How to design a game icon
Follow these steps in order. Each one is something we do on client work.
- Pick the hero. A character, key item or moment.
- Crop close. Faces and objects fill the frame.
- Use strong lighting. Rim light and contrast help at small size.
- Keep it 4+ friendly. Guideline 2.3.8: icons should suit a 4+ audience.
- Avoid text. No titles or ranking claims.
- Test variants. Expressions, colours, characters.
Game app icon design: key rules and context
What works in games. Close-up faces with emotion, the core object (a ball, a sword, a block), and clear silhouettes. Avoid wide scenes; they turn to noise at small size.
Genre conventions. Look at top charts in your genre. If all puzzle icons are blue, a different colour may stand out. Test it rather than assume.
Testing. Games usually have enough traffic for store listing experiments and PPO. See icon A/B testing.
Marketing context. Icons are one part of Android game marketing.
Worked example (hypothetical)
This example is illustrative. The app is made up, and so are any numbers in it.
Suppose Dragon Drift has a wide landscape scene. We'd crop to the dragon's face mid-roar with warm rim light, then test an angry versus a playful expression.
Common mistakes
- Full-scene art. Unreadable small.
- Violent imagery. Against 2.3.8.
- Logo text. Too small.
- Never testing characters. Players respond differently.
If you want this handled for you, our pricing page lists every fixed package.
Icon specs for both stores
Design once at high resolution, then export to each store's rules.
| Store | Size | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| App Store | 1024 × 1024 px master | Layered icon; the system applies the mask, so don't bake in rounded corners |
| Google Play | 512 × 512 px | 32-bit PNG with alpha, max 1,024 KB |
| Google Play policy | — | No badges, ranking text or misleading symbols (e.g. fake notification dots) |
| App Store policy (2.3.8) | — | Icons must suit a 4+ audience even if the app is rated higher |
Native testing tools compared
Use the store's own test tool before any third-party guesswork.
| Apple product page optimization | Google Play store listing experiments | |
|---|---|---|
| What you can test | Icon, screenshots, previews | Graphics and text (icon, screenshots, descriptions) |
| Variants | Up to 3 treatments vs original | Up to 2 variants vs current listing |
| Localization | Treatments can be localized | Run per language (localized experiments) |
| How winners are judged | Estimated conversion lift with confidence | Performance vs current listing over the test |
How we measure the result
For game app icon design, we treat the icon as a conversion asset first. The icon appears in search results, charts, the product page and on the home screen, which makes it one of the highest-leverage assets to test. Small changes in colour or symbol can matter more than detail, so we test clearly different concepts rather than near-copies.
Checklist
Copy this list into your release notes or ticket and tick each item off before you ship.
- Hero chosen
- Close crop
- Strong contrast
- 4+ friendly
- No text
- Variants tested
Sources
- Apple Human Interface Guidelines: App icons (accessed 26 October 2026)
- Android Developers: Google Play icon design specifications (accessed 26 October 2026)
- Google Play Console Help: Run store listing experiments (accessed 26 October 2026)
- Apple: App Review Guidelines (accessed 26 October 2026)
- Play Console Help: Add preview assets to showcase your app (accessed 26 October 2026)
- Play Console Help: Metadata policy (accessed 26 October 2026)
- Apple App Store Connect Help: Overview of product page optimization (accessed 26 October 2026)
Questions
Should a game icon include the logo?
Usually not; show the character.
3D or 2D?
Match your game's art style.
How often to test icons?
Whenever you have a new hypothesis and enough traffic.
Seasonal icons?
Common in games; test the effect.
Can you design game icons?
Yes.
Can a game icon show violence?
Apple's 2.3.8 asks icons, screenshots and previews to suit a 4+ audience even if the game is rated higher.