v4-new-features

name

v4-new-features

description

Use this skill when learning about new features, game objects, components, and rendering capabilities added in Phaser 4. Covers Filters, RenderNodes, CaptureFrame, Gradient, Noise, SpriteGPULayer, TilemapGPULayer, Lighting component, RenderSteps, and new tint modes. Triggers on: new in v4, Phaser 4 features, RenderNode, SpriteGPULayer, CaptureFrame, Gradient game object, Noise game object, new tint modes. For migrating v3 code to v4, see the v3-to-v4-migration skill instead.

Phaser 4 New Features

New features and capabilities in Phaser 4: Filters (replacing FX/BitmapMask), RenderNodes (replacing Pipelines), CaptureFrame, Gradient, Noise game objects, SpriteGPULayer, TilemapGPULayer, Lighting component, RenderSteps, and new tint modes.

Related skills: ../v3-to-v4-migration/SKILL.md, ../filters-and-postfx/SKILL.md, ../game-object-components/SKILL.md, ../tilemaps/SKILL.md

Migrating from v3? See the v3 to v4 Migration Guide for step-by-step code changes, removed APIs, and a migration checklist.

Overview: What Changed in v4

Phaser 4 is a complete overhaul of the WebGL rendering engine. The v3 renderer let each subsystem manage WebGL state independently, causing conflicts (e.g. certain FX breaking Masks). v4 centralizes WebGL state management through a RenderNode graph, where each node handles exactly one rendering task.

Key Removals

v3 Feature	v4 Replacement
Pipeline	RenderNode (per-task rendering nodes)
FX (preFX / postFX)	Filters (filters.internal / filters.external)
BitmapMask	FilterMask (via filters system)
GeometryMask (WebGL)	FilterMask (Canvas still uses GeometryMask)
Derived FX: Bloom, Circle, Gradient, Shine	Actions (AddEffectBloom, AddEffectShine, AddMaskShape) or GameObjects
Mesh and Plane	Removed (proper 3D planned for future)
Point	Use Vector2 instead

Key Additions

• New GameObjects: CaptureFrame, Gradient, Noise, NoiseCell2D/3D/4D, NoiseSimplex2D/3D, SpriteGPULayer, Stamp, TilemapGPULayer
• New Components: Lighting, RenderSteps, RenderNodes
• New Tint Modes: MULTIPLY, FILL, ADD, SCREEN, OVERLAY, HARD_LIGHT
• New Filters: Blend, Blocky, CombineColorMatrix, GradientMap, ImageLight, Key, Mask, NormalTools, PanoramaBlur, ParallelFilters, Quantize, Sampler, Threshold
• GL Orientation: v4 uses standard GL orientation (Y=0 at bottom for textures)

---

Filters System (Replacing FX and BitmapMask)

Full reference: filters-and-postfx.md

Filters unify the v3 FX and Mask systems. Every filter takes an input image and produces an output image via a shader pass. Filters can be applied to any game object or camera -- v3 had restrictions on which objects supported FX.

// v3 approach (FX):
sprite.preFX.addGlow(0xff00ff, 4);
sprite.postFX.addBlur(0, 2, 2, 1);

// v4 approach (Filters):
sprite.enableFilters();
sprite.filters.internal.addGlow(0xff00ff, 4, 0, 1);
sprite.filters.external.addBlur(0, 2, 2, 1);

// v3 approach (BitmapMask):
const mask = new Phaser.Display.Masks.BitmapMask(scene, maskImage);
sprite.setMask(mask);

// v4 approach (FilterMask):
sprite.enableFilters();
sprite.filters.internal.addMask(maskImage);

Internal vs External: Internal filters run before the camera transform (object-local space, cheaper). External filters run after (screen space, full-resolution).

---

RenderNodes (Replacing Pipelines)

In v3, a Pipeline was a rendering system that often handled multiple responsibilities. In v4, each RenderNode handles a single rendering task via its run() method. Some nodes also have a batch() method to accumulate state before drawing.

Architecture

The RenderNodeManager (on the WebGL renderer) owns all render nodes. Game objects reference nodes through role-based maps.

// RenderNode roles on a game object:
// - 'Submitter': runs other node roles for each element
// - 'Transformer': provides vertex coordinates
// - 'Texturer': handles textures

// GameObjects have default and custom render node maps:
gameObject.defaultRenderNodes  // built-in nodes per role
gameObject.customRenderNodes   // overrides per role
gameObject.renderNodeData      // data keyed by node name

Setting Custom RenderNodes

// Override a specific render role:
gameObject.setRenderNodeRole('Submitter', 'MyCustomSubmitter');

// Pass data to a render node:
gameObject.setRenderNodeRole('Transformer', 'MyTransformer', {
    customProperty: 42
});

// Remove a custom node (falls back to default):
gameObject.setRenderNodeRole('Submitter', null);

Built-in RenderNode Types

Batch Handlers (accumulate and draw multiple objects per draw call):

• BatchHandlerQuad -- standard quad batching (Image, Sprite, BitmapText, etc.)
• BatchHandlerQuadSingle -- single-quad variant
• BatchHandlerTileSprite -- TileSprite batching
• BatchHandlerTriFlat -- flat triangle batching (Graphics, Shape)
• BatchHandlerPointLight -- point light batching
• BatchHandlerStrip -- triangle strip batching

Submitters (coordinate rendering per object type):

• SubmitterQuad, SubmitterTile, SubmitterTileSprite
• SubmitterSpriteGPULayer, SubmitterTilemapGPULayer

Transformers (compute vertex positions):

• TransformerImage, TransformerStamp, TransformerTile, TransformerTileSprite

Texturers (manage texture binding):

• TexturerImage, TexturerTileSprite

Filters (post-processing -- see filters-and-postfx.md):

• BaseFilter, BaseFilterShader
• FilterBarrel, FilterBlend, FilterBlocky, FilterBlur (Low/Med/High variants)
• FilterBokeh, FilterColorMatrix, FilterCombineColorMatrix
• FilterDisplacement, FilterGlow, FilterGradientMap, FilterImageLight
• FilterKey, FilterMask, FilterNormalTools, FilterPanoramaBlur
• FilterParallelFilters, FilterPixelate, FilterQuantize
• FilterSampler, FilterShadow, FilterThreshold, FilterVignette, FilterWipe

Other:

• Camera, FillCamera, FillRect, FillPath, FillTri
• DrawLine, StrokePath, ShaderQuad
• ListCompositor, RebindContext, YieldContext
• DynamicTextureHandler

Extending: Custom RenderNodes

// Register a custom node constructor:
renderer.renderNodes.addNodeConstructor('MyNode', MyNodeClass);

// Or add a pre-built node instance:
renderer.renderNodes.addNode('MyNode', myNodeInstance);

---

New Game Objects

CaptureFrame

Captures the current framebuffer contents to a texture at the point in the display list where it sits. Does not render anything itself. WebGL only.

// Everything above this in the display list gets captured:
const image1 = this.add.image(400, 300, 'background');

// Enable framebuffer usage on the camera:
this.cameras.main.setForceComposite(true);

// Create the capture point:
const capture = this.add.captureFrame('myCapturedTexture');

// Use the captured texture on another object:
const overlay = this.add.image(400, 300, 'myCapturedTexture');
// Add filters to the overlay to distort the captured scene

Key details:

• Requires camera.setForceComposite(true) or a framebuffer context (Filters, DynamicTexture, camera with partial alpha)
• Inside a Container with filters, captures only that Container's contents
• Setting visible = false stops capturing
• Components: BlendMode, Depth, RenderNodes, Visible

Source: src/gameobjects/captureframe/CaptureFrame.js

Gradient

Displays GPU-rendered color gradients. Extends Shader. Supports linear, radial, and other shape modes with configurable ColorRamp containing ColorBand objects.

// Simple linear gradient:
const grad = this.add.gradient(undefined, 100, 100, 200, 200);

// Complex radial gradient with multiple color bands:
const halo = this.add.gradient({
    bands: [
        { start: 0.5, end: 0.6, colorStart: [0.5, 0.5, 1, 0], colorEnd: 0xffffff, colorSpace: 1, interpolation: 4 },
        { start: 0.6, end: 1, colorStart: 0xffffff, colorEnd: [1, 0.5, 0.5, 0], colorSpace: 1, interpolation: 3 }
    ],
    dither: true,
    repeatMode: 1,
    shapeMode: 2,       // radial
    start: { x: 0.5, y: 0.5 },
    shape: { x: 0.5, y: 0.0 }
}, 400, 300, 800, 800);

// Animate:
halo.offset = 0.1 * (1 + Math.sin(time / 1000));

Key details:

• Config: GradientQuadConfig with bands, shapeMode, repeatMode, start, shape, dither
• Colors defined via ColorRamp with ColorBand objects (supports HSV, various interpolation modes)
• Call gradient.ramp.encode() after modifying ramp data at runtime

Source: src/gameobjects/gradient/Gradient.js

Noise Game Objects

All noise types extend Shader and are WebGL only. Six variants available:

Type	Factory	Description
Noise	this.add.noise()	White noise (random hash-based)
NoiseCell2D	this.add.noiseCell2D()	2D cellular/Worley/Voronoi noise
NoiseCell3D	this.add.noiseCell3D()	3D cellular noise (Z-axis slicing for animation)
NoiseCell4D	this.add.noiseCell4D()	4D cellular noise (Z+W axis slicing)
NoiseSimplex2D	this.add.noiseSimplex2D()	2D simplex/gradient noise (clouds, fire, water)
NoiseSimplex3D	this.add.noiseSimplex3D()	3D simplex noise

// Basic white noise:
const noise = this.add.noise({
    noiseOffset: [0, 0],
    noisePower: 1
}, 100, 100, 256, 256);

// Cellular noise with customization:
const cells = this.add.noiseCell2D({
    noiseOffset: [0, 0],
    noiseIterations: 3,
    noiseNormalMap: true    // output as normal map for lighting
}, 200, 200, 256, 256);

// Simplex noise for natural effects:
const simplex = this.add.noiseSimplex2D({
    noiseFlow: 0,           // animate this for evolution
    noiseIterations: 4,
    noiseWarpAmount: 0.5,   // turbulence
    noiseSeed: 42,
    noiseNormalMap: false
}, 300, 300, 256, 256);

Common properties across noise types:

• noiseOffset -- [x, y] array to scroll the pattern
• noisePower -- sculpt output levels (higher suppresses high values)
• noiseNormalMap -- output normal map (for lighting integration)
• noiseIterations -- detail level (cellular/simplex types)

Math equivalents: Phaser.Math.Hash(), Phaser.Math.HashCell(), Phaser.Math.HashSimplex()

Source: src/gameobjects/noise/

SpriteGPULayer

Renders very large numbers of quads (up to millions) in a single draw call by storing data in a static GPU buffer. Up to 100x faster than individual sprites. WebGL only.

const layer = this.add.spriteGPULayer(texture, size); // size = max number of members

// Add members (do this all at once, not incrementally):
const member = { x: 100, y: 200, frame: 'tree', scaleX: 1, scaleY: 1, alpha: 1 };
layer.addMember(member);

// Reuse the member object for efficiency with millions of entries:
member.x = 300;
member.y = 400;
member.frame = 'bush';
layer.addMember(member);

// Enable lighting on the layer:
layer.setLighting(true);

Key details:

• Single texture only (no multi-atlas), single image per layer
• Members support tween-like animations (fade, bounce, wave, color shift) defined at creation
• Updating buffer contents is expensive -- populate once, leave unchanged
• Power-of-two textures recommended for pixel art to avoid seaming
• "Remove" members visually by setting scaleX/scaleY/alpha to 0 (avoids buffer rebuild)
• Components: Alpha, BlendMode, Depth, ElapseTimer, Lighting, Mask, RenderNodes, TextureCrop, Visible

Source: src/gameobjects/spritegpulayer/SpriteGPULayer.js

---

New Components

Full component reference: game-object-components.md

Lighting Component

Replaces the v3 approach of assigning a lighting pipeline. WebGL only.

// v3 approach:
sprite.setPipeline('Light2D');

// v4 approach:
sprite.setLighting(true);

// Self-shadowing (simulates surface shadows from texture brightness):
sprite.setSelfShadow(true, 0.5, 1/3);
// Args: enabled, penumbra (lower = sharper), diffuseFlatThreshold (0-1)

// Use game-wide default for self-shadow:
sprite.setSelfShadow(null);  // reads from config.render.selfShadow

Supported on: BitmapText, Blitter, Graphics, Shape, Image, Sprite, Particles, SpriteGPULayer, Stamp, Text, TileSprite, Video, TilemapLayer, TilemapGPULayer.

Batching note: Lighting changes the shader, which breaks batches. Group lit objects together and unlit objects together for best performance.

Source: src/gameobjects/components/Lighting.js

RenderSteps Component

Allows injecting custom logic into the render process of a game object. WebGL only. The Filters system uses RenderSteps internally.

// Add a custom render step:
gameObject.addRenderStep(function (renderer, gameObject, drawingContext, parentMatrix, renderStep, displayList, displayListIndex) {
    // Custom rendering logic here
    // Call next step when ready:
    var nextFn = gameObject._renderSteps[renderStep + 1];
    if (nextFn) {
        nextFn(renderer, gameObject, drawingContext, parentMatrix, renderStep + 1, displayList, displayListIndex);
    }
});

Key details:

• Steps are stored in _renderSteps array, executed via renderWebGLStep()
• First step runs first and is responsible for calling subsequent steps
• This is how Filters defer and control the renderWebGL flow

Source: src/gameobjects/components/RenderSteps.js

RenderNodes Component

Provides defaultRenderNodes, customRenderNodes, and renderNodeData maps on game objects. See the RenderNodes section above for usage.

Source: src/gameobjects/components/RenderNodes.js

---

TilemapGPULayer

Full tilemap reference: tilemaps.md

High-performance GPU-based tilemap rendering. Renders the entire layer as a single quad via a specialized shader. WebGL only.

// Create via Tilemap with the gpu flag:
const map = this.make.tilemap({ key: 'level1' });
const tileset = map.addTilesetImage('tiles', 'tilesImage');
const gpuLayer = map.createLayer('Ground', tileset, 0, 0, true);  // last arg: gpu = true

Capabilities:

• Single tileset with single texture image
• Maximum 4096x4096 tiles, up to 2^23 unique tile IDs
• Tile flipping and animation supported
• Orthographic tilemaps only (no isometric/hexagonal)
• Perfect texture filtering in LINEAR mode (no tile seams)
• Cost is per-pixel, not per-tile -- no performance loss with many visible tiles

Restrictions:

• Cannot use multiple tilesets
• Editing requires manual generateLayerDataTexture() call to update
• Orthographic only

Internal data: Tile data stored in a texture (4 bytes/tile: 2 flip bits, 1 animation bit, 1 unused, 28-bit tile index). Animation data in a separate texture.

Source: src/tilemaps/TilemapGPULayer.js

---

For detailed configuration options, API reference tables, and source file maps, see the reference guide.