Audio And Sound

Audio and Sound

Phaser provides a unified Sound system via this.sound (a SoundManager) that abstracts over Web Audio API and HTML5 Audio. It handles loading, playback, volume, panning, looping, markers, audio sprites, spatial audio, and browser autoplay-policy unlocking.

Key source paths: src/sound/BaseSoundManager.js, src/sound/BaseSound.js, src/sound/webaudio/, src/sound/html5/, src/sound/SoundManagerCreator.js, src/sound/events/, src/sound/typedefs/ Related skills: ../loading-assets/SKILL.md, ../game-setup-and-config/SKILL.md

Quick Start

class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
    preload() {
        this.load.audio('bgm', 'assets/music.mp3');
        this.load.audio('coin', ['assets/coin.ogg', 'assets/coin.mp3']);
    }

    create() {
        // Fire-and-forget (auto-destroys when complete)
        this.sound.play('coin');

        // Retained reference for ongoing control
        this.music = this.sound.add('bgm', { loop: true, volume: 0.5 });
        this.music.play();
    }
}

Assets loaded via this.load.audio() in preload() are ready by the time create() runs. Provide an array of URLs for cross-browser format fallback.

Core Concepts

WebAudio vs HTML5 Audio

Phaser auto-selects the best backend via SoundManagerCreator.create():

1. If config.audio.noAudio is true, or the device supports neither Web Audio nor HTML5 Audio, a NoAudioSoundManager is created (all calls are no-ops).
2. If the device supports Web Audio and config.audio.disableWebAudio is not true, a WebAudioSoundManager is created (preferred).
3. Otherwise, an HTML5AudioSoundManager is created as fallback.

WebAudio advantages: precise timing, gapless looping, stereo panning (StereoPannerNode), spatial audio (PannerNode), per-sound gain nodes, decodeAudio() for runtime decoding.

HTML5 Audio limitations: no spatial audio, no real stereo panning (pan fires events but no audible effect), less precise looping, requires instances count at load time for simultaneous playback.

Force HTML5 or disable audio via game config: audio: { disableWebAudio: true } or audio: { noAudio: true }. Pass audio: { context: existingAudioContext } to reuse a WebAudio context in SPAs.

The SoundManager (this.sound)

Accessed via this.sound in any Scene. It is a single shared instance across the entire game. Key responsibilities:

• Adding, playing, and removing sound instances
• Global volume, mute, rate, and detune
• Automatic pause/resume when the browser tab loses/gains focus (pauseOnBlur, default true)
• Audio unlock handling for mobile browsers
• Spatial audio listener position (WebAudio only)

Sound Instances

Created via this.sound.add(key, config). Each instance has its own playback state, volume, rate, detune, loop, pan, and seek properties. A sound must exist in the audio cache (loaded via the Loader) before it can be added.

State flags: isPlaying (boolean), isPaused (boolean).

const sfx = this.sound.add('explosion', { volume: 0.8 });
sfx.play();        // returns boolean
sfx.pause();       // only works if isPlaying
sfx.resume();      // only works if isPaused
sfx.stop();        // resets to stopped state
sfx.destroy();     // marks for removal from manager

Common Patterns

Playing Sounds

Fire-and-forget -- this.sound.play(key, config?) adds, plays, and auto-destroys the sound on completion:

this.sound.play('explosion');
this.sound.play('powerup', { volume: 0.5, rate: 1.2 });

Retained reference -- this.sound.add(key, config?) then call play() on the instance:

const laser = this.sound.add('laser');
laser.play();
// Later: laser.stop(), laser.volume = 0.3, etc.

Volume, Rate, and Detune

Each property can be set per-sound or globally on the manager. Global and per-sound values combine (for rate/detune, they multiply via calculateRate()).

// Per-sound
sound.volume = 0.5;          // 0 to 1
sound.setVolume(0.5);        // chainable alternative
sound.rate = 1.5;            // 0.5 = half speed, 2.0 = double speed
sound.setRate(1.5);
sound.detune = 200;          // cents, -1200 to 1200
sound.setDetune(200);

// Global (affects all sounds)
this.sound.volume = 0.8;
this.sound.setVolume(0.8);
this.sound.rate = 1.0;
this.sound.setRate(1.0);
this.sound.detune = 0;
this.sound.setDetune(0);

The effective playback rate is: sound.rate * manager.rate * detuneRate where detuneRate = Math.pow(1.0005777895065548, sound.detune + manager.detune).

Looping

// Via config at creation
const bgm = this.sound.add('music', { loop: true });
bgm.play();

// Toggle during playback
bgm.loop = false;
bgm.setLoop(false);  // chainable

The LOOPED event fires each time the sound loops back to the start. The LOOP event fires when the loop property changes.

Seeking

sound.seek = 5.0;        // jump to 5 seconds in
sound.setSeek(5.0);      // chainable
console.log(sound.seek);  // current playback position in seconds

Setting seek on a stopped sound has no effect.

Stereo Panning

sound.pan = -1;   // full left
sound.pan = 0;    // center
sound.pan = 1;    // full right
sound.setPan(0.5); // chainable

Uses StereoPannerNode, if it exists, on WebAudio. On HTML5 Audio, the pan property fires events but has no audible effect.

Audio Sprites and Markers

Audio sprites combine multiple sounds into a single audio file with a JSON config (generated by the audiosprite tool). The JSON must be loaded separately.

// In preload
this.load.audioSprite('sfx', 'assets/sfx.json', ['assets/sfx.ogg', 'assets/sfx.mp3']);

// In create
this.sound.playAudioSprite('sfx', 'explosion');
this.sound.playAudioSprite('sfx', 'coin', { volume: 0.5 });

// Or add for retained control
const sprite = this.sound.addAudioSprite('sfx');
sprite.play('explosion');

The JSON spritemap entries are automatically converted to markers with name, start, duration, and optional loop.

Manual markers -- you can also add markers to any sound:

const sound = this.sound.add('longtrack');

sound.addMarker({ name: 'intro', start: 0, duration: 5 });
sound.addMarker({ name: 'loop', start: 5, duration: 20, config: { loop: true } });
sound.addMarker({ name: 'outro', start: 25, duration: 3 });

sound.play('intro');
// Later
sound.play('loop');

Marker API on BaseSound: addMarker(marker), updateMarker(marker), removeMarker(markerName).

Background Music Pattern

this.bgm = this.sound.add('theme', { loop: true, volume: 0.4 });
this.bgm.play();
// Stop on scene shutdown: this.bgm.stop();

The manager's pauseOnBlur (default true) automatically pauses all sounds when the tab loses focus.

Spatial Audio (WebAudio Only)

Spatial audio uses the Web Audio PannerNode to position sounds in 2D/3D space relative to a listener.

// Set the listener position (typically your camera or player)
this.sound.setListenerPosition(400, 300);
// Or update directly: this.sound.listenerPosition.set(x, y);

// Create a spatialized sound with a source config
const enemy = this.sound.add('roar', {
    source: {
        x: 800,
        y: 300,
        refDistance: 50,
        maxDistance: 2000,
        rolloffFactor: 1,
        distanceModel: 'inverse',
        panningModel: 'equalpower',
        follow: enemySprite  // auto-track a Game Object's x/y
    }
});
enemy.play();

You can set sound.x and sound.y directly on a WebAudioSound to reposition it at any time. If follow is set to an object with x/y properties, the spatial position updates automatically each frame.

setListenerPosition() defaults to the center of the game canvas if called with no arguments.

Muting

// Per-sound
sound.mute = true;
sound.setMute(true);

// Global
this.sound.mute = true;
this.sound.setMute(true);

Querying Sounds

this.sound.get('coin');          // first sound with key, or null
this.sound.getAll('coin');       // all sounds with key
this.sound.getAll();             // every sound in the manager
this.sound.getAllPlaying();      // all currently playing sounds
this.sound.isPlaying('coin');    // true if any 'coin' sound is playing
this.sound.isPlaying();          // true if any sound is playing

Removing and Stopping

this.sound.stopAll();            // stop all sounds, fires STOP_ALL
this.sound.stopByKey('coin');    // stop all sounds with key, returns count
this.sound.pauseAll();           // pause all, fires PAUSE_ALL
this.sound.resumeAll();          // resume all, fires RESUME_ALL

this.sound.remove(soundInstance);  // destroy + remove specific sound
this.sound.removeByKey('coin');    // destroy + remove all with key, returns count
this.sound.removeAll();            // destroy + remove everything

Decoding Audio at Runtime (WebAudio Only)

this.sound.decodeAudio('key', base64StringOrArrayBuffer);
// Or batch: this.sound.decodeAudio([{ key: 'sfx1', data: buf1 }, { key: 'sfx2', data: buf2 }]);
this.sound.on('decoded', (key) => { /* one done */ });
this.sound.on('decodedall', () => { /* all done */ });

Configuration Reference

SoundConfig

SpatialSoundConfig

Position: x (0), y (0), z (0) -- source position in world space. Orientation: orientationX (0), orientationY (0), orientationZ (-1) -- source direction vector. Models: panningModel ('equalpower' or 'HRTF'), distanceModel ('linear', 'inverse', 'exponential'). Distance: refDistance (1), maxDistance (10000), rolloffFactor (1). Cone: coneInnerAngle (360), coneOuterAngle (0), coneOuterGain (0). Tracking: follow (null) -- a Vector2Like object whose x/y is auto-tracked each frame.

SoundMarker

Events

Sound Instance Events (emitted on a Sound object)

SoundManager Events (emitted on this.sound)

// Example: listen for completion
const sfx = this.sound.add('bang');
sfx.on('complete', (sound) => {
    console.log(sound.key, 'finished');
});
sfx.play();

API Quick Reference

BaseSoundManager (this.sound)

Methods: add(key, config?), addAudioSprite(key, config?), play(key, extra?), playAudioSprite(key, spriteName, config?), get(key), getAll(key?), getAllPlaying(), isPlaying(key?), remove(sound), removeByKey(key), removeAll(), stopAll(), stopByKey(key), pauseAll(), resumeAll(), setListenerPosition(x?, y?), setMute(value), setVolume(value), setRate(value), setDetune(value).

Properties: volume (0-1), mute (boolean), rate (number), detune (-1200 to 1200), pauseOnBlur (boolean, default true), locked (boolean, read-only), listenerPosition (Vector2), sounds (array, private).

BaseSound (sound instance)

Methods: play(markerName?, config?), pause(), resume(), stop(), destroy(), addMarker(marker), updateMarker(marker), removeMarker(name), setMute(value), setVolume(value), setRate(value), setDetune(value), setSeek(value), setLoop(value), setPan(value).

Properties: volume (0-1), mute (boolean), rate (number), detune (number), seek (seconds), loop (boolean), pan (-1 to 1), isPlaying (read-only), isPaused (read-only), duration (seconds), totalDuration (seconds), key (string), x / y (spatial position, WebAudio only).

All set* methods return this for chaining.

Gotchas

Browser Autoplay Policy

Browsers block audio until user interaction. Phaser handles this automatically:

• WebAudio: AudioContext starts suspended. Phaser listens for touchstart/touchend/mousedown/mouseup/keydown on document.body to call context.resume(). The locked property is true until unlocked; UNLOCKED event fires once resolved.
• HTML5 Audio: Locked audio tags queue all actions until the first touch replays them.

You do not need to handle unlocking manually. To know when ready, listen for UNLOCKED:

if (this.sound.locked) {
    this.sound.once('unlocked', () => {
        this.sound.play('bgm');
    });
} else {
    this.sound.play('bgm');
}

Audio Format Support

No single format works everywhere. Provide multiple formats: this.load.audio('bgm', ['assets/bgm.ogg', 'assets/bgm.mp3']). MP3 has broadest support. OGG Vorbis lacks Safari support. AAC/M4A works well on Safari/iOS. WebM/Opus has excellent quality but limited older browser support.

HTML5 Audio Simultaneous Playback

HTML5 Audio uses a pool of <audio> tags. Specify instances when loading for simultaneous playback: this.load.audio('shot', 'assets/shot.mp3', { instances: 4 }). Default is 1. If all tags are in use and manager.override is true (default), the sound with the most progress is hijacked. WebAudio has no such limitation.

iOS/Safari Specifics

• StereoPannerNode not supported on iOS/Safari, so pan has no audible effect (events still fire).
• iOS 17/18+ can interrupt audio on background. Phaser handles this via context.suspend()/context.resume() on the VISIBLE game event.
• setListenerPosition() and spatial audio are WebAudio-only.

WebAudio Context Reuse

For SPAs that recreate the game without a full page reload, pass audio: { context: existingAudioContext } in the game config. You can also swap contexts at runtime via this.sound.setAudioContext(newContext) (WebAudio only).

Sound Manager is Shared (Global)

There is one SoundManager per game, not per scene. this.sound in every scene references the same manager. Sounds are not automatically cleaned up on scene shutdown -- you must stop/remove them yourself if needed. Looping sounds will continue playing across scene changes unless explicitly stopped.

Fire-and-Forget vs Persistent Sounds

this.sound.play(key) creates a sound that auto-destroys on completion -- you cannot control it after calling play. Use this.sound.add(key) when you need a persistent reference to pause, stop, adjust volume, or listen for events.

Spatial Audio is WebAudio Only

The source config for spatial audio is silently ignored when using HTML5 Audio. If your game must support HTML5 Audio fallback, do not rely on spatial positioning for gameplay-critical audio cues.

Web Audio Analyser (WebAudio Only)

Access the underlying AudioContext to create an AnalyserNode for frequency/waveform visualization:

const analyser = this.sound.context.createAnalyser();
analyser.fftSize = 256;
this.sound.masterVolumeNode.connect(analyser);
analyser.connect(this.sound.context.destination);

const dataArray = new Uint8Array(analyser.frequencyBinCount);

// In update loop
analyser.getByteFrequencyData(dataArray);
// Use dataArray values to drive visual effects

This only works with the WebAudioSoundManager. Check this.sound.context exists before using.

Source File Map