any engine. It also comes with a Claude Code skill that makes new effects: draft, render, look, refine. Effects that involve a character are acted out, with a wind-up, a freeze on contact, and a recovery.
Why it's worth your time
- Gives you 244 ready-made effects: fire, explosions, magic, weather, UI, pickups, critters and more.
- Plays them live, so you can recolor and mirror them before you use them.
- Drops into a browser game built on canvas, Phaser, PixiJS, Kaplay, or three.js, with no dependencies.
- Exports sprite sheets with an Aseprite-style JSON file for Godot, Unity, GameMaker, Defold, LÖVE, and Bevy.
- Every effect takes a palette, so a fire can burn blue and a heal can glow pink without touching its code.
- The Claude Code skill finds, uses, exports, and makes effects the way a picky pixel artist would: draft, render, look, refine.
Before you start
- Claude Code, to use the skill (it installs as a plugin)
- Node.js, only if you want to use the effect code or the render and export tools from the repo
🆕 New to Claude Code or Codex? Start here
pixelfx isn't a standalone app. It's a set of skills that live inside a coding agent such as Claude Code or Codex. Once it's installed you just ask for what you want in plain English and the right skill picks it up.
1. Pick where you'll use it
- Claude Code (desktop app, claude.ai/code in a browser, or the CLI): type the install lines into a Claude Code chat.
- Codex CLI: run the Codex lines in a terminal.
- claude.ai or Claude Desktop: no terminal needed, use the click-through option below. This needs a paid Claude plan.
2. Paste the matching install block below, press Enter, then start a new conversation and ask for something. That's the whole setup.
Install it
Quickest -- install the Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add patch-gg/pixelfx
/plugin install pixelfx@pixelfxUse it
Starter prompts, copied from the README (ask Claude Code any of these once it's installed)
Add a frost nova to my mage's ultimate.
Make five takes on a coin pickup sparkle and show me the best two.
Export the fire and explosions categories as sprite sheets for Godot.
This hit effect feels floaty. Make it punchier.
Give this spell a wind-up and make the enemy react to it.Get one new AI skill like this every week
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Frequently asked questions
Is pixelfx free?
Yes. The README says the code and effects are MIT licensed, and you can use them in anything, commercial projects included. The Patch Pixel font in the repo is not covered by that licence.
Do I need Claude Code to use pixelfx?
Only for the skill that finds, exports, and makes effects. The effects themselves work as code in a browser game or as exported sprite sheets in any engine.
Which game engines does it work with?
For browser games it works with canvas, Phaser, PixiJS, Kaplay, and three.js. Sprite sheets cover Godot, Unity, GameMaker, Defold, LÖVE, and Bevy.
Can I change the colors of an effect?
Yes. Any effect takes a palette, a dark-to-bright ramp of hex colors, so you can recolor it without editing its code. You can also mirror effects.