Getting Started with RPG Maker Beginner Basics

There are four you'll use constantly:
• Map editor: paint your world with tilesets.
• Event editor: the logic that makes things happen.
• Database: define actors, items, skills, enemies and system settings.
• Plugin Manager (MZ/MV): add extra features with .js plugins.

Right-click the map list (bottom-left) and choose New Map, set its size, then paint tiles from the palette on the left. Press the green Play button (or F12 in MZ/MV) to playtest and walk around. Use the test play often, small and frequent is best.

No. You can build a complete game using only events (ready-made commands). Scripting and plugins are optional power-ups you can pick up later, our tutorials point out the few handy one-line scripts when they help.

An Event is anything interactive on a map: an NPC, a door, a chest, or invisible logic. You build it from a list of commands, like Show Text, Control Variables, and Conditional Branch, that run top to bottom when the event triggers.

A Variable stores a number you can change and check, like gold, a quest step, or in-game time. Set it with Control Variables, and react to its value with a Conditional Branch (for example, "if QuestStep ≥ 2").

A Switch is a global ON/OFF flag, great for "has the player done X yet?". A Self Switch belongs to a single event. It’s like a one‑time reaction that shouldn’t affect the rest of the game, perfect for things like a treasure chest that should only be opened once.

Since a Switch is global, you can give it descriptive names like "BridgeFixed" or "MetTheKing". Self Switches are event-specific and use the built-in labels A, B, C, and D.

In short: a variable stores a number you can change and compare (gold, a quest step, in-game time), while a switch is a simple on/off flag for yes-or-no states ("has the gate been opened?"). Reach for a variable whenever you need to count or track an amount, and a switch when something is either done or not done. Both are checked with a Conditional Branch.

A Common Event is reusable logic stored in the Database that any map can use. Its trigger can be None (you call it manually), Autorun, or Parallel. Common Events keep your project tidy, build something once instead of copying it onto every map.

• Action Button: runs when the player faces it and presses confirm (NPCs, signs).
• Player Touch: runs when the player walks into it (traps, auto-doors).
• Autorun: takes over and runs once; stop it with a Self Switch so it doesn't freeze the game.
• Parallel: runs continuously in the background (clocks, weather). Keep these light to avoid lag.

A Conditional Branch is an "if this, then that" check. It can test a Switch, a Variable, an item the player has, the gold amount, and more, with an optional Else path for when the condition is false.

Add an event and give it a Transfer Player command, choose the destination map and tile, then set the trigger: Action Button for doors the player interacts with, or Player Touch for automatic transfer when they step on it.

Use the Shop Processing event command to open a shop and list what's for sale. To hand things over directly inside an event, use Change Items, Change Weapons, Change Armor, or Change Gold.

Use Change Save Access event command to enable or disable saving (handy during boss fights or cutscenes), and Open Save Screen to make a save point the player walks up to. You can also set save access in the System tab of the Database.

Use Show Text for dialogue (add a face graphic for character portraits), and Show Choices to give the player options that branch the conversation. Want the NPC to remember the choice? Store it in a Switch or Variable. There's a full walkthrough in our Relationship System tutorial.

The Database is the heart of your project: Actors, Classes, Skills, Items, Weapons, Armors, Enemies, Troops, Tilesets, Common Events, and System settings (title screen, starting party, vocabulary). Most "where do I set this?" answers live here.

Place your image files into the matching folder inside your project's img folder (for example img/characters, img/tilesets, img/pictures), then select them in the relevant Database tab or event command (like Set Movement / event graphic). Keep to the engine's sprite-sheet sizes so they line up.

Drop audio files into the audio folder (audio/bgm, audio/se, etc.) in the supported format for your engine, then choose them with Play BGM or Play SE. Always check you have the right to use any music or art you didn't make.

Open Database → System and set the Title screen image(s) and the game title. In MZ/MV you can also tweak the title command window and title music there.

RPG Maker is paid software, but it's beginner-friendly and frequently discounted in Steam sales, and there's usually a free trial so you can try before you buy. Each version (MZ, MV, XP, VX Ace, 2000, 2003) is sold separately. If you want a completely free engine, see our WOLF RPG Editor guide.

Both are excellent and use JavaScript plugins. RPG Maker MZ is the newest, with a faster editor, layered map tiles and Effekseer battle animations. RPG Maker MV is a little older but has the largest plugin library and community. Want the latest? Pick MZ. Want the widest selection of existing plugins and tutorials? MV is still a great choice.

Yes, with a valid RPG Maker license you can release and sell commercial games. Credit the engine as its license requires, and credit (and properly license) any third-party assets, music or plugins you use. The built-in RTP assets are licensed for use in games made with RPG Maker, always check each product's EULA.

Define enemies in Database → Enemies, group them into Troops, then start a fight with the Battle Processing event command, or set random encounters in the map's properties. Your party's side (Actors, Classes, Skills) is configured in the Database too.

On the chest event: play a sound, use Change Items or Change Gold, show a "You found…" message, then Control Self Switch A → ON. Add a second event page with the condition Self Switch A is ON and an opened-chest graphic, so it stays open and can't be looted again.

Use an Autorun event that runs your Show Text, Set Movement Route, transfers and waits in order, then flip a Self Switch at the end (with a blank second page) so the cutscene plays once and doesn't freeze the game.

Give the event an Autonomous Movement (Random, Approach, or Custom) in its settings, or script exact steps with the Set Movement Route command. The same command moves the player or any event during cutscenes.

Use File → Deployment and pick your target: Windows, macOS, Web (HTML5), or mobile (Android/iOS) in MZ/MV. The engine packages your project into a shareable build, always test the deployed version before you release it.

An Autorun event runs over and over and locks the game until its conditions change, so end it by turning on a Self Switch and adding a blank second page. A Parallel event runs every frame in the background, so keep it small, gate it behind a switch, and add a short Wait to avoid lag. There's a worked example in our Day & Night Cycle tutorial.