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To start with some hard numbers: Newzoo’s latest forecast confirms the global video game market is expected to generate around $187.7 billion in 2024, with steady growth into 2025 and beyond — an indicator of how essential polished art assets are to any successful project. High-quality 3D textures & materials price matters — not just for looks but for player immersion, brand trust and asset longevity across platforms.
Whether you’re planning a cozy indie project or a sprawling AAA landscape, knowing the current 3D textures & materials cost lets you plan your pipeline properly and partner confidently with outsourcing teams. Below, we dig deeper into how pricing breaks down, how to manage a 3D textures & materials budget and how smart art strategy helps optimize spend.
And this isn’t just theory — player feedback backs it up. On platforms like Steam, “visual polish” and “graphics quality” are among the most common tags in positive reviews. On the flip side, titles that reuse obvious tiling or ship with muddy textures often take hits in ratings. That impact on visibility and sales makes the 3D textures & materials rate more than just a technical detail — it’s a business-critical decision.
Prices are obviously quite different for more complex works and more particular work requires for some styles. Have a look at our comparison table of costs for various types of services for texture work.
A comparison table to help you out:
Below are common pricing ranges for custom texture creation. Rates vary by resolution, complexity, and intended platform (mobile, console, AAA).
| Type | Price Range (USD) |
|---|---|
| Hand-painted material | $300–600 |
| PBR realistic material (Substance/Designer) | $600–1,200 |
| Complex texture set (tileables, trimsheets) | $1,500–2,500 |
Need a custom quote? Email us at hello@rocketbrush.com with your project details and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Several factors shape the 3D textures & materials rate, including art style, technical complexity and asset scale. Here’s a breakdown of what each tier really means:
The budget for 3D textures & materials reflects not just the art but also the time involved. A single hand-painted cobblestone texture might take two to three days to create, while a large trimsheet for sci-fi environments could take up to two weeks, especially if revisions and shader tests are needed.
Beyond creation, there’s also QA: checking for seams, verifying how the texture behaves under dynamic lighting and ensuring smooth tiling in-engine. All of this adds hidden hours to the final 3D textures & materials cost.
A solid 3D textures & materials budget emerges from smart prioritization and project scope awareness:
To illustrate: an indie studio building a farming sim might spend around $10,000 total on texture work, covering the whole game with reusable stylized materials. By contrast, a mid-sized open-world RPG can easily cross six figures with entire teams dedicated to texture production. Planning your 3D textures & materials cost upfront prevents production bottlenecks and protects your overall art budget.
Here’s what may inflate pricing, so you can control them:
Platform differences also add hidden weight. A texture that works perfectly on PC might require compression and optimization to perform smoothly on a Switch build. Conversely, PC-focused projects may demand higher-res versions to meet player expectations. Accounting for these early keeps the 3D textures & materials budget predictable.
A few practical strategies help you do more with less:
Another angle is in-house vs outsourcing. Keeping texture artists on staff ensures faster feedback loops and tighter integration with your team’s style. But maintaining salaries, software licenses and hardware is expensive if you don’t need textures year-round.
Outsourcing, on the other hand, may raise the per-asset 3D textures & materials rate but saves dramatically on overhead while giving you access to specialists who can ramp up or down with your project schedule.
In 2025, developers and players recognize visual polish faster than ever. A single bad material — stretched UVs, blurry normals — can break immersion instantly. By allocating budget toward strong texture work, you're:
Industry examples underline this point. Fans praised the stonework and surface detail in Elden Ring for enhancing world believability, while Cyberpunk 2077 was initially criticized for obvious texture repetition and inconsistency in environmental assets. These comparisons show that investing properly in the 3D textures & materials budget can directly shape how your game is perceived at launch.
If you're shaping your 3D textures & materials cost plan and want a realistic estimate or help designing your texture roadmap, reach out to us at hello@rocketbrush.com — we’ve seen how polished surfaces help games stand out while staying on budget.
