When you’re developing a video game, keeping your project organized is essential to maintaining a consistent workflow and ensuring its completion. From game assets to marketing strategy, a clear folder structure will help you save time, minimize errors, and facilitate collaboration with your team.
In this post, we’ll explore two folder organization approaches that cover both video game development using Unity 3D and the overall structure of your project on your computer.
1. Structure of your Project in “Unity 3D”
When developing a video game in Unity 3D, we recommend organizing all your information as follows:
/Project # Unity system default folder ├── /Assets # Unity system default folder ├──── /UnityGameName # Your Game name │ ├── /ANIMS # All animation files for your characters │ ├── /Enemies │ ├── /Enviro # Environment-related animations in the game │ ├── /NPCs │ ├── /Player │ ├── /Props # Animations of objects (boxes, rocks, etc.) │ ├── /UI │ ├── /VFX │ ├── /AUDIO # All audio files used in the game │ ├── /Enemies │ ├── /Enviro │ ├── /Inventory │ ├── /Levels │ ├── /NPCs │ ├── /Player │ ├── /Props │ ├── /UI │ ├── /VFX │ ├── /DATABASES # All database files used │ ├── /FONTS # All fonts used │ ├── /MATERIALS # All files of materials used │ ├── /Enemies │ ├── /Enviro │ ├── /Inventory │ ├── /NPCs │ ├── /Player │ ├── /Props │ ├── /UI │ ├── /VFX │ ├── /MESHES # All 3D models used │ ├── /Enemies │ ├── /Enviro │ ├── /Inventory │ ├── /NPCs │ ├── /Player │ ├── /Props │ ├── /UI │ ├── /VFX │ ├── /PREFABS # All used "Prefabs" files │ ├── /Enemies │ ├── /Enviro │ ├── /Inventory │ ├── /Levels │ ├── /NPCs │ ├── /Player │ ├── /Props │ ├── /UI │ ├── /VFX │ ├── /SCENES # All the scenes that make up your game │ ├── /SCRIPTS # All code files used │ ├── /Enemies │ ├── /Enviro │ ├── /Inventory │ ├── /Levels │ ├── /NPCs │ ├── /Player │ ├── /Props │ ├── /UI │ ├── /Utilities │ ├── /VFX │ ├── /SHADERS # All "Shaders" type files used │ ├── /SPRITES # All 2D images that are used (where applicable) │ ├── /Enemies │ ├── /Enviro │ ├── /Inventory │ ├── /NPCs │ ├── /Player │ ├── /Props │ ├── /UI │ ├── /VFX │ ├── /TERRAINS # All used Terrain files │ ├── /TEXTURES # All texture files used │ ├── /Enemies │ ├── /Enviro │ ├── /Inventory │ ├── /NPCs │ ├── /Player │ ├── /Props │ ├── /UI │ ├── /VFX
It may seem a bit long, but don’t worry, at ACKOSMIC Games we want to make things easier for you, so you can download these folders and paste them directly into your Unity project (drag them into “Assets” and that’s it).
2. Structure of your Project on your “Computer”
Developing a video game isn’t just about the information used within the game engine you’re working on; it also involves all the additional information needed to successfully publish your game to the world. Because of this, we recommend using the following structure to organize your information on your computer:
/YourAwesomeGame # Your Game name ├── /00_Project_GameName # Here, the folder that your game engine generates to work ├── /01_General_Info # All the information that describes how your game works ├──── /00_GDD ├──── /01_Stats_Desc # Everything about your characters' stats in the game (levels, powers, skills, etc.) ├──── /02_Other_Notes # Other general and important information about your game ├── /02_In-game_Info # Information used within your game ├──── /00_Dialogues ├──── /01_Quests ├──── /02_Inventory_Desc # Descriptions for inventory items ├── /03_In-game_Drawings # The image files you have worked on ├──── /00_UI ├──── /01_Backgrounds ├──── /02_Player ├──── /03_Enemies ├──── /04_NPCs ├──── /05_Inventory ├──── /06_Props ├──── /07_VFX ├──── /08_Screenshots ├── /04_In-game_Audio # The audio files you have worked on ├──── /00_Dialogs ├──── /01_Melodies ├──── /02_SFX │ ├── /00_Player │ ├── /01_Enemies │ ├── /02_NPCs │ ├── /03_Enviro │ ├── /04_Props │ ├── /05_Weapons │ ├── /06_VFX ├──── /03_UI ├── /05_Builds # Your game builds ├──── /00_Test_Builds ├──── /01_Final_Builds ├── /06_Project_Backups # The backups you make of your work ├── /07_Stores # Information about your game to place in the store where you are going to offer it ├──── /00_Games_Store01 │ ├── /00_Builds_List # Checklist and versions of your game that you have released │ ├── /00_Build_R1 │ ├── /01_Gifs # GIF images you've created from your game │ ├── /02_Pics # Images you have created of your game │ ├── /03_Vids # Videos you've created of your game │ ├── /04_Desc # Descriptions and texts you have created for your game │ ├── /05_Codes # Lists of gift and sale codes you have generated for your game ├── /08_Marketing # Information to promote your game ├──── /00_SocialNetwork01 │ ├── /00_Pics │ ├── /01_Gifs │ ├── /02_Vids ├──── /01_Email │ ├── /00_Email_List # List of emails you have sent │ ├── /01_Email_Template # Base text of your emails │ ├── /02_Press_Kit # A set of images and descriptions to be used by people you send an email to in order to promote or talk about your game. ├──── /02_Reports # Your reports on how your campaigns have performed ├── /09_Plugins_And_Resources # Any additional software or items you use to create your game
Just like in the previous point, you can download these folders here and start using them right now (they’ll be very useful in every project you start).
Organization is a fundamental pillar of video game development. By properly structuring your information folders, you not only optimize the production phase but also pave the way for a successful marketing strategy (since you’ll have all the necessary elements at hand to communicate your vision, attract press, and connect with your audience).
Do you have any other strategies or tools you use to organize your projects? Leave us your comments and share your experiences!