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Level design document template

Five linked documents for one level, from its purpose to its last playtest: the flow and its beats, the layout and the measurements every room is built to, the encounters, and what the playtests changed. Download them as Markdown files: they open in any editor, show their diagram on GitHub and in Obsidian, and import into Nodary as a map.

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5 Markdown files in a .zip, 5 kB

Free, no account, no email. Use it, change it, share it.

Level design documentFlow and beatsLayout and metricsGameplay and encountersPlaytests and production

Read every page before you download

One copy per level. The overview fits on one screen and links to four parts, so the level designer, the artists and the testers each find their page. Italic lines say what to write; the examples come from Saltmarrow, the sample game this site uses everywhere.

Documents

File Level design document template/Level design document.md

Level design document

How to use this template: one copy per level. Italic lines are guidance: replace them with your own words, then delete them. Values in square brackets are yours to fill in. Keep this page to one screen.

At a glance

FieldThis level
Level[Name]
Place in the game[chapter, area, after which level]
Main goal[...]
New in this level[a mechanic, an enemy, a place]
Length[minutes]
Difficulty[1 to 5]
Status[paper, blockout, art pass, final]
Owner[name]

Purpose

Why this level exists: what the player learns, feels or unlocks here. A level that teaches nothing and changes nothing is a candidate for the cut list.

Example (Saltmarrow, a sample game): The Archive Steps teaches the dive: the first time the player goes below the tide line, with the horn as their only clock.

[Your level’s purpose]

Player goals

  • Main goal: [...]
  • Optional goals: [...]
  • Secrets: [...]

The rest of the level

Each part is its own document. Link to it rather than copy from it, so every fact lives in one place.

This template is free to use, change and share. It comes from Nodary, where these files import as a map of linked documents.

Download the template5 Markdown files in a .zip, 5 kB

How to use it

  1. Say why the level exists

    Fill in the overview first: what the player learns, feels or unlocks here, and the one new thing the level brings. A level that teaches nothing and changes nothing is a candidate for the cut list.

  2. Agree on the metrics before the blockout

    Write the player’s metrics with the programmers: walk speed, jump height, door width. Every room is built to them.

  3. Draw the map, then the beats

    Sketch the layout from above with the critical path and the landmarks, then write the beats in the order the player meets them.

  4. Let the playtests decide

    Write the questions before each playtest and the changes after it. The level that ships is the one the players played, not the one on paper.

Import it into Nodary as a map

Nodary is an AI-native workspace where a team’s documents link instead of piling up. Import the .zip and the level arrives with its four parts filed under it and its links kept. Draw the layout on a board inside the document, with shapes, arrows, named frames and pictures, and present it frame by frame in a review. Give each level a status and a due date and see on the map what is late. AI agents connected over MCP read the level before they help write it.

  1. Open a project’s map and choose Import.
  2. Choose the Folder or ZIP tab, then Choose a ZIP.
  3. Pick the downloaded file, check the tree, and import.

The Free plan holds ten documents per workspace, the project’s own page included: one level’s five documents leave room for four more. Paid plans have room for every level of your game. Nodary also has a one-page Level Design template built in.

How Nodary handles game design documents
A board presented frame by frame in Nodary: the first frame shows approved key art with its note, and the frame list at the bottom names the other frames; the sample project shown is Saltmarrow.

Writing a level design document the team can build from

A level design document fails when it describes a level nobody can measure, or a level the playtests have already changed. These habits prevent both.

Paper before blockout

Settle the purpose, the beats and the map on paper. Moving a room on paper takes a minute; moving it in a blockout takes a day.

Every beat teaches or tests

Each beat introduces something, tests something the player already knows, or gives them a rest. A beat that does none of these is padding.

Agree on the metrics first

A corridor is only too narrow next to the player’s width. Write the metrics once and build every room to them.

Guide the eye, not the hand

Show the way forward with light, color and landmarks rather than arrows and walls. Players who choose the right path feel clever.

Plan the rest

After every peak of tension, give the player a safe moment to look around, read the space and save.

Let the playtest decide

Write what you will watch for before each playtest and what changed after it. The notes are the level’s real history.

Questions about level design documents

What is a level design document?

A level design document, or LDD, describes one level of a game before and while it is built: its purpose, the player’s goals, the flow and beats, the layout and measurements, the encounters and rewards, and what playtests showed. Level designers write it; artists, programmers, writers and testers work from it.

What should a level design document include?

The level’s purpose and goals, its place in the game, a flow of beats, a map with the critical path and landmarks, the player’s metrics, the mechanics introduced and tested, the encounters and rewards, art and audio notes, playtest questions and results, and a production checklist. This template has a document for each group.

How is a level design document different from a game design document?

The game design document describes the whole game: its pillars, systems and world. A level design document zooms into one level and must respect what the GDD says. Link the two, so a change to a rule in the GDD reaches every level that depends on it.

One document per level, or one for the whole game?

One per level, or per area in an open world. Each level has its own owner, its own status and its own playtests, and a short document per level is read; a long one for the whole game is not.

When should I write it?

Before the blockout, at least the purpose, the beats and the map. The layout details, the encounters and the playtest results fill in as the level is built and tested.

Can I use the template for a commercial game?

Yes. Use it, change it and share it for any game, commercial or not, with or without a Nodary account. A mention is welcome, never required.

Read next

Keep every level where the team works.

Import the template into Nodary and each level becomes a map that your team and your AI agents keep current, next to the rest of the design. Free with two members, one project and ten documents, no card needed.

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