Physics Arcade

Arcade Physics

Setting up and using Arcade Physics in Phaser 4 -- enabling physics in GameConfig, creating physics-enabled sprites/images/groups, velocity, acceleration, gravity, collisions (collide/overlap), world bounds, body properties, and collision categories.

Key source paths: src/physics/arcade/ArcadePhysics.js, src/physics/arcade/World.js, src/physics/arcade/Body.js, src/physics/arcade/StaticBody.js, src/physics/arcade/Factory.js, src/physics/arcade/components/, src/physics/arcade/events/ Related skills: ../game-setup-and-config/SKILL.md, ../sprites-and-images/SKILL.md, ../tilemaps/SKILL.md, ../groups-and-containers/SKILL.md

Quick Start

class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
    create() {
        // Physics sprite (dynamic body, affected by gravity)
        this.player = this.physics.add.sprite(100, 300, 'player');
        this.player.setCollideWorldBounds(true);
        this.player.setBounce(0.2);

        // Static group (immovable platforms)
        this.platforms = this.physics.add.staticGroup();
        this.platforms.create(400, 568, 'ground').setScale(2).refreshBody();

        // Register a persistent collider (checked every frame automatically)
        this.physics.add.collider(this.player, this.platforms);

        this.cursors = this.input.keyboard.createCursorKeys();
    }

    update() {
        if (this.cursors.left.isDown) {
            this.player.setVelocityX(-160);
        } else if (this.cursors.right.isDown) {
            this.player.setVelocityX(160);
        } else {
            this.player.setVelocityX(0);
        }
    }
}

// Enable Arcade Physics in game config
const config = {
    type: Phaser.AUTO,
    width: 800,
    height: 600,
    physics: {
        default: 'arcade',
        arcade: {
            gravity: { y: 300 },
            debug: false
        }
    },
    scene: GameScene
};

const game = new Phaser.Game(config);

Core Concepts

World (this.physics.world)

The Phaser.Physics.Arcade.World manages all bodies in the simulation. Accessed via this.physics.world in a Scene.

• gravity -- Vector2 applied to all dynamic bodies each step. Set via config or this.physics.world.gravity.y = 300.
• bounds -- Rectangle defining the world boundary. Defaults to game canvas size.
• bodies -- Set of all dynamic Body instances.
• staticBodies -- Set of all StaticBody instances.
• colliders -- ProcessQueue of registered Collider objects (from this.physics.add.collider / this.physics.add.overlap).
• fps -- Physics steps per second (default 60). Read-only; change via world.setFPS(120).
• fixedStep -- true (default) uses fixed timestep; false syncs to render fps.
• timeScale -- Scaling factor: 1.0 = normal, 2.0 = half speed, 0.5 = double speed.
• isPaused -- When true, no bodies update and no colliders run. Toggle via world.pause() / world.resume().
• useTree -- true (default) uses RTree spatial index for dynamic bodies. Disable for 5000+ bodies.
• drawDebug -- Enables debug rendering when true. Set via config debug: true.

Bodies (Body)

A dynamic body is created automatically when you use this.physics.add.sprite() or this.physics.add.image(). Access it via gameObject.body.

Key properties (all on Body):

• velocity -- Vector2, pixels/sec
• acceleration -- Vector2, pixels/sec^2
• drag -- Vector2, deceleration (applied only when acceleration is zero)
• gravity -- Vector2, per-body gravity added to world gravity
• bounce -- Vector2, rebound factor relative to 1
• friction -- Vector2, default (1, 0) -- velocity imparted by immovable body to riding body
• maxVelocity -- Vector2, default (10000, 10000) | maxSpeed -- scalar cap, default -1 (none)
• mass -- default 1, affects collision momentum exchange
• immovable -- false; if true, never moved by collisions
• pushable -- true; if false, reflects velocity to colliding body
• moves -- true; if false, position/rotation not updated by physics
• enable -- true; false removes from simulation
• useDamping -- false; when true, drag is a multiplier (0-1) instead of linear
• collideWorldBounds -- false; onWorldBounds/onCollide/onOverlap -- false, set true to emit events

Shape: isCircle (set via setCircle), width/height, offset (Vector2), center (read-only midpoint).

Collision state (read-only, reset each step): touching / blocked / wasTouching -- { none, up, down, left, right }. embedded -- both overlapping with zero velocity.

Angular: angularVelocity (deg/sec), angularAcceleration, angularDrag, maxAngular (default 1000), allowRotation (default true).

Static Bodies (StaticBody)

A static body never moves and is not affected by gravity or velocity. It uses an optimized RTree for fast spatial lookups.

• Created via this.physics.add.staticSprite(), this.physics.add.staticImage(), or this.physics.add.staticGroup().
• After changing the parent Game Object's position or scale, call body.reset() or gameObject.refreshBody() to sync.
• Has collisionCategory and collisionMask like dynamic bodies.
• Does not have velocity, acceleration, drag, or gravity properties.

Common Patterns

Enabling Physics on Existing Game Objects

// Add a physics body to any existing Game Object
this.physics.add.existing(mySprite);           // dynamic body
this.physics.add.existing(mySprite, true);     // static body

// Or enable via the world directly
this.physics.world.enable(mySprite);           // dynamic
this.physics.world.enable(mySprite, Phaser.Physics.Arcade.STATIC_BODY);

Creating Physics Sprites and Images

// Via the physics factory (this.physics.add)
const player = this.physics.add.sprite(100, 200, 'player');     // dynamic body
const coin = this.physics.add.image(300, 100, 'coin');          // dynamic body
const wall = this.physics.add.staticImage(400, 300, 'wall');    // static body
const platform = this.physics.add.staticSprite(400, 500, 'plat'); // static body

// Standalone bodies (no Game Object)
const sensor = this.physics.add.body(200, 200, 32, 32);        // dynamic Body
const zone = this.physics.add.staticBody(100, 100, 64, 64);    // static Body

Velocity and Gravity

// Direct velocity
player.setVelocity(200, -300);          // x=200 px/s, y=-300 px/s (upward)
player.setVelocityX(200);
player.body.velocity.set(200, -300);    // equivalent via Vector2

// Acceleration + max velocity
player.setAcceleration(100, 0);
player.setMaxVelocity(300, 600);

// Per-body gravity (added to world gravity)
player.body.gravity.y = 200;
player.body.allowGravity = false;       // exempt from world gravity

// Drag (applied only when acceleration is zero)
player.setDrag(300);                    // linear deceleration
player.body.useDamping = true;
player.setDrag(0.05);                   // damping mode: keeps 5% velocity/sec

// Bounce
player.setBounce(0.5);                  // both axes
player.setBounceY(1);                   // full vertical bounce

Collide and Overlap

Two approaches: persistent Colliders (checked every frame automatically) or one-shot checks (called in update()).

// --- Persistent Colliders (preferred) ---
// Created via this.physics.add.collider / this.physics.add.overlap
// Automatically checked every physics step

const collider = this.physics.add.collider(player, platforms);
const overlap = this.physics.add.overlap(player, coins, collectCoin, null, this);

function collectCoin (player, coin) {
    coin.disableBody(true, true); // disable physics and hide
}

// Collider management
collider.active = false;   // temporarily disable
collider.destroy();        // remove permanently

// With processCallback (must return boolean to allow collision)
this.physics.add.collider(player, enemies, onHit, canCollide, this);
function canCollide (player, enemy) {
    return !player.getData('invincible');
}

// --- One-shot checks (in update) ---
// Called manually each frame; no Collider object created

this.physics.collide(player, platforms);
this.physics.overlap(player, coins, collectCoin, null, this);

// Self-collision within a single group
this.physics.add.collider(enemies, enemies);

Groups

// Dynamic physics group -- members get dynamic bodies automatically
const bullets = this.physics.add.group({
    classType: Phaser.Physics.Arcade.Sprite,  // default: ArcadeSprite
    maxSize: 20,
    collideWorldBounds: true,
    bounceX: 1,
    bounceY: 1,
    velocityX: 200,
    velocityY: 0,
    allowGravity: false,
    immovable: false
});

// Static physics group -- members get static bodies
const platforms = this.physics.add.staticGroup();
platforms.create(400, 568, 'ground');
platforms.create(600, 400, 'ground');

// After modifying a static group member's transform, refresh:
platforms.create(400, 568, 'ground').setScale(2).refreshBody();

// Group velocity helpers
bullets.setVelocity(200, 0);       // all members
bullets.setVelocityX(200);
bullets.setVelocityY(0, 10);       // with step increment per member

PhysicsGroup config keys (applied as defaults to new members): collideWorldBounds, bounceX/Y, accelerationX/Y, dragX/Y, gravityX/Y, frictionX/Y, velocityX/Y, angularVelocity, angularAcceleration, angularDrag, maxVelocityX/Y, maxSpeed, mass, immovable, allowDrag, allowGravity, allowRotation, useDamping, enable.

World Bounds

// Set bounds size and which edges collide (left, right, up, down)
this.physics.world.setBounds(0, 0, 1600, 1200, true, true, false, true);
this.physics.world.setBoundsCollision(true, true, false, true); // edges only

// Per-body world bounds
player.setCollideWorldBounds(true);
player.body.setBoundsRectangle(new Phaser.Geom.Rectangle(100, 100, 600, 400));
player.body.worldBounce = new Phaser.Math.Vector2(0.5, 0.5);

// Detect world bounds hit via event (requires opt-in)
player.body.onWorldBounds = true;
this.physics.world.on('worldbounds', (body, up, down, left, right) => {
    console.log('Hit edge:', { up, down, left, right });
});

Body Properties

// Size and shape
player.body.setSize(24, 32, true);     // width, height, re-center on GO
player.body.setOffset(4, 0);           // offset from GO position
player.body.setCircle(16);             // circular body, radius 16
player.body.setCircle(16, 4, 4);       // circular with offset

// Collision behavior
player.body.setImmovable(true);        // not moved by collisions
player.body.setPushable(false);        // reflects velocity to collider
player.body.slideFactor.set(0, 0);     // Sokoban-style: stops after push
player.body.setMass(2);               // affects momentum exchange

// Enable / disable
player.disableBody(true, true);        // disable body + hide Game Object
player.enableBody(true, x, y, true, true); // re-enable at position + show

// Per-direction collision check
player.body.checkCollision.up = false; // don't collide from above
player.body.syncBounds = true;         // auto-sync size to texture

Collision Categories

Collision categories let you filter which bodies can collide with each other using bitmask values. Maximum 32 categories.

// Get unique category values from the physics plugin
const CAT_PLAYER = this.physics.nextCategory();   // 0x0002
const CAT_ENEMY  = this.physics.nextCategory();   // 0x0004
const CAT_BULLET = this.physics.nextCategory();   // 0x0008

// Assign categories to bodies or groups
player.setCollisionCategory(CAT_PLAYER);
enemy.setCollisionCategory(CAT_ENEMY);
bullet.setCollisionCategory(CAT_BULLET);

// Set what each body collides with
player.setCollidesWith([CAT_ENEMY]);              // player hits enemies only
enemy.setCollidesWith([CAT_PLAYER, CAT_BULLET]);  // enemies hit player + bullets
bullet.setCollidesWith([CAT_ENEMY]);              // bullets hit enemies only

// Add/remove individual categories from existing mask
player.addCollidesWith(CAT_BULLET);
player.removeCollidesWith(CAT_ENEMY);

// Check if a body will collide with a category
player.willCollideWith(CAT_ENEMY); // returns boolean

// Reset to default (collides with everything)
player.resetCollisionCategory();

// Works on Groups too
enemies.setCollisionCategory(CAT_ENEMY);
enemies.setCollidesWith([CAT_PLAYER, CAT_BULLET]);

Default: all bodies have category 0x0001 and collisionMask 1. Everything still collides with everything because (1 & 1) !== 0. PhysicsGroup defaults to mask 2147483647 (all bits). Call resetCollisionCategory() to set the mask to all bits after changing categories.

Configuration Reference

ArcadeWorldConfig -- passed via physics.arcade in GameConfig or SceneConfig:

Scene-level config overrides game-level config (merged).

Events

All events are emitted on this.physics.world:

Events require opt-in per body: set body.onCollide, body.onOverlap, or body.onWorldBounds to true.

API Quick Reference

Scene Plugin (this.physics)

Also: accelerateToObject, moveToObject, collideTiles, overlapTiles, enableUpdate, disableUpdate.

World (this.physics.world)

Body Methods

Gotchas

1. debug: true in production -- Debug rendering is expensive. Always disable for release builds.

2. Static body transform changes -- After changing position, scale, or origin of a static body's Game Object, you must call body.reset() or gameObject.refreshBody(). Static bodies do not auto-sync.

3. collide vs overlap -- collide performs separation (pushes bodies apart). overlap only detects intersection without moving anything. Use overlap for triggers like pickups.

4. Persistent Collider vs one-shot -- this.physics.add.collider() creates a Collider checked every frame automatically. this.physics.collide() is a one-shot check that must be called each frame in update(). Prefer persistent Colliders.

5. Events require opt-in -- World events ('collide', 'overlap', 'worldbounds') only fire if the relevant body property (onCollide, onOverlap, onWorldBounds) is set to true.

6. Collision categories default -- By default all bodies have category 0x0001 and mask 1 (PhysicsGroup defaults to mask 2147483647). Call this.physics.nextCategory() to get new category values; max 32 categories total. After changing categories, use resetCollisionCategory() to set the mask to all bits.

7. Group defaults only apply at creation -- PhysicsGroup defaults (like velocityX, bounceY) are applied when a member is added/created. Changing defaults later does not retroactively update existing members.

8. customUpdate config -- Setting customUpdate: true in the arcade config stops the world from auto-updating on the Scene UPDATE event. You must call this.physics.world.update(time, delta) manually.

9. useDamping drag values -- When useDamping is true, drag values should be small (e.g., 0.05) as they act as a multiplier. A value of 0.05 means the body keeps 5% of its velocity per second.

10. Immovable vs pushable -- immovable = true means the body is never moved by collisions at all. pushable = false means the body reflects velocity back to the colliding body but can still be separated.

11. Overlap with TilemapLayer -- When using overlapOnly with a TilemapLayer, every tile is checked regardless of collision settings on individual tiles.

12. RTree threshold -- The RTree spatial index (enabled by default) becomes expensive to rebuild with very large numbers of dynamic bodies. Consider setting useTree: false for 5000+ dynamic bodies.

Source File Map