How to make a tier list
How to · 5 min read
To make a tier list, add your items, drag each one into the row you think it belongs in, rename the tiers to suit your topic, then download the chart as an image. It takes about two minutes and needs no account.
1. Decide what you are ranking
The most common mistake is picking a set that is too broad. Best video games ever is unrankable because a puzzle game and a shooter are not competing for the same thing. Best shooters of the last five years gives you a chart people can actually argue with. Narrow beats broad every time.
Twenty to forty items is the sweet spot. Under ten and the chart looks empty. Over sixty and the rows get so crowded that nobody can read them on a phone.
2. Add your items
You have three options. Upload your own pictures, paste an image straight from the clipboard, or type a list of names one per line. If your topic is a common one, the template library already has the set ready and saves you the typing.
3. Sort the obvious ones first
Do not start at the top of the pool and work down. Find the two or three items you are certain about, put them in S tier and F tier, and use those as anchors. Everything else gets judged against them, which is much faster than judging each item on its own.
4. Name the rows properly
S, A, B, C and D are fine defaults, but they say nothing about your topic. Renaming the rows is the single change that makes a list feel considered rather than generic.
- Food: Would queue for it, Happy to eat, Only if free, Never again.
- Games: Bought at launch, Bought on sale, Played a demo, Refunded.
- Music: On repeat, Good album track, Skip, Turn it off.
5. Check it reads at a glance
Before you save, look at the chart the way a stranger would. If one row holds half your items, split it. If a row is empty, delete it. If two rows look the same colour on a small screen, change one. A tier list is a picture, and pictures get judged in two seconds.
6. Save and share it
Press Save image to download a PNG at a size that stays sharp on social feeds. If you would rather send a link that lets a friend edit their own version, use Share instead. There is more detail in how to share a tier list.
Working on a phone? The touch specific tips are in making a tier list on your phone.