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Pixel resolution and scaling

A pixel-art game draws its world on a small canvas, its internal resolution, and then scales that up to the screen. Here is the same 16-pixel hero on a 1080p screen at six internal resolutions: see how big it gets, and where borders appear.

16:9 sizes that scale cleanly 320 × 180 Every game pixel becomes a 6×6 block at 1080p. Details

16:9 sizes that scale cleanly 384 × 216 A little more room than 320 × 180, and ×5 at 1080p. Details

16:9 sizes that scale cleanly 480 × 270 A quarter of 1080p each way: ×4 at 1080p, ×8 at 4K. Details

16:9 sizes that scale cleanly 640 × 360 A third of 1080p each way: ×3 at 1080p, ×2 at 720p. Details

Other sizes 256 × 224 The Super Nintendo's picture: nearly square, so it sits between borders. Details

Other sizes 400 × 240 5:3, a bit wider than old TVs; ×4.5 at 1080p, so ×4 with borders. Details

16:9 sizes that scale cleanly

Each one multiplies by a whole number to fill a 1080p screen exactly.

320 × 180

The chunkiest common choice. Small sprites read clearly, art goes fast, and it fills 720p, 1080p, 1440p, and 4K exactly.

At 1080p: ×6, filling the screen
Fills exactly: 720p, 1080p, 1440p, 4K
16-pixel hero: About 1/11 of the screen tall

384 × 216

A little more room than 320 × 180 and still a clean ×5 at 1080p, but it doesn't divide evenly into 720p or 1440p.

At 1080p: ×5, filling the screen
Fills exactly: 1080p, 4K
16-pixel hero: About 1/14 of the screen tall

480 × 270

A quarter of 1080p each way. There's room for more detail, or more of the world on screen, with sprites drawn a little bigger.

At 1080p: ×4, filling the screen
Fills exactly: 1080p, 4K
16-pixel hero: About 1/17 of the screen tall

640 × 360

A third of 1080p each way, and clean at 720p, 1440p, and 4K too. A 16-pixel hero looks small here, so sprites are usually drawn at 32 pixels or more.

At 1080p: ×3, filling the screen
Fills exactly: 720p, 1080p, 1440p, 4K
16-pixel hero: About 1/23 of the screen tall

Other sizes

Classic and wider shapes. On a 1080p screen they need borders to stay pixel-perfect.

256 × 224

The Super Nintendo's usual picture size. It's nearly square, so on a 16:9 screen it can't fill the width and sits between borders.

At 1080p: ×4 (1024 × 896), with borders
Fills exactly: None of the screens below
16-pixel hero: About 1/17 of the screen tall

400 × 240

A 5:3 shape, a bit wider than an old TV. At 1080p it would need ×4.5, so a pixel-perfect build shows it at ×4 with borders all round.

At 1080p: ×4 (1600 × 960), with borders
Fills exactly: None of the screens below
16-pixel hero: About 1/17 of the screen tall

Side by side

The largest whole-number scale on each screen. Bold means it fills the screen exactly.

Resolution	720p	1080p	1440p	4K	Steam Deck	Laptop 1366 × 768
320 × 180	×4	×6	×8	×12	×4, borders	×4, borders
384 × 216	×3, borders	×5	×6, borders	×10	×3, borders	×3, borders
480 × 270	×2, borders	×4	×5, borders	×8	×2, borders	×2, borders
640 × 360	×2	×3	×4	×6	×2, borders	×2, borders
256 × 224	×3, borders	×4, borders	×6, borders	×9, borders	×3, borders	×3, borders
400 × 240	×3, borders	×4, borders	×6, borders	×9, borders	×3, borders	×3, borders