multiplayer-game

name	multiplayer-game
description	Pragmatic patterns for building multiplayer games: matchmaking, tick loops, realtime state, interest management, and validation.

Multiplayer Game

IMPORTANT: Before doing anything, you MUST read BASE_SKILL.md in this skill's directory. It contains essential guidance on debugging, error handling, state management, deployment, and project setup. Those rules and patterns apply to all RivetKit work. Everything below assumes you have already read and understood it.

Patterns for building multiplayer games with RivetKit, intended as a practical checklist you can adapt per genre.

Starter Code

Start with one of the working examples on GitHub and adapt it to your game. Do not start from scratch for matchmaking and lifecycle flows.

Game Classification	Starter Code	Common Examples
Battle Royale	GitHub	Fortnite, Apex Legends, PUBG, Warzone
Arena	GitHub	Call of Duty TDM/FFA, Halo Slayer, Counter-Strike casual, VALORANT unrated, Overwatch Quick Play, Rocket League
IO Style	GitHub	Agar.io, Slither.io, surviv.io
Open World	GitHub	Minecraft survival servers, Rust-like worlds, MMO zone/chunk worlds
Party	GitHub	Fall Guys private lobbies, custom game rooms, social party sessions
Physics 2D	GitHub	Top-down physics brawlers, 2D arena games, platform fighters
Physics 3D	GitHub	Physics sandbox sessions, 3D arena games, movement playgrounds
Ranked	GitHub	Chess ladders, competitive card games, duel arena ranked queues
Turn-Based	GitHub	Chess correspondence, Words With Friends, async board games
Idle	GitHub	Cookie Clicker, Idle Miner Tycoon, Adventure Capitalist

Server Simulation

Game Loop And Tick Rates

Pattern	Use When	Implementation Guidance
Fixed realtime loop	Battle Royale, Arena, IO Style, Open World, Ranked	Run in run with sleep(tickMs) and exit on c.aborted.
Action-driven updates	Party, Turn-Based	Mutate and broadcast only on actions/events rather than scheduled ticks.
Coarse offline progression	Any mode with idle progression	Use c.schedule.after(...) with coarse windows (for example 5 to 15 minutes) and apply catch-up from elapsed wall clock time.

Physics

Start with custom kinematic logic for simple games. Switch to a full physics engine when you need joints, stacked bodies, high collision density, or complex shapes (rotated polygons, capsules, convex hulls, triangle meshes).

Pick one engine per simulation. Keep frontend-only libs out of backend simulation paths and treat server state as authoritative.

Dimension	Primary Engine	Fallback Engines	Example Code
2D	@dimforge/rapier2d	planck-js, matter-js	GitHub
3D	@dimforge/rapier3d	cannon-es, ammo.js	GitHub

Spatial Indexing

For non-physics spatial queries, use a dedicated index instead of naive O(n^2) checks:

Index Type	Recommendation
AABB index	For AOI, visibility, and non-collider entities, use rbush for dynamic sets or flatbush for static-ish sets.
Point index	For nearest-neighbor or within-radius queries, use d3-quadtree.

Networking & State Sync

Netcode

Model	When To Use	Implementation
Hybrid (client movement, server combat)	Shooters, action sports, ranked duels	Client owns movement and sends capped-rate position updates. Server validates for anti-cheat. Combat (projectiles, hits, damage) is fully server-authoritative.
Server-authoritative with interpolation	IO Style, persistent worlds	Client sends input commands. Server simulates on fixed ticks and publishes authoritative snapshots. Client interpolates between snapshots.
Server-authoritative (basic logic)	Turn-based, event-driven	Server validates and applies discrete actions (turns, phase transitions, votes). Client displays confirmed state.

Realtime Data Model

• Snapshots and diffs: Publish state as events. Send a full snapshot on join/resync, then per-tick diffs for regular updates.
• Batch per tick: Keep events small and typed. Batch high-frequency updates per tick.
• Avoid UI framework state for game updates: Use requestAnimationFrame or a Canvas/Three.js loop for simulation, not React state. Reserve UI framework state for menus, HUD, and forms.
• Broadcast vs per-connection: Use c.broadcast(...) for shared updates and conn.send(...) for private/per-player data.

Shared Simulation Logic

Shared simulation logic runs on both the client and the server. For example, an applyInput(state, input, dt) function that integrates velocity and clamps to world bounds can run on the client for prediction and on the server for validation.

• Hybrid modes: Client runs shared movement as primary authority, server runs it for anti-cheat validation.
• Server-authoritative modes: Client uses shared logic for interpolation and prediction only.
• Keep it pure: Movement integration, input transforms, collision helpers, and constants only.
• Put shared code in src/shared/: Keep deterministic helpers in src/shared/sim/* with no side effects.

Interest Management

Control what each client receives to reduce bandwidth and prevent information leaks.

Per-Player Replication Filters

• Filter by relevance: Send each client only state relevant to that player (proximity, line-of-sight, team, or game phase).
• Shooters and action games: Limit replication by proximity and optional field-of-view checks.
• Server-side only: Clients should never receive data they should not see.

Sharded Worlds

• Partition large worlds: Use chunk actors keyed by worldId:chunkX:chunkY.
• Subscribe to nearby chunks: Clients connect only to nearby partitions (for example a 3x3 chunk window).
• Use sparingly: Only when the world is large and state-heavy (sandbox builders, MMOs), not as a default for small matches.

Backend Infrastructure

Persistence

• In-memory state: Best for realtime game state that changes every tick (player positions, inputs, match phase, scores).
• SQLite (rivetkit/db): Better for large or table-like state that needs queries, indexes, or long-term persistence (tiles, inventory, matchmaking pools). Serialize DB work through a queue since multiple actions can hit the same actor concurrently.

Matchmaking Patterns

Common building blocks used across the architecture patterns below.

Actor Topology

Primitive	Use When	Typical Ownership
matchmaker["main"] + match[matchId]	Session-based multiplayer (battle royale, arena, ranked, party, turn-based)	Matchmaker owns discovery/assignment. Match owns lifecycle and gameplay state.
chunk[worldId,chunkX,chunkY]	Large continuous worlds that need sharding	Each chunk owns local players, chunk state, and local simulation.
world[playerId]	Per-player progression loops (idle/solo world state)	Per-player resources, buildings, timers, and progression.
player[username]	Canonical profile/rating reused across matches	Durable player stats (for example rating and win/loss).
leaderboard["main"]	Shared rankings across many matches/players	Global ordered score rows and top lists.

Queueing Strategy

• Multiple players can hit the matchmaker at the same time, so actions like find/create, queue/unqueue, and close need to be serialized through actor queues to avoid races.
• Match-local actions (gameplay, scoring) do not need queueing unless they write back to the matchmaker.

Security And Anti-Cheat

Start with this baseline, then harden further for competitive or high-risk environments.

Baseline Checklist

• Identity: Use c.conn.id as the authoritative transport identity. Treat playerId/username in params as untrusted input and bind through server-issued assignment/join tickets.
• Authorization: Validate the caller is allowed to mutate the target entity (room membership, turn ownership, host-only actions).
• Input validation: Clamp sizes/lengths, validate enums, and validate usernames (length, allowed chars, avoid unbounded Unicode).
• Rate limiting: Per-connection rate limits for spammy actions (chat, join/leave, fire, movement updates).
• State integrity: Server recomputes derived state (scores, win conditions, placements). Never allow client-authoritative changes to inventory/currency/leaderboard totals.

Movement Validation

For any mode with client-authoritative movement (hybrid flows), clients may send position/rotation updates for smoothness, but the server must:

• Enforce max delta per update (speed cap) based on elapsed time.
• Reject or clamp teleports.
• Enforce world bounds (and basic collision if applicable).
• Rate limit update frequency (for example 20Hz max).

Architecture Patterns

Each game type below starts with a quick summary table, then details actors and lifecycle.

Battle Royale

Topic	Summary
Matchmaking	Immediate routing to the fullest non-started lobby (oldest tie-break); players wait in lobby until capacity, then the match starts.
Netcode	Hybrid. Client owns movement, camera, and local prediction. Server owns zone state, projectiles, hit resolution, eliminations, loot, and final placement.
Tick Rate	10 ticks/sec (100ms) with a fixed loop for zone progression and lifecycle checks.
Physics	Client owns movement with server anti-cheat validation; projectiles, hits, and damage are server-authoritative. Use @dimforge/rapier3d for 3D or @dimforge/rapier2d for top-down 2D.

Actors

• Key: matchmaker["main"]

• Responsibility: Finds or creates lobbies, tracks pending reservations, and maintains occupancy.

• Actions

  • findMatch
  • pendingPlayerConnected
  • updateMatch
  • closeMatch

• Queues

  • findMatch
  • pendingPlayerConnected
  • updateMatch
  • closeMatch

• State

  • SQLite
  • matches
  • pending_players
  • player_count includes connected and pending players

• Key: match[matchId]

• Responsibility: Runs lobby/live/finished phases, owns player state, zone progression, and eliminations.

• Actions

  • connect
  • Movement and combat actions

• Queues

  • None

• State

  • JSON
  • phase
  • players
  • zone
  • eliminations
  • snapshot data

Lifecycle

sequenceDiagram
	participant C as Client
	participant MM as matchmaker
	participant M as match

	C->>MM: findMatch()
	alt no open lobby
		MM->>M: create(matchId)
	end
	MM-->>C: {matchId, playerId}
	C->>M: connect(playerId)
	M->>MM: pendingPlayerConnected(matchId, playerId)
	MM-->>M: accepted
	Note over M: lobby countdown -> live
	M-->>C: snapshot + shoot events
	M->>MM: closeMatch(matchId)

Arena

Topic	Summary
Matchmaking	Mode-based fixed-capacity queues (duo, squad, ffa) that build only full matches and pre-assign teams (except FFA).
Netcode	Hybrid. Client owns movement plus prediction and smoothing. Server owns team or FFA assignment, projectiles, hit resolution, phase transitions, and scoring.
Tick Rate	20 ticks/sec (50ms) with a tighter loop for live team and FFA snapshots.
Physics	Medium to high intensity; client movement with server validation and server-authoritative combat/entities.

Actors

• Key: matchmaker["main"]

• Responsibility: Runs mode queues, builds full matches, assigns teams, and publishes assignments.

• Actions

  • queueForMatch
  • unqueueForMatch
  • matchCompleted

• Queues

  • queueForMatch
  • unqueueForMatch
  • matchCompleted

• State

  • SQLite
  • player_pool
  • matches
  • assignments keyed by connection and player

• Key: match[matchId]

• Responsibility: Runs match phases and in-match player/team state for score and win conditions.

• Actions

  • connect
  • Gameplay actions

• Queues

  • None

• State

  • JSON
  • phase
  • players
  • team assignments
  • score and win state

Lifecycle

sequenceDiagram
	participant C as Client
	participant MM as matchmaker
	participant M as match

	C->>MM: queueForMatch(mode)
	Note over MM: enqueue in player_pool
	Note over MM: fill when capacity reached
	MM->>M: create(matchId, assignments)
	Note over MM: persist assignments
	MM-->>C: assignmentReady
	C->>M: connect(playerId)
	Note over M: waiting -> live when all players connect
	M->>MM: matchCompleted(matchId)

IO Style

Topic	Summary
Matchmaking	Open-lobby routing to the fullest room below capacity; room counts are heartbeated and new lobbies are auto-created when needed.
Netcode	Server-authoritative with interpolation. Client sends input intents and interpolates. Server owns movement, bounds, room membership, and canonical snapshots.
Tick Rate	10 ticks/sec (100ms) with lightweight periodic room snapshots.
Physics	Low to medium intensity; server-authoritative kinematic movement, escalating to a physics engine only when collisions get complex.

Actors

• Key: matchmaker["main"]

• Responsibility: Routes players into the fullest open lobby and tracks reservations and occupancy.

• Actions

  • findLobby
  • pendingPlayerConnected
  • updateMatch
  • closeMatch

• Queues

  • findLobby
  • pendingPlayerConnected
  • updateMatch
  • closeMatch

• State

  • SQLite
  • matches
  • pending_players
  • Occupancy includes pending reservations

• Key: match[matchId]

• Responsibility: Runs per-match movement simulation and broadcasts snapshots.

• Actions

  • connect
  • setInput

• Queues

  • None

• State

  • JSON
  • players
  • inputs
  • movement state
  • snapshot cache

Lifecycle

sequenceDiagram
	participant C as Client
	participant MM as matchmaker
	participant M as match

	C->>MM: findLobby()
	alt no open lobby
		MM->>M: create(matchId)
	end
	MM-->>C: {matchId, playerId}
	C->>M: connect(playerId)
	M->>MM: pendingPlayerConnected(matchId, playerId)
	MM-->>M: accepted
	Note over M: fixed tick simulation
	M-->>C: snapshot events
	M->>MM: closeMatch(matchId)

Open World

Topic	Summary
Matchmaking	Client-driven chunk routing from world coordinates, with nearby chunk windows preloaded via adjacent chunk connections.
Netcode	Hybrid for sandbox (client movement with validation) or server-authoritative for MMO-like flows. Server owns chunk routing, persistence, and canonical world state.
Tick Rate	10 ticks/sec per chunk actor (100ms), so load scales with active chunks.
Physics	Medium to high at scale; chunk-local simulation can be server-authoritative (MMO-like) or client movement with server validation (sandbox-like).

Actors

• Key: chunk[worldId,chunkX,chunkY]
• Responsibility: Owns chunk-local players, blocks, movement tick, and chunk membership.
• Actions
  • connect
  • enterChunk
  • addPlayer
  • setInput
  • leaveChunk
  • removePlayer
• Queues
  • None
• State
  • JSON
  • connections
  • players
  • blocks scoped to one chunk key

Lifecycle

sequenceDiagram
	participant C as Client
	participant CH as chunk

	Note over C: resolve chunk keys from world position
	loop each visible chunk
		C->>CH: connect(worldId, chunkX, chunkY, playerId)
		Note over CH: store connection metadata
	end
	C->>CH: enterChunk/addPlayer
	loop movement updates
		C->>CH: setInput(...)
		CH-->>C: snapshot
	end
	C->>CH: leaveChunk/removePlayer or disconnect
	Note over CH: remove membership and metadata

Party

Topic	Summary
Matchmaking	Host-created private party flow using party codes and explicit joins.
Netcode	Server-authoritative (basic logic). Server owns membership, host permissions, and phase transitions.
Tick Rate	No continuous tick; updates are event-driven (join, start, finish).
Physics	Low intensity for lobby-first flows; usually no dedicated physics or indexing unless you add realtime mini-games.

Actors

• Key: matchmaker["main"]

• Responsibility: Handles party create/join flow, validates join tickets, and tracks party size.

• Actions

  • createParty
  • joinParty
  • verifyJoin
  • updatePartySize
  • closeParty

• Queues

  • createParty
  • joinParty
  • verifyJoin
  • updatePartySize
  • closeParty

• State

  • SQLite
  • parties
  • join_tickets for party lookup and join validation

• Key: match[matchId]

• Responsibility: Owns party members, host role, ready flags, and phase transitions.

• Actions

  • connect
  • startGame
  • finishGame

• Queues

  • None

• State

  • JSON
  • members
  • host
  • ready state
  • phase
  • party events

Lifecycle

Host Flow

sequenceDiagram
	participant H as Host Client
	participant MM as matchmaker
	participant M as match

	H->>MM: createParty()
	MM-->>H: {matchId, partyCode, playerId, joinToken}
	H->>M: connect(playerId, joinToken)
	M->>MM: verifyJoin(...)
	MM-->>M: allowed
	M->>MM: updatePartySize(playerCount)
	H->>M: startGame() / finishGame()
	M->>MM: closeParty(matchId)

Joiner Flow

sequenceDiagram
	participant J as Joiner Client
	participant MM as matchmaker
	participant M as match

	J->>MM: joinParty(partyCode)
	MM-->>J: {matchId, playerId, joinToken}
	J->>M: connect(playerId, joinToken)
	M->>MM: verifyJoin(...)
	MM-->>M: allowed / denied
	M->>MM: updatePartySize(playerCount)

Ranked

Topic	Summary
Matchmaking	ELO-based queue pairing with a widening search window as wait time increases.
Netcode	Hybrid. Client owns movement with local prediction and interpolation. Server owns projectiles, hit resolution, match results, and rating updates.
Tick Rate	20 ticks/sec (50ms) with fixed live ticks for deterministic pacing and broadcast cadence.
Physics	Medium to high intensity; client movement with server validation and server-authoritative combat/hit resolution.

Actors

• Key: matchmaker["main"]

• Responsibility: Runs rating-based queueing, pairing, assignment persistence, and completion fanout.

• Actions

  • queueForMatch
  • unqueueForMatch
  • matchCompleted

• Queues

  • queueForMatch
  • unqueueForMatch
  • matchCompleted

• State

  • SQLite
  • player_pool
  • matches
  • assignments with rating window and connection scoping

• Key: match[matchId]

• Responsibility: Runs ranked match phase, score, and winner reporting.

• Actions

  • connect
  • Gameplay actions

• Queues

  • None

• State

  • JSON
  • phase
  • players
  • score
  • winner
  • completion payload

• Key: player[username]

• Responsibility: Stores canonical player MMR and win/loss profile.

• Actions

  • initialize
  • getRating
  • applyMatchResult

• Queues

  • None

• State

  • JSON
  • rating
  • wins
  • losses
  • match counters

• Key: leaderboard["main"]

• Responsibility: Stores and serves top-ranked players.

• Actions

  • updatePlayer

• Queues

  • None

• State

  • SQLite
  • Leaderboard score rows
  • Top-list ordering

Lifecycle

sequenceDiagram
	participant C as Client
	participant MM as matchmaker
	participant P as player
	participant M as match
	participant LB as leaderboard

	C->>MM: queueForMatch(username)
	MM->>P: initialize/getRating
	P-->>MM: rating
	Note over MM: store queue row + retry pairing
	MM->>M: create(matchId, assigned players)
	MM-->>C: assignmentReady
	C->>M: connect(username)
	M->>MM: matchCompleted(...)
	MM->>P: applyMatchResult(...)
	MM->>LB: updatePlayer(...)
	Note over MM: remove matches + assignments rows

Turn-Based

Topic	Summary
Matchmaking	Async private-invite and public-queue pairing in the same pattern.
Netcode	Server-authoritative (basic logic). Client can draft moves before submit. Server owns turn ownership, committed move log, turn order, and completion state.
Tick Rate	No continuous tick; move submission and turn transitions drive updates.
Physics	Very low intensity; no realtime physics loop, just discrete rules validation. Indexing is optional and mostly for board or query convenience at scale.

Actors

• Key: matchmaker["main"]

• Responsibility: Handles private invite and public queue pairing for async matches.

• Actions

  • createGame
  • joinByCode
  • queueForMatch
  • unqueueForMatch
  • closeMatch

• Queues

  • createGame
  • joinByCode
  • queueForMatch
  • unqueueForMatch
  • closeMatch

• State

  • SQLite
  • matches
  • player_pool
  • assignments for invite and queue mapping

• Key: match[matchId]

• Responsibility: Owns board state, turn order, move validation, and final result.

• Actions

  • connect
  • makeMove

• Queues

  • None

• State

  • JSON
  • board
  • turns
  • players
  • connection presence
  • result

Lifecycle

Public Queue

sequenceDiagram
	participant A as Client A
	participant B as Client B
	participant MM as matchmaker
	participant M as match

	A->>MM: queueForMatch()
	B->>MM: queueForMatch()
	Note over MM: pair first two queued players
	MM->>M: create(matchId) + seed X/O players
	MM-->>A: assignment/match info
	MM-->>B: assignment/match info
	A->>M: connect(playerId)
	B->>M: connect(playerId)
	A->>M: makeMove()
	B->>M: makeMove()
	opt all players disconnected for timeout
		Note over M: destroy after idle timeout
	end
	M->>MM: closeMatch(matchId)

Private Invite

sequenceDiagram
	participant A as Client A
	participant B as Client B
	participant MM as matchmaker
	participant M as match

	A->>MM: createGame()
	MM-->>A: {matchId, playerId, inviteCode}
	B->>MM: joinByCode(inviteCode)
	MM->>M: create(matchId) + seed X/O players
	MM-->>A: assignment/match info
	MM-->>B: assignment/match info
	A->>M: connect(playerId)
	B->>M: connect(playerId)
	A->>M: makeMove()
	B->>M: makeMove()
	M->>MM: closeMatch(matchId)

Idle

Topic	Summary
Matchmaking	No matchmaker; each player uses a direct per-player actor and a shared leaderboard actor.
Netcode	Server-authoritative (basic logic). Client owns UI and build intent. Server owns resources, production rates, building validation, and leaderboard totals.
Tick Rate	No continuous tick; use c.schedule.after(...) for coarse intervals and compute offline catch-up from elapsed wall time.
Physics	None for standard idle loops; transitions are discrete (build, collect, upgrade) and do not need spatial indexing.

Actors

• Key: world[playerId]

• Responsibility: Owns one player's progression, buildings, production scheduling, and state updates.

• Actions

  • initialize
  • build
  • collectProduction

• Queues

  • None

• State

  • JSON
  • Per-player buildings
  • resources
  • timers
  • progression state

• Key: leaderboard["main"]

• Responsibility: Stores global scores and serves leaderboard updates.

• Actions

  • updateScore

• Queues

  • updateScore

• State

  • SQLite
  • scores table keyed by player
  • Current leaderboard totals

Lifecycle

sequenceDiagram
	participant C as Client
	participant W as world
	participant LB as leaderboard

	C->>W: getOrCreate(playerId) + initialize()
	Note over W: seed state + schedule collection
	W-->>C: stateUpdate
	loop gameplay loop
		C->>W: build() / collectProduction()
		W->>LB: updateScore(...)
	Note over LB: upsert scores
	LB-->>C: leaderboardUpdate
	W-->>C: stateUpdate
	end

Reference Map

Actors

• Access Control
• Actions
• Actor Keys
• Actor Scheduling
• AI and User-Generated Rivet Actors
• Authentication
• Cloudflare Workers Quickstart
• Communicating Between Actors
• Connections
• Debugging
• Design Patterns
• Destroying Actors
• Ephemeral Variables
• Errors
• External SQL Database
• Fetch and WebSocket Handler
• Helper Types
• Icons & Names
• In-Memory State
• Input Parameters
• Lifecycle
• Limits
• Low-Level HTTP Request Handler
• Low-Level KV Storage
• Low-Level WebSocket Handler
• Metadata
• Next.js Quickstart
• Node.js & Bun Quickstart
• Queues & Run Loops
• React Quickstart
• Realtime
• Scaling & Concurrency
• Sharing and Joining State
• SQLite
• SQLite + Drizzle
• Testing
• Types
• Vanilla HTTP API
• Versions & Upgrades
• Workflows

Clients

• Node.js & Bun
• React
• Swift
• SwiftUI

Connect

• Deploy To Amazon Web Services Lambda
• Deploying to AWS ECS
• Deploying to Cloudflare Workers
• Deploying to Freestyle
• Deploying to Google Cloud Run
• Deploying to Hetzner
• Deploying to Kubernetes
• Deploying to Railway
• Deploying to Vercel
• Deploying to VMs & Bare Metal
• Supabase

Cookbook

• Multiplayer Game

General

• Actor Configuration
• Architecture
• Cross-Origin Resource Sharing
• Documentation for LLMs & AI
• Edge Networking
• Endpoints
• Environment Variables
• HTTP Server
• Logging
• Registry Configuration
• Runtime Modes

Self Hosting

• Configuration
• Docker Compose
• Docker Container
• File System
• Installing Rivet Engine
• Kubernetes
• Multi-Region
• PostgreSQL
• Railway Deployment