How to use custom fonts in RPG Maker
Ever wondered how you can use a custom font in RPG Maker? Here’s a quick guide on how to load one of our fonts in RPG Maker to use in your own projects.
Copy the font file into your project folder
Locate the font file you want to add to your game in Windows Explorer. Select it and press CTRL + C on your keyboard to copy it, or right-click it and select copy.
Then, locate the project folder for your RPG project in Windows Explorer. It will contain several subfolders for your project’s resources, including one called fonts.
Open the folder called fonts and you’ll see RPG Maker’s default project fonts in there. Paste your desired font in this folder by pressing CTRL + V on your keyboard or right-click an empty spot in the folder and select paste.
The font file has now been added to your project folder. Your next step to make the font work is different depending on your version of RPG Maker.
RPG Maker MZ
If you have RPG Maker MZ, you can edit your project’s font settings inside the RPG Maker editor. Open your project in RPG Maker and then click the database icon at the top of the screen.
In the database window, open the System 2 tab from the left panel and you’ll see the font settings on the right-hand side in the Advanced Settings area. Double-click the Main Font Filename (or Number Font Filename) to enter the name of the font you want to use. This should match the file you copied into the fonts folder just now.
Once you have done this, click OK on the font name window and then OK again on the database.
Then, click the “Play” button to test that the font is working in your project.
If everything has been done correctly the game should now have the new font in place of the default font:
RPG Maker MV
RPG Maker MV does not have an area in the database settings to change your font. Instead, return to the fonts folder of your project and you’ll find a file called gamefont.css. Right-click this and open it with Notepad (or another text editor of your choice).
With the file open, edit the line that says src: url(“”); to have the name of your desired font instead of the default font name. See the screenshot below:
Save the CSS file. Then open your project in RPG Maker MV and press the play button. If everything has worked correctly your new font should be in place of the old font.
Other Tips
Be aware that not all fonts have a full range of characters, and to support different languages you may need to use a different font.
If you’re using a pixel font to get a retro look, be sure to adjust the font size option in RPG Maker MZ to a multiple that matches the font’s pixel size. This will prevent the pixels from looking inconsistent or stretched.
We hope this guide has been helpful! You can download and try any of our fonts for free for non-commercial use on our fontspace profile, or you can buy our whole catalogue of fonts in our All Fonts Pack for commercial use here:
