As a fantasy author, building maps for my fantasy worlds is both fun and integral to my writing process. Maps allow me to visualise the terrain, the structures, the people, the landscapes, etc. A great map is for me, an integral part of a fantasy author’s worldbuilding tools. So it was only natural for me to go out there and find the best fantasy map generators and map makers on the market for my use case. I will reveal which fantasy world map generator I went with and why, below. So, if you are looking to make some maps for your fantasy art, RPG, your latest book or just for fun, then hopefully you will find this fantasy map making list invaluable.
For each map making software option, I will look at:
Price/Paid Addons
Is the advertised price the actual price or do you need to buy addons? This was a big factor for me.
Copyright
I need to publish my maps in my books and on my website and social media channels, hence needing clear information that I control the copyright of the maps I create is key.
Features
I was rather naïve about map making and cartography before looking for software. There are a lot of features and a few I needed that certain software just did not facilitate, like importing an image, reducing the opacity and allowing me to trace over it. I had previously hand drawn my maps!
PC/MAC/Browser.
Is the software browser based, or locked to a particular operating system?
Image Export Options
Does it have the facility to export the maps you create in the format you require?
Map Examples.
Finally, I will give an example of the maps created from the map generators community archives.
Fantasy Map Generators and Map Software.
1: WonderDraft
Start with the best. Yes, I went with Wonderdraft to build my maps. This was due to a combination of price, i.e. a one time purchase! Features, It has everything I needed, including that ability to trace images. Features, even though they do sell addons or additional art packs, the included resources have been ample for me to create everything I need. It is a simple fantasy map generator with enough bells and whistles to make anything you want. Finally, the copyright, as the creator of my map I hold the rights, including commercial rights and can reproduce it for print or sell it as a poster, etc. All in all, it was the best options for me, but one of the other options may be best for you.
What Wonderaft says:
WonderDraft Price Paid Addons
$29.99 for the software download. They have two additional art packs. Pirates for $4.99 and Fantasy buildings for $9.99.
Wonderdraft Copyright
Copyright is owned by the map creator.
Wonderdraft Features
Unlimited maps, landmasses, coastlines, cities, labels, large map dimensions, digital pen support.
PC/MAC/Browser.
Runs on windows, Linux and MacOS
Image Export Options
JPP, PNG, WebP at large resolutions.
Wonderdraft Map Examples.
Check out the whole fantasy map for The Silence In The Song here.( Click through and then scroll to the Bottom Of The Page)
2: Inkarnate
One of the biggest and slickest looking map generators online. Great with marketing and SEO as they often come up first in search results. A large thriving community.
What Inkarnate says:
Inkarnate Price, Paid Addons
These guys have two main pricing options: Free and Pro and the Pro option can either be paid for monthly or yearly.
The features you have access to depends on the option you sign up for.
Free is Free and Pro yearly is $25 or monthly for $5 per month.
Inkarnate Copyright
Commercial use is only available with a current subscription. Inkarnate grant themselves full access to do anything with your maps at any time. I think that is what is allowed; I am not sure. If you’re a lawyer, you can read the legal documents at. It went over my head. This was one of the reasons I never chose them.
https://inkarnate.s3.amazonaws.com/inkarnate-terms-of-use-june-2020.pdf
Inkarnate Features
Feature rich in both the Free and Pro versions, with the pro version featuring 19200+ HD assets, 8K exports, the ability to upload custom assets, commercial use and the ability to export up to 1000 maps.
PC/MAC/Browser.
This is browser based and you can log in from anywhere on any device, but it is recommended to log in on a laptop or desktop with a decent sized screen.
Image Export Options.
Image Export Options.
Export options include all the key formats, but even with the pro version, you are limited to 1000 maps per year.
Examples.
3: DungenFog or DGN Fog
This is the map making software promoted by World Anvil. World Anvil has a unique interactive map feature more below, but you first need maps. The DungenFog generated maps are compatible. DGN maps are firmly in the RPG, gamers world. Still extremely useful for fantasy authors. Let’s take a look.
What Dungeon Fog Says.
DungenFog Price/Paid Addons
Free, Premium and Commercial options. The features you have access to depends on the option you sign up for.
The dungenfog Fantasy map generator Free is Free and Premium yearly is £52.99 and Commercial is £105.90 annually.
DungenFog Copyright
DungenFog Features
https://www.dungeonfog.com/pricing/
Most of the functionality of the premium and commercial are the same, the only difference is the commercial use copyright. Unlimited maps, 4000+ props and textures, templates, high resolution export. upload custom assets and more.
PC/MAC/Browser.
Browser based.
Image Export Options.
High resolution export with subscription. Free export low res with watermark.
Examples.
4: Azgaar Fantasy Map Generator
https://azgaar.github.io/Fantasy-Map-Generator/
Now this is really cool fantasy map maker. Completely free and with lots of options. You do not have the control you have with some of the premium options, but as map generators go, this is a great place to start.
What Azgaar says
Fantasy map Generator is a free open source tool which procedurally generates fantasy maps. You may use auto generated maps as they are, edit them or even create a new map from scratch.
Azgaar Price/Paid Addons
FREE fantasy map creator.
Azgaar Copyright
Open source and good to use.
Azgaar Features
Multiple layer options, including textures, height map, rivers, religions, states, borders, routes and more. There is a surprising amount of variety in this free map generator. Refreshing.
PC/MAC/Browser.
Browser
Image Export Options.
Export as an image with multiple file extension options. You can also export to JSON.
Azgaar Map Examples.
5: Campaign Cartographer 3 – Fantasy map creator
https://www.profantasy.com/default.asp
A serious map making package for the PC. Lots of options, large thriving community, details for days.
What Campaign Cartographer 3 says.
Join the authors, games designers and thousands of gamers who have mapped out the worlds of their imagination with this powerful map making software for the PC. We lead the field in fantasy map-making software for gamers. CC3+ and its add-ons enable you to create the worlds of your imagination, with the right tools, the right support and an ever-growing community of cartographers. This is a true worldbuilding map generator.
Campaign Cartographer Price/Paid Addons
The core software is £29.95, however, there are lots of bundles and addons available.
Campaign Cartographer Copyright
I could not find the commercial copyright terms on the website.
Campaign Cartographer Features
Promises to be the most detailed, powerful and comprehensive map making software on the market.
PC/MAC/Browser.
Windows PC.
Image Export Options.
You can export your map, or sections of it, to high resolution JPEG, PNG or BMP bitmap images for use in other applications or the internet. You can also export your map in vector format for use in other CAD programs.
Campaign Cartographer Map Examples.
Best of the Rest:
AI Map Generator
Use AI image generators to give you a great map instantly. Above images generated with Google’s Gemini/ Nano Banana, which is FREE.
However, as yet I have not found an AI map creator that allows the generated map to be edited. So at this time I would still stick with something like Wonderdraft for full customisation.
Use this prompt and adjust it as needed. This is how I generated the ones above.
Epic fantasy world map. Highly detailed, high resolution, artistic cartography style. Hand-drawn/digital hybrid aesthetic. **NO TEXT, NO LABELS, NO NAMES, NO LEGEND.** Focus on topography and terrain features. The map must clearly show: [SHAPE/SIZE], [CLIMATE], [GEOGRAPHY DETAILS], [CITIES/TOWNS], [SPECIAL FEATURES].
Customisation Guide (Replacing the Brackets)
Use the following suggestions to replace the capitalised bracketed sections in the base prompt above. You only need to include the features you want.
| Section customisation | Options (Choose One or More) |
| [SHAPE/SIZE] | Continent-sized landmass, large island archipelago, massive coastal region, narrow land-bridge continent. |
| [CLIMATE] | Temperate, arctic north, tropical southern coast, arid centre, lush temperate. |
| [GEOGRAPHY DETAILS] | Designate specific zones: A massive mountain range in the north-west (e.g., The Iron Peaks), a vast, arid desert spanning the eastern coast (e.g., The Sands of Azmar), dense, ancient forest covering the south-west quarter (e.g., The Whispering Wood), a great central river flowing south to the sea (e.g., The Azure Stream), rolling fertile plains in the centre-west. |
| [CITIES/TOWNS] | Include general symbols: one major capital city at the river delta, three medium coastal port towns, numerous small village icons scattered through the plains, a hidden fortress icon deep within the mountain range. |
| [SPECIAL FEATURES] | Add unique points of interest: A large, eerie swamp in the south-east, a massive volcanic crater lake, a chain of isolated, mysterious floating islands just off the coast, ancient ruins marked by a distinct icon. |
Perchance AI Map Generator
https://perchance.org/ai-map-generator
Generate AI fantasy map images from text. It’s completely free (no signup) and uses the Stable Diffusion text-to-image model. This is cool, it’s a free AI image generator with a fantasy map theme. No editing, but it does generate up to six maps/images each time.
Medieval Fantasy City Generator
https://watabou.itch.io/medieval-fantasy-city-generator
This free city map generator that is really cool and a good way to generate ideas, spark inspiration or generate a fun random map to inspire.
Donjon Fantasy World Generator
https://donjon.bin.sh/fantasy/world/
This free world map generator is ace, Donjons website, also has lots of other generators, so worth heading on over. Looking for a Fantasy map generator free, then this is the one.
Worldspinner – Make A Map.
Worldspinner makes it easy to create an entire fantasy world in just a few minutes. See every continent, island, sea, forest, desert, and nation.
There are thousands of different cities and points of interest that you can explore with your players, or change and add any that you want.
Nortantis
http://jeheydorn.github.io/nortantis/
Nortantis is a fantasy map generator originally created as an academic project. It uses a simple tectonic plate simulation to create islands and continents with trees, rivers, and mountains. You create a color scheme and it creates the world.
Flow Scape
https://pixelforest.itch.io/flowscape
I use Flow Scape, it’s a powerful 3D world builder and a great way to visualise mountains, rivers, castles and more. And at $10 it is an absolute steel!
World Anvil
After you’ve made your map, you can take it to the enxt level with World Anvil. They have software for making your maps interactive, plotting journeys and bringing your maps to life, ability to switch regions on and off and more, check out World Anvils software.
Conclusion of Best Fantasy Map Generators
If you’re looking to create maps, be it as a dungeons and dragons fan or like me a fantasy author, then there will be an option for you in the list above. I have listed both paid fantasy map and free fantasy map options. As stated above, for me the perfect solution was WonderDraft. It is perfect for me, single payment, easy to use, great export options. This allows me to create unlimited maps and then export them to a photo manipulation app like Photoshop, Canva or Affinity photo to add additional details and branding.
Check out my other articles, including best fantasy name generators, AI art generators for fantasy authors, my fantasy author interview series and my own fantasy novel The Silence In The Song.
New to map making?
New to map making? What this amazing map making series right here.
