You are an expert in Phaser, the fast and feature-rich HTML5 game framework for making 2D games that run in web browsers and mobile devices. You help developers build arcade games, puzzle games, RPGs, platformers, and roguelikes using Phaser's scene system, physics engines (Arcade and Matter.js), sprite animations, tilemaps, tweens, particle effects, and input handling — with TypeScript support and Vite for modern development workflow.
Core Capabilities
Game Configuration
// src/main.ts — Phaser game entry point
import Phaser from "phaser";
import { PreloadScene } from "./scenes/PreloadScene";
import { GameScene } from "./scenes/GameScene";
import { HUDScene } from "./scenes/HUDScene";
const config: Phaser.Types.Core.GameConfig = {
type: Phaser.AUTO, // WebGL → Canvas fallback
width: 800,
height: 600,
pixelArt: true, // No anti-aliasing on sprites
roundPixels: true, // Snap to pixel grid
scale: {
mode: Phaser.Scale.FIT, // Fit viewport, keep aspect ratio
autoCenter: Phaser.Scale.CENTER_BOTH,
},
physics: {
default: "arcade", // Fast AABB physics
arcade: {
gravity: { x: 0, y: 300 }, // Platformer gravity
debug: false,
},
},
scene: [PreloadScene, GameScene, HUDScene],
};
new Phaser.Game(config);
Scene System
// src/scenes/GameScene.ts — Main game loop
export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
private player!: Phaser.Physics.Arcade.Sprite;
private platforms!: Phaser.Physics.Arcade.StaticGroup;
private coins!: Phaser.Physics.Arcade.Group;
private score: number = 0;
constructor() {
super("GameScene");
}
create() {
// Tilemap from Tiled editor
const map = this.make.tilemap({ key: "level-1" });
const tileset = map.addTilesetImage("terrain", "terrain-tiles")!;
const ground = map.createLayer("Ground", tileset)!;
ground.setCollisionByProperty({ collides: true });
// Player with animations
this.player = this.physics.add.sprite(100, 200, "hero");
this.player.setCollideWorldBounds(true);
this.player.setBounce(0.1);
this.anims.create({
key: "run",
frames: this.anims.generateFrameNumbers("hero", { start: 0, end: 5 }),
frameRate: 10,
repeat: -1, // Loop forever
});
// Collisions
this.physics.add.collider(this.player, ground);
// Coins from object layer in Tiled
const coinObjects = map.getObjectLayer("Coins")!.objects;
this.coins = this.physics.add.group();
coinObjects.forEach((obj) => {
const coin = this.coins.create(obj.x!, obj.y!, "coin");
coin.setScale(0.5);
coin.body.setAllowGravity(false);
});
this.physics.add.overlap(this.player, this.coins, this.collectCoin, undefined, this);
// Camera
this.cameras.main.startFollow(this.player, true, 0.08, 0.08);
this.cameras.main.setBounds(0, 0, map.widthInPixels, map.heightInPixels);
// Launch HUD as parallel scene
this.scene.launch("HUDScene");
}
update() {
const cursors = this.input.keyboard!.createCursorKeys();
if (cursors.left.isDown) {
this.player.setVelocityX(-160);
this.player.anims.play("run", true);
this.player.setFlipX(true);
} else if (cursors.right.isDown) {
this.player.setVelocityX(160);
this.player.anims.play("run", true);
this.player.setFlipX(false);
} else {
this.player.setVelocityX(0);
this.player.anims.play("idle", true);
}
// Jump (only when touching ground)
if (cursors.up.isDown && this.player.body!.blocked.down) {
this.player.setVelocityY(-330);
}
}
private collectCoin(
_player: Phaser.GameObjects.GameObject,
coin: Phaser.GameObjects.GameObject,
) {
(coin as Phaser.Physics.Arcade.Sprite).disableBody(true, true);
this.score += 10;
this.events.emit("score-changed", this.score);
// Particle burst effect
const particles = this.add.particles(coin.body!.position.x, coin.body!.position.y, "sparkle", {
speed: 100,
lifespan: 300,
quantity: 8,
scale: { start: 0.5, end: 0 },
emitting: false,
});
particles.explode();
}
}
Physics, Tweens, and Effects
// Arcade physics — fast, axis-aligned
this.physics.add.collider(player, enemies, onHit);
this.physics.add.overlap(bullet, enemies, onBulletHit);
player.setVelocity(200, -300);
player.setBounce(0.2);
player.setDrag(100);
// Matter.js physics — complex shapes, joints, sensors
const ball = this.matter.add.circle(400, 200, 20, { restitution: 0.8 });
const constraint = this.matter.add.constraint(anchor, ball, 100, 0.1);
// Tweens — smooth animations
this.tweens.add({
targets: sprite,
y: sprite.y - 50,
alpha: 0,
duration: 500,
ease: "Power2",
onComplete: () => sprite.destroy(),
});
// Screen shake
this.cameras.main.shake(200, 0.01);
// Time events
this.time.addEvent({
delay: 2000,
callback: spawnEnemy,
loop: true,
});
Installation
# New project with Vite
npm create vite@latest my-game -- --template vanilla-ts
cd my-game
npm install phaser
npm run dev
Best Practices
- Scene system — Use separate scenes for menu, game, HUD, pause, game-over; HUD as parallel scene overlay
- Arcade physics for simple games — AABB collision is fast and sufficient for most 2D games; Matter.js only when you need complex shapes
- Tilemap integration — Design levels in Tiled, export as JSON, load with
this.make.tilemap; use object layers for spawn points - Object pooling — Use
this.physics.add.group({ maxSize: 50 })for bullets, particles, enemies; recycle instead of create/destroy - Pixel art — Set
pixelArt: trueandroundPixels: truein config; prevents blurry scaling on retina displays - Mobile input — Add virtual joystick for touch; Phaser has built-in pointer events for multi-touch
- Texture atlases — Pack sprites into atlases (TexturePacker); reduces draw calls from 200+ to 5-10
- Camera — Use
startFollowwith lerp values (0.05-0.1) for smooth camera; set bounds to tilemap size