How To Get Very Small Pixel-Style Bitmap Fonts To Work In GDevelop

Originally published: July 23, 2023

This should help anyone struggling with this GDevelop problem. The following info can be adapted for bitmap fonts in general too.

  1. Download a suitable pixel font (check the licensing!) in TTF or OTF form
  2. Visit snowb.org – an online bitmap font generator
  3. Unpack the font file you downloaded from its ZIP or whatever (if you downloaded a zip, obviously), and click “ADD FONT FILE” on the left hand column. Choose the font file and upload it.
  4. Untick the “Auto Pack” option and make sure the “Fixed Size” option is ticked instead. The default size of 512×512 should be okay for your needs.
  5. Adjust the font size to what is recommended. Some fonts have a README in their zip (or download page) which may have the info you need on the smallest size it can be displayed at. The smallest might be something like 8px.
  6. Export as a BMFont XML zip file. Once downloaded, unpack it to your project’s assets folder.
  7. In GDevelop, create a Bitmap text object (or choose to edit an existing one that’s not working).
  8. In the bitmap font object editing window, select the XML file as the font file and then the accompanying graphic file (usually a PNG) for the other slot which is labelled “Bitmap atlas image”. Select Apply and then it should work.