phaser-arcade-physics

Phaser 4 Arcade Physics

Add movement and collision to a Phaser game with the lightweight Arcade Physics engine (AABB rectangles and circles only). Targets Phaser 4.2 for new projects; inspect the installed major before editing an existing project.

When to use

• Use for top-down or platformer movement, velocity/acceleration/gravity, bouncing, world bounds, and collision/overlap resolution between sprites, groups, and tiles.
• Use when the scene enables physics: { default: 'arcade' } and code calls this.physics.add.*, body.setVelocity, or this.physics.add.collider.

When not to use: the Game config, scene structure, asset loading, or cameras → use phaser-core. Hinges, springs, complex polygons, or stacking rigid bodies → use Matter physics (a different engine; Arcade and Matter bodies do not interact). For engine-agnostic feel tuning see physics-tuning.

Core workflow

1. Enable the world. Set physics: { default: 'arcade', arcade: { gravity: {...}, debug: true } } in the game or scene config. Turn debug on while building to see body outlines and velocity vectors.
2. Give a sprite a body. Create it with this.physics.add.sprite(...) (dynamic) or this.physics.add.staticImage(...) (static), or attach to an existing object with this.physics.add.existing(obj).
3. Drive it through the body, not by setting x/y. Use setVelocity, setAcceleration, gravity, setBounce, and setCollideWorldBounds. The engine integrates position from velocity each step (already frame-rate independent).
4. Resolve interactions. this.physics.add.collider(a, b) separates bodies; this.physics.add.overlap(a, b, cb) detects without separating (pickups, triggers). Pass a callback to react.
5. Group many objects. Use this.physics.add.group() (dynamic) or staticGroup() (platforms) so one collider call handles all members.
6. Check ground contact with body.onFloor() / body.blocked.down before jumping. Run with debug: true and confirm bodies, contacts, and bounds.