Matter.js Physics

Setting up and using Matter.js physics in Phaser 4 -- full-body physics with rigid bodies, compound bodies, constraints, composites, sensors, collision filtering, pointer dragging, tilemap integration, and debug rendering.

Key source paths: src/physics/matter-js/MatterPhysics.js, src/physics/matter-js/World.js, src/physics/matter-js/Factory.js, src/physics/matter-js/MatterSprite.js, src/physics/matter-js/MatterImage.js, src/physics/matter-js/MatterGameObject.js, src/physics/matter-js/PointerConstraint.js, src/physics/matter-js/MatterTileBody.js, src/physics/matter-js/components/, src/physics/matter-js/events/, src/physics/matter-js/typedefs/ Related skills: ../game-setup-and-config/SKILL.md, ../sprites-and-images/SKILL.md, ../physics-arcade/SKILL.md, ../tilemaps/SKILL.md

Quick Start

class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
    create() {
        // Matter sprite (dynamic, has animation support)
        this.player = this.matter.add.sprite(400, 200, 'player');
        this.player.setBounce(0.5);
        this.player.setFriction(0.05);

        // Matter image (dynamic, no animation)
        const box = this.matter.add.image(300, 100, 'crate');

        // Static body from raw shape
        this.matter.add.rectangle(400, 580, 800, 40, { isStatic: true });

        // Enable pointer dragging on all bodies
        this.matter.add.mouseSpring();

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

    update() {
        if (this.cursors.left.isDown) {
            this.player.setVelocityX(-5);
        } else if (this.cursors.right.isDown) {
            this.player.setVelocityX(5);
        }
        if (this.cursors.up.isDown && this.player.body.velocity.y > -0.1) {
            this.player.setVelocityY(-10);
        }
    }
}

// Enable Matter physics in game config
const config = {
    type: Phaser.AUTO,
    width: 800,
    height: 600,
    physics: {
        default: 'matter',
        matter: {
            gravity: { y: 1 },
            enableSleeping: true,
            debug: true,
            setBounds: true    // walls around canvas edges
        }
    },
    scene: GameScene
};

const game = new Phaser.Game(config);

Core Concepts

Scene Plugin (this.matter)

The MatterPhysics class is the scene-level plugin. Key properties:

• this.matter.add -- Factory for creating bodies, constraints, Game Objects (auto-added to world).
• this.matter.world -- World instance managing the engine, bounds, debug rendering. Extends EventEmitter.
• this.matter.body / bodies / composite / composites / constraint -- Direct references to Matter.js modules for low-level use.
• this.matter.bodyBounds -- Helper for aligning bodies by visual bounds.

World (this.matter.world)

• engine -- The MatterJS.Engine instance.
• localWorld -- The MatterJS.World composite containing all bodies and constraints.
• enabled -- Boolean; false pauses simulation. autoUpdate -- true = engine updates each game step.
• walls -- { left, right, top, bottom } boundary wall bodies (or null).

World Config (MatterWorldConfig)

Passed under physics.matter in game or scene config:

Property	Default	Purpose
gravity	{ x: 0, y: 1 }	Gravity vector. Set false to disable
setBounds	false	true or { x, y, width, height, thickness, left, right, top, bottom }
enableSleeping	false	Allow bodies to sleep when at rest
positionIterations	6	Position solving accuracy
velocityIterations	4	Velocity solving accuracy
constraintIterations	2	Constraint stability
timing.timeScale	1	0 freezes, 0.5 slow-motion
autoUpdate	true	Auto-step each game frame
debug	false	true or MatterDebugConfig object
runner	{}	Use runner.fps for fixed timestep

Matter Game Objects

Phaser provides two physics-aware Game Object classes and a function to add physics to any Game Object:

• Phaser.Physics.Matter.Sprite -- Extends Sprite with all Matter components. Created via this.matter.add.sprite(x, y, key, frame, options). Supports animations.
• Phaser.Physics.Matter.Image -- Extends Image with all Matter components. Created via this.matter.add.image(x, y, key, frame, options). No animation support, lighter weight.
• MatterGameObject(world, gameObject, options) -- Injects all Matter components into any existing Game Object. Created via this.matter.add.gameObject(mySprite, options).

Both MatterSprite and MatterImage default to a rectangle body matching the texture size. Pass options.shape to override.

Matter Components (Mixins)

All Matter Game Objects have these component methods mixed in:

Component	Key Methods
Velocity	setVelocity(x, y), setVelocityX(x), setVelocityY(y), getVelocity(), setAngularVelocity(v), getAngularVelocity(), setAngularSpeed(s), getAngularSpeed()
Force	applyForce(vec2), applyForceFrom(position, force), thrust(speed), thrustLeft(speed), thrustRight(speed), thrustBack(speed)
Bounce	setBounce(value) -- restitution, 0 to 1
Friction	setFriction(value, air?, fstatic?), setFrictionAir(value), setFrictionStatic(value)
Mass	setMass(value), setDensity(value), centerOfMass (getter)
Gravity	setIgnoreGravity(bool)
Sensor	setSensor(bool), isSensor()
Static	setStatic(bool), isStatic()
Sleep	setToSleep(), setAwake(), setSleepThreshold(n), setSleepEvents(start, end)
Collision	setCollisionCategory(cat), setCollisionGroup(group), setCollidesWith(cats), setOnCollide(cb), setOnCollideEnd(cb), setOnCollideActive(cb), setOnCollideWith(body, cb)
SetBody	setRectangle(w, h, opts), setCircle(r, opts), setPolygon(r, sides, opts), setTrapezoid(w, h, slope, opts), setBody(config, opts), setExistingBody(body)
Transform	Position sync between Matter body and Game Object

Common Patterns

Setup and World Configuration

// Runtime gravity and bounds
this.matter.world.setGravity(0, 2);          // x, y, scale (default 0.001)
this.matter.world.disableGravity();
this.matter.world.setBounds(0, 0, 1600, 1200, 64, true, true, true, true);

this.matter.set60Hz();                        // fixed timestep
this.matter.world.autoUpdate = false;         // then manual: this.matter.step(16.666);
this.matter.pause();                          // pause/resume
this.matter.resume();

Creating Matter Sprites and Images

const player = this.matter.add.sprite(200, 300, 'hero');  // default rect body matching texture

// Custom body shapes via options.shape
const ball = this.matter.add.image(400, 100, 'ball', null, { shape: { type: 'circle', radius: 24 } });
const hex = this.matter.add.sprite(300, 100, 'hex', null, { shape: { type: 'polygon', sides: 6, radius: 32 } });
const ship = this.matter.add.sprite(400, 200, 'ship', null, {
    shape: { type: 'fromVerts', verts: '0 0 40 0 40 40 20 60 0 40' }
});

// PhysicsEditor shape data
const shapes = this.cache.json.get('shapes');
const enemy = this.matter.add.sprite(500, 200, 'enemy', null, { shape: shapes.enemy });

// Add Matter physics to an existing Game Object
const existingSprite = this.add.sprite(100, 100, 'box');
this.matter.add.gameObject(existingSprite, { restitution: 0.8 });
// existingSprite now has setVelocity, setBounce, etc.

Body Configuration Options (MatterBodyConfig)

Pass as the options parameter to any factory method or as the options for a Matter Game Object:

• label, isStatic, isSensor, angle (radians), timeScale, ignoreGravity, ignorePointer
• density (0.001 default, auto-calculates mass), mass, restitution (bounce 0-1)
• friction (0-1), frictionAir (air resistance), frictionStatic (stickiness when still)
• slop (overlap tolerance), chamfer ({ radius: 5 } for rounded corners)
• collisionFilter: { category: 0x0001, mask: 0xFFFFFFFF, group: 0 }
• onCollideCallback, onCollideEndCallback, onCollideActiveCallback
• shape (for Game Objects): { type: 'circle', radius: 24 } or PhysicsEditor data

Velocity, Forces, and Thrust

sprite.setVelocity(3, -5);          // units per step, not pixels/sec
sprite.setVelocityX(-3);
sprite.setAngularVelocity(0.05);
const vel = sprite.getVelocity();   // { x, y }

// Forces use very small values (0.01 - 0.1)
sprite.applyForce({ x: 0.05, y: 0 });
sprite.applyForceFrom(position, { x: 0.02, y: -0.02 });

// Directional thrust relative to body angle
sprite.thrust(0.05);       // forward
sprite.thrustBack(0.05);   // backward
sprite.thrustLeft(0.03);   // strafe left
sprite.thrustRight(0.03);  // strafe right

// Batch operations via this.matter
this.matter.setVelocity(arrayOfBodies, 2, -3);
this.matter.applyForce(arrayOfBodies, { x: 0.01, y: 0 });

Constraints (Joints and Springs)

// constraint(bodyA, bodyB, length?, stiffness?, options?) -- aliases: joint, spring
const rigid = this.matter.add.constraint(bodyA, bodyB, 100, 1);        // rigid joint
const spring = this.matter.add.constraint(bodyA, bodyB, 200, 0.02, { damping: 0.05 });
const pin = this.matter.add.constraint(bodyA, bodyB, 0, 0.9);          // pin joint

// World constraint (one body pinned to world point)
this.matter.add.worldConstraint(body, 50, 0.5, { pointA: { x: 400, y: 100 } });

// Offset attachment points
this.matter.add.constraint(bodyA, bodyB, 80, 1, {
    pointA: { x: 20, y: 0 },   // offset from bodyA center
    pointB: { x: -20, y: 0 }   // offset from bodyB center
});

this.matter.getConstraintLength(constraint);      // distance between anchor points
this.matter.world.removeConstraint(constraint);   // remove from world

Composites (Stacks, Chains, Soft Bodies)

// Stack of bodies in a grid
const stack = this.matter.add.stack(100, 100, 5, 4, 10, 10, (x, y) => {
    return this.matter.bodies.rectangle(x, y, 40, 40);
});

// Image stack (grid of Matter Images)
const imageStack = this.matter.add.imageStack('crate', null, 100, 100, 5, 4, 5, 5);

// Chain bodies in a composite together
this.matter.add.chain(stack, 0.5, 0, -0.5, 0, { stiffness: 0.7 });

// Mesh (grid with constraints, optional cross braces)
this.matter.add.mesh(stack, 5, 4, true, { stiffness: 0.5 });

// Soft body (cols, rows, gaps, crossBrace, particleRadius, bodyOpts, constraintOpts)
this.matter.add.softBody(200, 100, 5, 5, 0, 0, true, 10, { friction: 0.1 }, { stiffness: 0.5 });

// Pre-built composites: newtonsCradle, car, pyramid
this.matter.add.newtonsCradle(300, 50, 5, 20, 200);
this.matter.add.car(400, 300, 120, 30, 25);

Compound Bodies

Combine multiple shapes into a single body. The first part is the parent.

const partA = this.matter.bodies.rectangle(0, 0, 60, 20);
const partB = this.matter.bodies.circle(0, -30, 15);
const compoundBody = this.matter.body.create({ parts: [partA, partB] });

// Attach to a Game Object
const player = this.matter.add.sprite(400, 200, 'hero');
player.setExistingBody(compoundBody);

Parts share position, angle, and velocity. Constraints must target the parent body, not parts.

Sleep System

Bodies at rest can sleep to skip simulation. Requires enableSleeping: true in config.

if (body.isSleeping) { /* body is at rest */ }
sprite.setSleepThreshold(30);      // lower = falls asleep faster (default 60)
sprite.setToSleep();               // force sleep
sprite.setAwake();                 // force wake
sprite.setSleepEvents(true, true); // enable sleepstart/sleepend events

this.matter.world.on('sleepstart', (event, body) => { /* body slept */ });
this.matter.world.on('sleepend', (event, body) => { /* body woke */ });

Sensors

Sensors detect collisions but do not physically react. Useful for trigger zones, pickups, detection areas.

const trigger = this.matter.add.rectangle(400, 300, 100, 100, { isSensor: true, isStatic: true });
sprite.setSensor(true);    // toggle on Game Object
sprite.isSensor();         // check state

// Sensors fire normal collision events -- use collisionstart/end to detect entry/exit

Collision Categories and Filtering

Matter uses bitmasks: category (which group this body belongs to, power of 2), mask (which categories it collides with), and group (shortcut: same positive = always collide, same negative = never collide, 0 = use category/mask).

const PLAYER = this.matter.world.nextCategory();  // 0x0002 (32 max)
const ENEMY = this.matter.world.nextCategory();    // 0x0004
const GROUND = this.matter.world.nextCategory();   // 0x0008

player.setCollisionCategory(PLAYER);
player.setCollidesWith([ENEMY, GROUND]);

bullet.setCollisionCategory(0x0010);
bullet.setCollidesWith([ENEMY, GROUND]);  // bullets skip player

// Collision groups: same negative = never collide with each other
const noCollide = this.matter.world.nextGroup(true);
spriteA.setCollisionGroup(noCollide);
spriteB.setCollisionGroup(noCollide);

// Via body config: collisionFilter: { category, mask, group }
// Batch: this.matter.setCollisionCategory([bodyA, bodyB], ENEMY);

Collision Callbacks

// Per-body callbacks (on Matter Game Objects)
player.setOnCollide((pair) => { /* pair.bodyA, pair.bodyB */ });
player.setOnCollideEnd((pair) => { /* collision ended */ });
player.setOnCollideActive((pair) => { /* still colliding */ });
player.setOnCollideWith(enemy, (body, pair) => { /* hit specific body */ });

// Game Object-level events (emitted on the Game Object itself)
player.on('collide', (bodyA, bodyB, pair) => {});
player.on('collideEnd', (bodyA, bodyB, pair) => {});

Tilemap Integration

const map = this.make.tilemap({ key: 'level' });
const tileset = map.addTilesetImage('tiles', 'tiles-img');
const layer = map.createLayer('Ground', tileset, 0, 0);

layer.setCollisionByProperty({ collides: true });  // MUST set collision first
this.matter.world.convertTilemapLayer(layer);       // creates MatterTileBody per colliding tile

// Uses Tiled collision shapes (rect, circle, polygon) if defined, otherwise tile bounds.
// Access: tile.physics.matterBody
// Individual tile: this.matter.add.tileBody(tile, { isStatic: true, friction: 0.5 });
// After map changes: this.matter.world.convertTiles([tile1, tile2]);

Friction Types

Matter.js has three independent friction values:

sprite.setFriction(0.1);          // dynamic: resistance during motion (0-1)
sprite.setFrictionStatic(0.5);    // static: resistance before motion starts
sprite.setFrictionAir(0.05);      // air: environmental drag (default 0.01)
sprite.setFriction(0.1, 0.02, 0.3);  // set all three: dynamic, air, static

Complex Shapes from Vertices

// Create body from vertex string (concave shapes auto-decomposed)
const body = this.matter.add.fromVertices(400, 300, '0 0 40 0 40 40 20 60 0 40');

// Multiple vertex sets for complex shapes
const vertexSets = [
    [{ x: 0, y: 0 }, { x: 40, y: 0 }, { x: 40, y: 40 }],
    [{ x: 40, y: 40 }, { x: 20, y: 60 }, { x: 0, y: 40 }]
];
this.matter.add.fromVertices(300, 200, vertexSets);

Pointer Constraint (Mouse/Touch Dragging)

// Enable click-and-drag on all Matter bodies
const pc = this.matter.add.mouseSpring({ stiffness: 0.2, damping: 0.1 });

pc.active = false;           // disable temporarily
body.ignorePointer = true;   // prevent specific body from being dragged
pc.stopDrag();               // release current drag programmatically
pc.destroy();                // remove entirely

// Drag events on the world
this.matter.world.on('dragstart', (body, part, constraint) => {});
this.matter.world.on('drag', (body, constraint) => {});
this.matter.world.on('dragend', (body, constraint) => {});

Queries (Raycasting and Hit Testing)

const hits = this.matter.intersectPoint(pointer.x, pointer.y);   // bodies at point
const contains = this.matter.containsPoint(body, x, y);           // point-in-body test
const inRegion = this.matter.intersectRect(100, 100, 200, 200);   // bodies in rect
const rayHits = this.matter.intersectRay(0, 300, 800, 300, 1);    // raycast
const colliding = this.matter.intersectBody(playerBody);           // body overlap

// Overlap with callbacks
this.matter.overlap(playerBody, enemyBodies, (bodyA, bodyB, info) => {
    console.log('Overlapping', bodyA, bodyB);
});

Debug Rendering

// Enable debug with specific options (pass as debug property in matter config)
// Boolean flags: showBody, showStaticBody, showVelocity, showCollisions, showSensors,
//   showJoint, showPositions, showBounds, showAxes, showAngleIndicator, showSleeping,
//   showConvexHulls, showInternalEdges, renderFill, renderLine
// Color/style: lineColor, lineThickness, fillColor, staticLineColor, staticFillColor,
//   sensorLineColor, jointColor, pinColor, springColor, anchorColor, positionColor

// Toggle debug at runtime
this.matter.world.drawDebug = false;
this.matter.world.debugGraphic.visible = false;

// Set render style on individual body or constraint
this.matter.world.setBodyRenderStyle(body, 0xff0000, 1, 2, 0x00ff00, 0.5);
this.matter.world.setConstraintRenderStyle(constraint, 0xffff00, 1, 2);

Events

All events are emitted on this.matter.world (which extends EventEmitter):

Event	Callback Signature	When
'collisionstart'	(event, bodyA, bodyB)	Two bodies first start colliding
'collisionactive'	(event, bodyA, bodyB)	Two bodies are still colliding
'collisionend'	(event, bodyA, bodyB)	Two bodies stop colliding
'beforeupdate'	(event)	Before engine update step
'afterupdate'	(event)	After engine update step
'beforeadd'	(event)	Before a body/constraint is added
'afteradd'	(event)	After a body/constraint is added
'beforeremove'	(event)	Before a body/constraint is removed
'afterremove'	(event)	After a body/constraint is removed
'dragstart'	(body, part, constraint)	Pointer starts dragging body
'drag'	(body, constraint)	Pointer is dragging body
'dragend'	(body, constraint)	Pointer stops dragging body
'sleepstart'	(event, body)	Body goes to sleep (requires setSleepEvents)
'sleepend'	(event, body)	Body wakes up (requires setSleepEvents)
'pause'	none	World paused
'resume'	none	World resumed

Collision events include event.pairs -- an array of collision pair objects with bodyA, bodyB, collision depth, and normal.

API Quick Reference

this.matter.add (Factory)

Game Objects: sprite(x, y, key, frame?, opts?), image(x, y, key, frame?, opts?), gameObject(go, opts?), tileBody(tile, opts?) Body shapes: rectangle(x, y, w, h, opts?), circle(x, y, r, opts?), polygon(x, y, sides, r, opts?), trapezoid(x, y, w, h, slope, opts?), fromVertices(x, y, verts, opts?), fromPhysicsEditor(x, y, config, opts?), fromSVG(x, y, xml, scale?, opts?), fromJSON(x, y, config, opts?) Constraints: constraint(a, b, len?, stiff?, opts?) (aliases: joint, spring), worldConstraint(body, len?, stiff?, opts?), mouseSpring(opts?) (alias: pointerConstraint) Composites: stack(x, y, cols, rows, colGap, rowGap, cb), imageStack(key, frame, x, y, cols, rows), pyramid(...), chain(composite, xA, yA, xB, yB, opts?), mesh(composite, cols, rows, cross, opts?), softBody(...), car(x, y, w, h, wheelSize), newtonsCradle(x, y, num, size, len)

this.matter (MatterPhysics) -- batch and utility

pause(), resume(), set60Hz(), set30Hz(), step(delta?), setVelocity(bodies, x, y), setAngularVelocity(bodies, v), applyForce(bodies, force), applyForceFromAngle(bodies, speed, angle?), containsPoint(body, x, y), intersectPoint(x, y), intersectRect(x, y, w, h, outside?), intersectRay(x1, y1, x2, y2, width?), intersectBody(body), overlap(target, bodies?, cb?), setCollisionCategory(bodies, value), setCollisionGroup(bodies, value), setCollidesWith(bodies, cats), alignBody(body, x, y, align)

this.matter.world (World)

setBounds(x?, y?, w?, h?, thickness?, l?, r?, t?, b?), setGravity(x?, y?, scale?), disableGravity(), add(object), remove(object, deep?), removeConstraint(constraint), convertTilemapLayer(layer, opts?), convertTiles(tiles, opts?), nextCategory(), nextGroup(isNonColliding?), getAllBodies(), has(body), pause(), resume()

Direct Matter.js module references on this.matter

body (Matter.Body), bodies (Matter.Bodies), composite (Matter.Composite), composites (Matter.Composites), constraint (Matter.Constraint), detector, query, pair, pairs, resolver, axes, bounds, svg, vector, vertices

Gotchas

• Force values are tiny. Use 0.01-0.1 for forces, 1-15 for velocity. Not pixel-based.
• setBody/setRectangle/etc. resets all properties -- mass, friction, collision filters, callbacks are wiped. Re-apply after changing shape.
• Constraints must target parent body, not compound body parts.
• 32 collision categories max. Each nextCategory() uses one bit.
• collisionFilter.group overrides category/mask. Same positive = always collide; same negative = never collide; zero/different = use category/mask.
• Sensors still need matching collision filters to fire events.
• Matter position is center of mass, not top-left (unlike Arcade Physics).
• Sleep events require opt-in: sprite.setSleepEvents(true, true).
• Tilemap conversion requires collision set first via setCollisionByProperty etc.
• Restitution uses Math.max(bodyA.restitution, bodyB.restitution) -- the bouncier value wins.
• body.ignorePointer = true prevents pointer constraint from dragging that body.

Source File Map

Path	Purpose
src/physics/matter-js/MatterPhysics.js	Scene plugin (this.matter), exposes all Matter modules
src/physics/matter-js/World.js	World management, engine, bounds, debug, events proxy
src/physics/matter-js/Factory.js	this.matter.add -- all creation methods
src/physics/matter-js/MatterSprite.js	Physics sprite (Sprite + Matter components)
src/physics/matter-js/MatterImage.js	Physics image (Image + Matter components)
src/physics/matter-js/MatterGameObject.js	Injects Matter components into any Game Object
src/physics/matter-js/MatterTileBody.js	Wraps a Tile with a Matter body
src/physics/matter-js/PointerConstraint.js	Click-and-drag body constraint
src/physics/matter-js/BodyBounds.js	Body alignment by visual bounds
src/physics/matter-js/PhysicsEditorParser.js	Parses PhysicsEditor JSON into bodies
src/physics/matter-js/components/	Mixins: Velocity, Force, Collision, SetBody, Sensor, Bounce, Friction, Mass, Gravity, Static, Sleep, Transform
src/physics/matter-js/events/	Event constants (COLLISION_START, DRAG_START, SLEEP_START, etc.)
src/physics/matter-js/typedefs/	TypeDefs: MatterWorldConfig, MatterBodyConfig, MatterCollisionFilter, MatterConstraintConfig, etc.
src/physics/matter-js/lib/	Bundled Matter.js library modules