Methods of distribution

After you prepare the Sprite Atlases for distribution, there are several methods to distribute the Atlases. Each method is more suitable for different Project needs or characteristics, such as the size of the Atlas AssetsAny media or data that can be used in your game or Project. An asset may come from a file created outside of Unity, such as a 3D model, an audio file or an image. You can also create some asset types in Unity, such as an Animator Controller, an Audio Mixer or a Render Texture. More info
See in Glossary or the target platform of the Project.

The following are the two main methods to consider when you distribute SpriteA 2D graphic objects. If you are used to working in 3D, Sprites are essentially just standard textures but there are special techniques for combining and managing sprite textures for efficiency and convenience during development. More info
See in Glossary Atlases:

1. Place the Sprite Atlases into the build’s Resources folder.
2. Distribute them as downloadable AssetBundles.

Method A: Resources folder

Unity can still include Sprite Atlases that are not large in size in the download final build. To distribute them together with the final build, place them in the Project’s Resource foldery includes Sprite Atlases in the Resource folder in the exported build when users download the application. Unity then loads these Atlases from the Resource folder via script). Refer to documentation on the Resources API for more information.

Method B: Downloadable AssetBundles

Sprite Atlases that are large in size can cause inconvenience for the application user if Unity includes them with the exported build’s download, because they require a lot of bandwidth and device storage. To avoid problems, distribute large Sprite Atlases in AssetBundles, so that the player can download each AssetBundle individually at their discretion. Unity then loads the Sprite Atlases during run time via script. Refer to the AssetBundle Workflow for more information.