phaser4-gamedev

name	phaser4-gamedev
description	Build 2D browser games with Phaser 4: WebGL-first rendering, scenes, filters, lighting, shaders, DynamicTexture and RenderTexture, tilemaps, SpriteGPULayer, TilemapGPULayer, and Phaser 3 to 4 migration work.
metadata	{"short-description":"Phaser 4 game dev and migration."}

Phaser 4 Game Development

Build 2D browser games using Phaser 4's WebGL-first renderer, scene model, and updated rendering APIs.

Philosophy: Renderer-Aware, Asset-Exact

Phaser 4 is not Phaser 3 with a few renamed methods. The renderer, filter model, shader assumptions, texture orientation, and batching behavior changed. Good Phaser 4 work starts by choosing the right rendering path and measuring assets before code is written.

Before coding, ask:

• Is this a new Phaser 4 feature or a Phaser 3 migration?
• Does this feature stay on standard game object APIs, or does it depend on filters, shaders, lighting, or custom rendering?
• What is the asset source of truth: exact frame size, spacing, margin, atlas bounds, and texture orientation?
• Is the bottleneck CPU object churn, GPU fill rate, or batch breaking?
• Would SpriteGPULayer, TilemapGPULayer, RenderTexture, or a plain Sprite solve this more cleanly?

Core principles:

1. WebGL-first, not Canvas-first: Phaser 4 is designed around WebGL. Treat Canvas as legacy compatibility, not the default target.
2. Measure assets before loader config: Sprite and tile bugs often start as incorrect frame metadata, not rendering bugs.
3. Prefer the simplest rendering path: Use standard game objects until scale or effect requirements justify filters, GPU layers, or shader work.
4. Treat rendering features as architectural choices: Filters, lighting, shaders, and render textures affect coordinate systems, batching, and debugging.
5. Migration is selective redesign: Basic scene code may port cleanly, but masks, FX, custom pipelines, shaders, and texture workflows usually need real updates.

STOP: Before Loading Any Spritesheet or Atlas

Read references/spritesheets-and-textures.md first.

Spritesheet loading is still fragile. A few pixels off in frame size, spacing, or margin can create silent corruption that looks like animation or rendering bugs later.

NEVER guess frame dimensions. DO NOT assume texture orientation details are irrelevant if compressed textures or custom shaders are involved.

STOP: Before Porting Phaser 3 Code

Read references/migration-hotspots.md first.

Search for the Phaser 3 APIs that changed meaning or disappeared. These are where most migration time goes:

• setTintFill
• BitmapMask
• preFX / postFX
• Phaser.Geom.Point
• Math.TAU / Math.PI2
• setPipeline('Light2D')
• DynamicTexture / RenderTexture
• custom pipelines
• custom shader code
• TileSprite cropping

Reference Files

Read these before working on the relevant feature:

When working on...	Read first
Migrating Phaser 3 code	references/migration-hotspots.md
Loading spritesheets, atlases, compressed textures, or TileSprite	references/spritesheets-and-textures.md
Performance issues, GPU layers, filters, lighting, or batching	references/rendering-and-performance.md

Architecture Decisions (Make Early)

Rendering Path Choice

Path	Use when
Standard game objects	Most gameplay, UI, and ordinary animation
SpriteGPULayer	Very large numbers of mostly simple quads or particle-like members
TilemapGPULayer	Very large orthographic tile layers using one tileset
RenderTexture / DynamicTexture	You need capture, compositing, stamping, or texture reuse
Filters / Shader	The effect is genuinely image-space or shader-driven

Physics System Choice

System	Use when
Arcade	Platformers, shooters, most 2D action games
Matter	Physics puzzles, compound bodies, more realistic collisions
None	Menu scenes, card games, visual novels, strategy UIs

Scene Structure

scenes/
├── BootScene.ts      # Asset loading, progress bar, shader/texture setup
├── MenuScene.ts      # Title screen and options
├── GameScene.ts      # Main gameplay
├── UIScene.ts        # HUD overlay (launched in parallel)
└── GameOverScene.ts  # End screen and restart flow

Scene Transitions

this.scene.start('GameScene', { level: 1 }); // Stop current, start new
this.scene.launch('UIScene');                // Run in parallel
this.scene.pause('GameScene');               // Pause
this.scene.stop('UIScene');                  // Stop

Core Patterns

Game Configuration

Prefer explicit WebGL unless there is a concrete reason not to.

const config: Phaser.Types.Core.GameConfig = {
  type: Phaser.WEBGL,
  width: 800,
  height: 600,
  roundPixels: false,
  scale: {
    mode: Phaser.Scale.FIT,
    autoCenter: Phaser.Scale.CENTER_BOTH
  },
  physics: {
    default: 'arcade',
    arcade: { gravity: { y: 300 }, debug: false }
  },
  scene: [BootScene, MenuScene, GameScene]
};

Scene Lifecycle

class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
  init(data: unknown) {} // Receive data from previous scene
  preload() {}           // Load assets before create
  create() {}            // Set up game objects, physics, input
  update(time: number, delta: number) {} // Use delta for frame-rate independence
}

Frame-Rate Independent Movement

// Correct: scales with frame rate
this.player.x += this.speed * (delta / 1000);

// Wrong: varies with frame rate
this.player.x += this.speed;

Phaser 4 Migration Replacements

// Phaser 3
sprite.setTintFill(0xff0000);

// Phaser 4
sprite.setTint(0xff0000).setTintMode(Phaser.TintModes.FILL);

// Phaser 3
sprite.setPipeline('Light2D');

// Phaser 4
sprite.setLighting(true);

// Phaser 3
const mask = new Phaser.Display.Masks.BitmapMask(scene, maskObject);
sprite.setMask(mask);

// Phaser 4
sprite.filters.internal.addMask(maskObject);

RenderTexture and DynamicTexture

Phaser 4 buffers drawing commands. If you queue drawing work into a DynamicTexture or RenderTexture, execute it deliberately.

const rt = this.add.renderTexture(0, 0, 256, 256);

rt.draw(sprite, 0, 0);
rt.render();

Use preserve() or render modes only when they solve a concrete problem. Extra indirection complicates debugging quickly.

Pixel Rounding

Do not assume old roundPixels behavior. Phaser 4 defaults it to false, and per-object control is more explicit.

sprite.vertexRoundMode = 'safe';

Use rounding intentionally for pixel art. Leave it off for rotated, scaled, or camera-heavy scenes unless you want the visual tradeoff.

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Anti-pattern	Why it hurts	Better
Treating Phaser 4 as a drop-in Phaser 3 upgrade	You miss renderer, filter, shader, and texture changes	Audit migration hotspots first, then port intentionally
Starting new work on Canvas-first assumptions	Many Phaser 4 features are WebGL-centric or unavailable in Canvas	Design for WebGL and treat Canvas as fallback only if required
Guessing spritesheet or atlas metadata	Visual corruption appears far away from the actual mistake	Measure frames, spacing, margin, and bounds before loading
Using filters or shaders for every visual effect	More complexity, more batch breaks, harder debugging	Use plain sprites, textures, and tint where possible
Applying lighting or filters everywhere	Shader changes break batches and can tank performance	Reserve them for objects that benefit visually
Forgetting render() on DynamicTexture or RenderTexture	Queued work never lands on the texture	Make render execution explicit in the workflow
Using SpriteGPULayer for frequently mutated gameplay entities	Its strength is scale, not arbitrary object behavior	Keep complex interactive entities on normal game objects
Assuming TilemapGPULayer is a universal tilemap replacement	It is orthographic-only and more constrained	Use it when the layer size and rendering profile justify it
Making raw gl calls outside supported integration points	You can desync Phaser's renderer state	Use Extern or higher-level Phaser APIs

Common pitfall: "the port compiles, so the migration is done." Rendering, shader, and texture bugs often survive the first compile.

Variation Guidance

Avoid converging on a single Phaser 4 setup. Choose based on context:

• Rendering path: standard objects vs GPU layers vs textures vs shader/filter pipelines
• Physics: Arcade vs Matter vs none
• Content: tilemaps vs pure sprites vs hybrid
• Pixel art handling: roundPixels off, safe per-object rounding, or deliberate full rounding
• Assets: spritesheets vs atlases vs single textures
• Scene layout: separate UIScene vs in-scene HUD

What should vary is the architecture, not the rigor. Measure assets, check batching costs, and adapt the solution to the game's real constraints.

Remember

Phaser 4 gives you a more capable renderer and more explicit rendering tools, but it expects better architectural choices in return.

Before coding: what rendering path are you choosing, what assets define the truth, and what batch-breaking features are actually worth their cost?

Codex can do strong Phaser 4 work when the problem is framed precisely: scene boundaries, asset dimensions, rendering constraints, performance targets, and migration scope. These guidelines illuminate the path; they do not replace engineering judgment.