Input: Keyboard, Mouse, Touch, and Gamepad

Phaser provides a unified input system accessed via this.input in any Scene. It supports keyboard polling and events, mouse/pointer interaction with Game Objects (click, hover, drag), multi-touch, mouse wheel, and gamepad input. Input can be handled through event listeners or by polling state each frame.

Key source paths: src/input/InputPlugin.js, src/input/Pointer.js, src/input/keyboard/KeyboardPlugin.js, src/input/keyboard/keys/Key.js, src/input/keyboard/keys/KeyCodes.js, src/input/keyboard/combo/KeyCombo.js, src/input/gamepad/GamepadPlugin.js, src/input/gamepad/Gamepad.js, src/input/events/, src/input/keyboard/events/ Related skills: ../sprites-and-images/SKILL.md, ../events-system/SKILL.md, ../scenes/SKILL.md

Quick Start (basic keyboard + pointer input)

class MyScene extends Phaser.Scene {
    create() {
        // Keyboard: create cursor keys (up, down, left, right, space, shift)
        this.cursors = this.input.keyboard.createCursorKeys();

        // Keyboard: listen for a specific key event
        this.input.keyboard.on('keydown-SPACE', (event) => {
            console.log('Space pressed');
        });

        // Pointer: listen for click/tap anywhere on the game canvas
        this.input.on('pointerdown', (pointer) => {
            console.log('Clicked at', pointer.x, pointer.y);
        });

        // Pointer: make a Game Object interactive and clickable
        const sprite = this.add.sprite(400, 300, 'player');
        sprite.setInteractive();
        sprite.on('pointerdown', (pointer, localX, localY, event) => {
            console.log('Sprite clicked at local', localX, localY);
        });
    }

    update() {
        // Poll cursor keys each frame
        if (this.cursors.left.isDown) {
            // move left
        }
        if (this.cursors.right.isDown) {
            // move right
        }
        if (Phaser.Input.Keyboard.JustDown(this.cursors.space)) {
            // fire once per press
        }
    }
}

Core Concepts

The Input Plugin (this.input)

Accessed via this.input in any Scene. It is an EventEmitter that handles all input for that Scene.

Key properties:

this.input.enabled (boolean) - toggle input processing for the Scene
this.input.topOnly (boolean, default true) - only emit events from the top-most Game Object under the pointer
this.input.keyboard - the KeyboardPlugin instance
this.input.gamepad - the GamepadPlugin instance
this.input.mouse - the MouseManager reference
this.input.activePointer - the most recently active Pointer
this.input.mousePointer - the mouse Pointer (pointers[0], distinct from pointer1 which is the first touch)
this.input.pointer1 through this.input.pointer10 - individual pointer references
this.input.dragDistanceThreshold (number, default 0) - pixels a pointer must move before drag starts
this.input.dragTimeThreshold (number, default 0) - ms a pointer must be held before drag starts
this.input.pollRate (number, default -1) - how often pointers are polled; 0 = every frame, -1 = only on movement

Key methods:

addPointer(quantity) - add extra pointers for multi-touch (default is 2; max 10)
setHitArea(gameObjects, hitArea, hitAreaCallback) - set custom hit area on Game Objects
setHitAreaCircle(gameObjects, x, y, radius, callback)
setHitAreaEllipse(gameObjects, x, y, width, height, callback)
setHitAreaRectangle(gameObjects, x, y, width, height, callback)
setHitAreaTriangle(gameObjects, x1, y1, x2, y2, x3, y3, callback)
setHitAreaFromTexture(gameObjects, callback) - use the texture frame dimensions
setDraggable(gameObjects, value) - enable or disable dragging
makePixelPerfect(alphaTolerance) - returns a callback for pixel-perfect hit testing

Pointers

A Pointer object encapsulates both mouse and touch input. By default Phaser creates 2 pointers. Use this.input.addPointer(quantity) for more (up to 10 total).

Key properties:

x, y - position in screen space (read from position.x, position.y)
worldX, worldY - position translated through the most recent Camera
downX, downY - position when button was pressed
upX, upY - position when button was released
isDown (boolean) - true if any button is held
primaryDown (boolean) - true if primary button (left click / touch) is held
button (number) - which button was pressed/released (0=left, 1=middle, 2=right)
buttons (number) - bitmask of currently held buttons (1=left, 2=right, 4=middle, 8=back, 16=forward)
wasTouch (boolean) - true if input came from touch
velocity (Vector2) - smoothed velocity of pointer movement
angle (number) - angle of movement in radians
distance (number) - smoothed distance moved per frame
movementX, movementY - relative movement when pointer is locked
deltaX, deltaY, deltaZ - mouse wheel scroll amounts
locked (boolean) - whether pointer lock is active
camera - the Camera this Pointer last interacted with

Key methods:

leftButtonDown(), rightButtonDown(), middleButtonDown(), backButtonDown(), forwardButtonDown() - check specific buttons
leftButtonReleased(), rightButtonReleased(), middleButtonReleased() - check recent release
getDistance() - distance between down position and current/up position
getDistanceX(), getDistanceY() - horizontal/vertical distance
getDuration() - ms between down and current time or up time
getAngle() - angle between down and current/up position
updateWorldPoint(camera) - recalculate worldX/worldY for a given camera
positionToCamera(camera, output) - translate pointer position through a camera

Interactive Game Objects (setInteractive)

Call gameObject.setInteractive() to enable input on a Game Object. This uses the texture frame as the hit area by default.

// Default hit area from texture
sprite.setInteractive();

// Custom shape hit areas (Rectangle, Circle, Ellipse, Triangle, Polygon)
sprite.setInteractive(new Phaser.Geom.Circle(32, 32, 32), Phaser.Geom.Circle.Contains);
sprite.setInteractive(new Phaser.Geom.Ellipse(50, 50, 100, 60), Phaser.Geom.Ellipse.Contains);
sprite.setInteractive(new Phaser.Geom.Triangle(0,64,32,0,64,64), Phaser.Geom.Triangle.Contains);
sprite.setInteractive(new Phaser.Geom.Polygon(points), Phaser.Geom.Polygon.Contains);

// Pixel-perfect hit testing (expensive — use sparingly)
sprite.setInteractive({ pixelPerfect: true, alphaTolerance: 1 });
sprite.setInteractive(this.input.makePixelPerfect());
// With alpha tolerance (default 1):
sprite.setInteractive(this.input.makePixelPerfect(150));

// Config object with multiple options
sprite.setInteractive({
    draggable: true,
    dropZone: false,
    useHandCursor: true,
    cursor: 'pointer',
    pixelPerfect: true,
    alphaTolerance: 1
});

// Containers must specify a shape or call setSize first
container.setSize(200, 200);
container.setInteractive();

Common Patterns

Keyboard Input (cursors, addKey, isDown, JustDown)

Cursor keys return an object with up, down, left, right, space, shift Key objects:

this.cursors = this.input.keyboard.createCursorKeys();

// In update():
if (this.cursors.up.isDown) { /* held */ }
if (this.cursors.space.isDown) { /* held */ }

addKey creates a Key object for any key:

// By string name
const keyW = this.input.keyboard.addKey('W');
// By key code
const keySpace = this.input.keyboard.addKey(Phaser.Input.Keyboard.KeyCodes.SPACE);
// With options: addKey(key, enableCapture, emitOnRepeat)
const keyA = this.input.keyboard.addKey('A', true, false);

addKeys creates multiple keys at once:

// Comma-separated string returns { W, S, A, D } Key objects
const keys = this.input.keyboard.addKeys('W,S,A,D');
if (keys.W.isDown) { /* ... */ }

// Object form with custom names
const keys = this.input.keyboard.addKeys({
    up: Phaser.Input.Keyboard.KeyCodes.W,
    down: Phaser.Input.Keyboard.KeyCodes.S,
    left: Phaser.Input.Keyboard.KeyCodes.A,
    right: Phaser.Input.Keyboard.KeyCodes.D
});

Polling vs events:

// Polling in update() - check every frame
if (keyW.isDown) { /* key is currently held */ }
if (keyW.isUp) { /* key is currently released */ }

// JustDown - returns true only once per press, resets after check
if (Phaser.Input.Keyboard.JustDown(keyW)) { /* fire once */ }
if (Phaser.Input.Keyboard.JustUp(keyW)) { /* released once */ }

// checkDown with duration - throttled polling
if (this.input.keyboard.checkDown(keySpace, 250)) {
    // true at most once every 250ms while held
}

// Event-driven: listen for specific key
this.input.keyboard.on('keydown-SPACE', (event) => { /* ... */ });
this.input.keyboard.on('keyup-SPACE', (event) => { /* ... */ });

// Event-driven: listen for any key
this.input.keyboard.on('keydown', (event) => {
    console.log(event.key); // native DOM KeyboardEvent
});

// Event on a Key object itself
const spaceBar = this.input.keyboard.addKey('SPACE');
spaceBar.on('down', (key, event) => { /* Key object + native event */ });
spaceBar.on('up', (key, event) => { /* ... */ });

Key object properties:

isDown / isUp (boolean)
keyCode (number)
altKey, ctrlKey, shiftKey, metaKey (boolean) - modifier state when pressed
duration (number) - ms held in previous down-up cycle
timeDown, timeUp (number) - timestamps
repeats (number) - repeat count while held
emitOnRepeat (boolean) - if true, fires 'down' event on each repeat
enabled (boolean) - can this key be processed

Prevent browser default behavior:

// Capture specific keys to prevent browser scrolling etc.
this.input.keyboard.addCapture('SPACE,UP,DOWN,LEFT,RIGHT');
this.input.keyboard.addCapture([ 32, 37, 38, 39, 40 ]);
this.input.keyboard.removeCapture('SPACE');
// Note: captures are global across all Scenes

Common KeyCodes: BACKSPACE(8), TAB(9), ENTER(13), SHIFT(16), CTRL(17), ALT(18), ESC(27), SPACE(32), LEFT(37), UP(38), RIGHT(39), DOWN(40), A-Z(65-90), ZERO-NINE(48-57), F1-F12(112-123). Access via Phaser.Input.Keyboard.KeyCodes.SPACE etc.

Mouse/Pointer Click and Hover

Scene-level pointer events (fire anywhere on the canvas):

this.input.on('pointerdown', (pointer, currentlyOver) => {
    // pointer: Pointer object, currentlyOver: array of interactive Game Objects under pointer
});
this.input.on('pointerup', (pointer, currentlyOver) => { /* ... */ });
this.input.on('pointermove', (pointer, currentlyOver) => { /* ... */ });
this.input.on('wheel', (pointer, currentlyOver, deltaX, deltaY, deltaZ) => { /* ... */ });

Game Object pointer events (require setInteractive):

sprite.setInteractive();

// pointerdown on this specific object
sprite.on('pointerdown', (pointer, localX, localY, event) => {
    // localX/localY are relative to the Game Object's top-left
    // event.stopPropagation() prevents the event from going further
});

sprite.on('pointerup', (pointer, localX, localY, event) => { /* ... */ });
sprite.on('pointermove', (pointer, localX, localY, event) => { /* ... */ });
sprite.on('pointerover', (pointer, localX, localY, event) => { /* ... */ });
sprite.on('pointerout', (pointer, event) => { /* ... */ });
sprite.on('wheel', (pointer, deltaX, deltaY, deltaZ, event) => { /* ... */ });

Right-click handling:

this.input.on('pointerdown', (pointer) => {
    if (pointer.rightButtonDown()) {
        // right-click
    }
});

// Disable context menu
this.input.mouse.disableContextMenu();

Pointer lock (FPS-style mouse capture):

// Request lock on click
this.input.on('pointerdown', () => {
    this.input.mouse.requestPointerLock();
});

this.input.on('pointerlockchange', (event, locked) => {
    // locked: boolean
});

// Read relative movement while locked
// pointer.movementX, pointer.movementY

Drag and Drop

const sprite = this.add.sprite(400, 300, 'item');
sprite.setInteractive();
this.input.setDraggable(sprite);

// Or use config:
// sprite.setInteractive({ draggable: true });

// Drag events on the Scene input
this.input.on('dragstart', (pointer, gameObject) => {
    gameObject.setTint(0xff0000);
});

this.input.on('drag', (pointer, gameObject, dragX, dragY) => {
    gameObject.x = dragX;
    gameObject.y = dragY;
});

this.input.on('dragend', (pointer, gameObject) => {
    gameObject.clearTint();
});

// Drop zones
const zone = this.add.zone(600, 300, 200, 200).setRectangleDropZone(200, 200);

this.input.on('drop', (pointer, gameObject, dropZone) => {
    gameObject.x = dropZone.x;
    gameObject.y = dropZone.y;
});

this.input.on('dragenter', (pointer, gameObject, dropZone) => { /* ... */ });
this.input.on('dragleave', (pointer, gameObject, dropZone) => { /* ... */ });
this.input.on('dragover', (pointer, gameObject, dropZone) => { /* ... */ });

Game Object-level drag events are also available:

sprite.on('drag', (pointer, dragX, dragY) => {
    sprite.x = dragX;
    sprite.y = dragY;
});
sprite.on('dragstart', (pointer, dragX, dragY) => { /* ... */ });
sprite.on('dragend', (pointer, dragX, dragY) => { /* ... */ });
sprite.on('drop', (pointer, dropZone) => { /* ... */ });

Drag thresholds:

this.input.dragDistanceThreshold = 16; // must move 16px before drag starts
this.input.dragTimeThreshold = 200;    // must hold 200ms before drag starts

Three Levels of Pointer Events

Pointer events fire at three levels (see reference for details):

Game Object: gameObject.on('pointerdown', (pointer, localX, localY, event) => {})
Scene per-object: this.input.on('gameobjectdown', (pointer, gameObject, event) => {})
Scene global: this.input.on('pointerdown', (pointer, currentlyOver) => {})

Input Debug, topOnly, and Multi-touch Config

// Debug visualize hit areas
this.input.enableDebug(gameObject);
this.input.enableDebug(gameObject, 0xff00ff);
this.input.removeDebug(gameObject);

// Let all objects under pointer receive events (not just top-most)
this.input.topOnly = false;
this.input.setTopOnly(false);

Multi-touch: set config.input.activePointers to reserve pointer slots at startup, or call this.input.addPointer(num) at runtime. Access via this.input.pointer1 through pointer10.

Gamepad Input

Enable gamepads in the game config:

const config = {
    input: {
        gamepad: true
    }
};

Access via this.input.gamepad. Gamepads are available as pad1 through pad4:

// Wait for connection
this.input.gamepad.once('connected', (pad) => {
    console.log('Gamepad connected:', pad.id);
});

// If already connected, check total
if (this.input.gamepad.total > 0) {
    const pad = this.input.gamepad.pad1;
}

Polling gamepad state in update():

update() {
    const pad = this.input.gamepad.pad1;
    if (!pad) return;

    // D-pad (boolean properties)
    if (pad.up) { /* d-pad up */ }
    if (pad.down) { /* d-pad down */ }
    if (pad.left) { /* d-pad left */ }
    if (pad.right) { /* d-pad right */ }

    // Face buttons (boolean) - Xbox naming convention
    if (pad.A) { /* bottom button (Xbox A / PS X) */ }
    if (pad.B) { /* right button (Xbox B / PS Circle) */ }
    if (pad.X) { /* left button (Xbox X / PS Square) */ }
    if (pad.Y) { /* top button (Xbox Y / PS Triangle) */ }

    // Shoulder buttons (float 0-1)
    if (pad.L1 > 0) { /* left shoulder top (LB) */ }
    if (pad.L2 > 0) { /* left shoulder bottom / trigger (LT) */ }
    if (pad.R1 > 0) { /* right shoulder top (RB) */ }
    if (pad.R2 > 0) { /* right shoulder bottom / trigger (RT) */ }

    // Analog sticks (Vector2, values -1 to 1)
    const lx = pad.leftStick.x;  // left stick horizontal
    const ly = pad.leftStick.y;  // left stick vertical
    const rx = pad.rightStick.x;
    const ry = pad.rightStick.y;

    // Raw axis/button access
    pad.getAxisValue(0);    // float
    pad.getButtonValue(0);  // float 0-1
    pad.isButtonDown(0);    // boolean
    pad.setAxisThreshold(0.1); // ignore values below threshold
}

Gamepad events:

// Plugin-level events (any gamepad)
this.input.gamepad.on('connected', (pad, event) => { /* ... */ });
this.input.gamepad.on('disconnected', (pad, event) => { /* ... */ });
this.input.gamepad.on('down', (pad, button, value) => { /* any button on any pad */ });
this.input.gamepad.on('up', (pad, button, value) => { /* ... */ });

// Gamepad-instance events
pad.on('down', (index, value, button) => { /* button on this specific pad */ });
pad.on('up', (index, value, button) => { /* ... */ });

Vibration (experimental, hardware/browser dependent):

if (pad.vibration) {
    pad.vibration.playEffect('dual-rumble', {
        duration: 200,
        strongMagnitude: 1.0,
        weakMagnitude: 0.5
    });
}

Key Combos

Listen for a sequence of keys:

// String-based combo
this.input.keyboard.createCombo('PHASER');

// Array of key codes (Konami code)
this.input.keyboard.createCombo(
    [ 38, 38, 40, 40, 37, 39, 37, 39, 66, 65, 13 ],
    { resetOnMatch: true }
);

// Listen for match
this.input.keyboard.on('keycombomatch', (keyCombo, event) => {
    console.log('Combo matched!');
});

createCombo(keys, config):

keys: a string (each character is a key) or an array of key codes / Key objects
config.resetOnWrongKey (boolean, default true) - reset progress if wrong key is pressed
config.maxKeyDelay (number, default 0) - max ms between key presses; 0 = no limit
config.resetOnMatch (boolean, default false) - reset combo after a successful match
config.deleteOnMatch (boolean, default false) - remove combo after first match

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