Game asset marketplace comparison — commissions 2026
Commission rates on game asset marketplaces vary from 0% to 60%. At a $30 asset price and 100 monthly sales, the difference between a 40% platform and a 0% platform is $1,200 per month — $14,400 per year — from the exact same models.
| Platform | Commission | $30 × 100 sales | 3D preview |
|---|---|---|---|
| TurboSquid | 40–60% | $1,200–1,800 | Static renders |
| CGTrader | 30–70% | $900–2,100 | Static renders |
| Cubebrush | 30% (25% top sellers) | $2,100 | Static renders |
| Fab (Epic Games) | 12% | $2,640 | Static renders |
| Unity Asset Store | 30% | $2,100 | Screenshots only |
| Proofly | 0% (buyer pays flat ~$1) | $3,000 | ✅ In-browser WebGL |
Cross-listing on Proofly while keeping existing platform presence is allowed — no exclusivity required.
What buyers mean by "game-ready" in 2026
"Game-ready" is one of the most searched terms on every 3D asset marketplace, and one of the most misused. Buyers searching for game-ready models expect specific technical properties that differ significantly from print-ready or render-ready files.
Optimized poly count
Low-poly to mid-poly mesh (500–50k triangles for props; 5k–80k for characters). High-poly sculpts need a baked-down version.
PBR textures
Albedo/diffuse, metallic/roughness, normal map, and optionally AO and emissive — all power-of-two resolution (1024, 2048, 4096).
Clean UV unwrap
No overlapping UVs except for intentional mirroring. UVs packed to minimize atlas waste. Texel density consistent across the asset.
Correct scale
Real-world scale (1 unit = 1 meter in GLTF spec; 1 unit = 1 cm in FBX convention). Scale applied to mesh, not transform.
Clean topology
All-quads or low-tri-count mesh without n-gons, poles, or internal faces. Rigged characters need edge loops at joints.
LOD variants
Level-of-detail meshes (LOD0/LOD1/LOD2) dramatically increase value. Even a single LOD1 at 50% triangle count is a selling point.
The more of these properties you document in your listing description, the higher your conversion rate — especially on Proofly, where the in-browser viewer lets buyers inspect the actual mesh topology, not just a render.
GLB vs FBX vs OBJ — which format sells best?
Format choice directly affects which buyers can use your asset immediately versus which buyers need to convert before use. Each engine community has a preferred format.
GLB / GLTF — best all-rounder
Single-file format with embedded textures, PBR material support, and animation. Native to Godot, Three.js, Babylon.js, and PlayCanvas. Supported in Unity since 2022 and Unreal via plugins. Proofly renders GLB files directly in the in-browser viewer — buyers see the actual textures and mesh, not just a render. Strongly recommended as the primary format.
FBX — required for Unreal / Maya pipelines
The de facto standard for AAA game pipelines, Unreal Engine static meshes, and skeletal animations. Not an open format (Autodesk-owned), but ubiquitous. Include FBX if your asset has rigging or is targeting game studios. Blender exports clean FBX; just apply all transforms and verify that scale is 1.0 before export.
OBJ + MTL — legacy, still widely expected
No animation support, no PBR materials (MTL is limited), but supported in literally every tool. Include OBJ as a fallback — it adds no meaningful effort to prepare and removes friction for buyers using older pipelines or non-standard tools.
ZIP bundle — the highest-value listing type
A ZIP containing GLB + FBX + OBJ + textures folder + readme with polycount and texture specs is the single highest-converting listing type for game assets. Buyers pay a premium for "just works in any pipeline." On Proofly, ZIP packages are a first-class format — the in-browser viewer renders the included GLB, while buyers download the full package.
Protecting game assets from piracy — the mesh fingerprint approach
Game assets are particularly easy to redistribute. A GLB file purchased from any marketplace can be dropped directly into a Godot project or Three.js scene without modification. FBX files import into Unreal Engine with one click. Unlike subscription software, there is no license check, no activation, and no DRM.
Most creators resort to metadata watermarks — adding their name or URL to the file's metadata fields. This approach fails immediately: Blender's FBX exporter strips all custom metadata by default, and GLTF conversion tools don't preserve authoring metadata. A pirated file loses the watermark in the first tool it passes through.
Proofly's HiddenMark system works differently. Instead of metadata, it modifies the mesh geometry itself — applying sub-millimeter vertex displacements that encode a unique fingerprint per buyer purchase. The changes are imperceptible visually and fall within the tolerance range of game engine collision meshes. The fingerprint survives Blender re-export, FBX round-trip, format conversion, and even mesh simplification up to moderate decimation rates.
🔐 HiddenMark for game assets — what survives
- ✅ Blender FBX export → re-import
- ✅ GLTF/GLB format conversion
- ✅ Meshmixer mesh repair operations
- ✅ Unreal Engine Nanite LOD generation (at default settings)
- ✅ Unity mesh import pipeline
- ⚠️ Heavy decimation (>70% triangle reduction may degrade fingerprint)
- ❌ Complete re-sculpt from scratch
If your asset surfaces in a Discord server, a free asset pack, or a piracy forum, upload the leaked file to proofly.store/hiddenmark — the system returns the purchase ID, buyer order timestamp, and transaction record within seconds. That's the starting point for a DMCA takedown with actual evidence.
Writing a game asset listing that converts
Game developers scan listings differently than consumers browsing print models. They look for technical specifications first, then visual quality. A listing that leads with "beautiful hand-crafted model" converts worse than one that starts with the polycount and supported engines.
High-converting game asset listing structure
- Title — include format, polycount tier, and style: "Low-Poly Medieval Sword Pack — GLB/FBX — 800 tris each"
- Technical specs block — polygon count, texture resolution, UV layout, rig status, LOD count
- Engine compatibility list — Unity ✅ / Unreal ✅ / Godot ✅ / Blender ✅
- Included files list — exact filenames and formats in the ZIP
- Use license — can buyers use in commercial projects? What about subscription games?
- In-browser viewer — Proofly renders the GLB; let the mesh quality speak without requiring a download
Pricing game assets in 2026
Game asset pricing is more nuanced than 3D print model pricing because the buyer universe includes both hobbyist indie developers and studios with per-seat budgets. The same asset can be priced appropriately for both.
| Asset type | Proofly price | You earn (0% fee) |
|---|---|---|
| Simple prop (rock, barrel, crate) | $5–10 | $5–10 |
| Low-poly stylized prop pack (10+ items) | $15–30 | $15–30 |
| Character model (no rig) | $20–50 | $20–50 |
| Rigged character with animations | $40–120 | $40–120 |
| Full environment pack (PBR, LODs) | $40–150 | $40–150 |
On Proofly, the buyer pays a flat platform fee (~$1) in addition to your listed price. Your earnings equal your listed price exactly — no percentage deduction.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best marketplace to sell 3D game assets online in 2026?
For game-ready assets (GLB, FBX, OBJ), the best marketplace depends on your audience. Fab (Epic Games) has a large Unreal Engine buyer base but takes 12%. TurboSquid takes 40–60%. Cubebrush takes 25–30%. Proofly charges 0% commission and includes an in-browser WebGL viewer so buyers can inspect meshes before purchasing.
Can I sell game assets on multiple marketplaces at once?
Yes — most platforms allow non-exclusive listings, including Proofly, TurboSquid, CGTrader, and Cubebrush. Fab has an exclusivity tier that pays higher royalties. Cross-listing maximizes discovery and Proofly's HiddenMark still protects each individual download.
Do buyers prefer GLB or FBX?
Unreal Engine users prefer FBX; Godot and web developers prefer GLB. Best practice: bundle both in a ZIP. Proofly supports ZIP uploads and renders the GLB component in-browser for inspection.
How should I protect my game assets from piracy?
Proofly's HiddenMark embeds a unique per-buyer fingerprint into mesh vertex positions — not metadata. It survives Blender re-export, format conversion, and engine import pipelines. If your asset leaks, proofly.store/hiddenmark identifies the exact buyer purchase.
What polycount should game-ready assets target?
Props: 500–10k triangles. Characters: 5k–50k. Environment hero pieces: 10k–80k. Always include a low-poly LOD1 at 30–50% of the primary mesh triangle count — it significantly increases perceived value.
Do I need to include rigging to sell game characters?
Not necessarily — many buyers prefer unrigged characters to rig in their own tool (Rigify for Blender, Auto Rig Pro, Unreal's Control Rig). Offering both rigged and unrigged versions as separate files in a ZIP is a common upsell. Clearly specify whether the rig is Mixamo-compatible if it includes animations.
Start selling game assets — 0% commission
Upload GLB, FBX, OBJ, or ZIP bundles. In-browser viewer. HiddenMark piracy protection. Free to list.