10 Best Places to Download Free & Royalty Free Game Sound Effects

Need to add those jump, duck and strike game audio effects to spice up your latest web game?

You’ve been spending hours coding for your latest web game and you’re wondering if your budget will cover adding the sound effects.

Well, don’t sweat, because here we’ve rounded up some great places to get game audio effects, completely free! After a long day of work, we all need a break. And a tedious task like creating a game is no exception.

So give yourself a break and get all kinds of sound effects easily for free by ditching the search and using the following options instead.

1. The Motion Monkey’s Free retro arcade sound library

First up, we bring you a sound library coming from a game building business itself. The motion monkey creates custom video games for entrepreneurs to use for marketing and other motives.

Their Retro Arcade Sounds library offers a file that you can download to find a plethora of completely free gaming sounds. And seeing as this collection is a product of a game producer, it couldn’t get any better than this.

These are listed under the creative commons license which means they’re free to use commercially. This includes not having to pay any credits/attribution either.

2. BigSoundBank

A creative website which stocks a library full of free/royalty free sounds- the sound effects collection, in specific, is listed under public domain CC0 1.0.

This license makes their collection of sounds 100% free with no possible claims of copyright and no need for permission or attribution, not even for commercial use.

Not only that but their high-quality sound bank offers game sounds downloadable in a multitude of formats like WAV, MP3, AAC, BWF, to name a few.

3. Videvo

If you’re on a time crunch and can’t afford the hassle in getting sfx (sound effects- let’s call it that) for games on sites that leave you scratching your head, Vidievo is the way to go.

Although it's a general collection of stock footage, video clips, audio, and sound effects for all of the creative folk, you can still squeeze out a decent amount of video game sound effects.

From gunshots and weapons to animal sounds and even stimulating nature ambiances can liven up those bland sky backgrounds in your game. The catch? Give credits- it's about as free as you can get.

4. 99Sounds

A sound library that is 100% free, 99Sounds brings you an abundance of audio files. From drum samples and cinematic sound effects to nature sounds and field recordings.

The sheer variety of sounds (more added every day) on their platform is perfect for creative endeavors like video production, vlogging, and for you, game development.

You can harvest sfx for games on their releases page. The outlook of their platform makes it effortless for you to find the right sound effects for your game.

Now, their license information allows you to use their sfx for free, given that you don’t sell their audio files as a separate piece of work in itself- use in creative projects like embedding in games is permitted.

There is also zero need to give credits since they claim their sounds to be, essentially, royalty-free.

5. SoundBible

This user-friendly library-type website offers studio-quality sfx for games. You can easily download these in both the WAV and MP3 formats.

The best part is the free or public domain/Creative Commons license on most of its offerings.

This means, for a game you create for personal use, you don’t even have to look back for attribution. But if you plan to sell the game or use it commercially, then you’ll need to give proper credit to Soundbible.

However, there are royalty-free sounds available too that might require payment/attribution so keep and eye out for that.

6. Freesound

Here’s a collaborative collection that will have you screaming with joy when you see just how many variations of sound effects for gaming can be found under the Creative Commons license.

However, the game audio effects you will use need to be given credits to the site/artist in most cases here.

Still, if you’re lucky, you’ll come across some computer game sound effects by artists who don’t restrict you for attribution either.

7. OpenGameArt

This platform gives artists and game creators a chance to work together. Though you can find all kinds of art including 2D, 3D, Concept art, etc, you can also get your hands on sound effects for games.

Simply tick the sound effects slot in the art type on their homepage and search for the type of sound you need. Once you find the right sfx for your game, tap on the title of their box to reveal their details.

Pick the ones listed with the CC0/public domain license- the CC0 3.0/4.0 requires giving credits to artists. So if you’re cool with giving credits, you can access even more free game sound effects.

Check out their FAQs for avoiding any copy-right violations if you’re still unsure.

8. Free Music Archive

Here is an agency bringing independent artists and content creators to collaborate. You can get lucky in finding several public domain sounds fx and music to create ecstatic video games.

It’s easy to use so you’ll be able to find which sounds are free and which have a price tag- they do have a subscription model for their serious users.

Still, you’ll find yourself spoon-fed those details so it's hard to get into trouble with them. Just read these terms before getting into their tracks and you’re good to go.

The last 2 sources we will list are claimed to be “Royalty-free” which essentially is free but they have a few restrictions on use.

Still, however, the ones we have listed do not include those restrictions for the kind of use you will be making in-game usage. Hence, it won’t make any difference in their “free” tag like the other sites above.

9. Pixabay

An all-in-one stash of goodies(stock photos, videos, music, etc) for content creators- find sound effects for games as well as background music.

Although Pixabay claims their content is Royalty-free, you can still sell their content without cost or giving attribution, given that you don’t sell their sound effects as they are.

Using the sfx for a game means you’ll add to them a whole lot to run with- their license allows you to sell after modifying or adding to their stock.

It’s the go-to for video editors and merch designers, but as a game producer, it's a treasure trove of sfx for games. Punch, crunch, or plunge, find it all here.

10. Adobe Audition

 This option offers you a list of downloads grouped together by certain categories of sound effects/audio.

You can find Foley footsteps, crash, explosion, cartoon, weather, and several other types of SFX for games.

The only restriction in their “Royalty-free” license is that you don’t sell or distribute their collections as it is, which is fair and irrelevant to what you’ll be doing. So transform your game hassle-free with Adobe’s Audition Downloads.

Final Thoughts

Creating a game is all about simulating an addicting environment; the graphics, visuals, and sounds form the backbone of the sensory experience of the game.

Think of how subway surfers’ headstart with an explosive buzz makes you want to get that rush of dopamine again and again. Sound effects like these define how good your game is- how well it stands out.

And although these websites can save you hours of scouring the internet to get free stuff, there’s always the option to go the extra mile.

And if you do, Media Music Composer not only generates the perfect custom audios to fit your games/videos, but their resources also offer great guidance to navigate your way to creating games that give you the rush!