Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4

Course Requirements

Welcome to the Course

Thank you for joining this course!

Before we begin, these are the basic requirements for this course:

Prior knowledge

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Introduction

In this course, we will be creating a 2D platformer game in the Godot Engine. This game will feature
a player that can jump around, move between levels, collect coins to increase their score, and avoid
obstacles such as enemies and spikes.

Required Knowledge

In order to follow along with this course, you should have a basic understanding of two things:

You should know how to create nodes, create scenes, and test out your game inside the
Godot Editor.
You should know about variables and functions for use in GD-Script. Don’t worry if you don’t
have a full understanding of GD-Script, as we will still be covering the code in the game line
by line to make sure you understand what you are creating!

This is, of course, still an introductory course, so if you are missing a few bits of knowledge here and
there, that will be no problem and we will cover what to do here.

Godot Features We Will Cover

Across this course we will cover many different features of Godot, here are 3 important ones:

We will be covering the use of CharacterBody2D nodes to create the basis of our Player. It
will allow us to apply gravity and other forces to our player to create our movement script.
We will also look into creating user interfaces for our text. In this game, we will use it to
display our current score on the screen.
Finally, we will look at linking our scenes together, to create levels for our players to move
through as they progress through the game.

Gameplay Features We Will Create

Across this course we will create multiple different gameplay features for the game, here is a list of
what we will cover:

Player – We will cover creating a player character which can move left and right using the
arrow keys, and jump when the user presses the spacebar.
Enemies – We will create enemies that will reset the player when they touch them. They will
move back and forth between 2 points that can be set in the Editor.
Spikes – Similarly to the enemies, we will create spikes, that when touched, reset the player.
Coins – Coins will bob up and down using a sine wave to set their position. They can be
collected by the player and will add to a score that appears on the screen as a UI element.

About Zenva

Zenva is an online learning academy with over 1 million students. We offer a wide range of courses
for people who are just starting out or for people who want to learn something new. The courses are
also very versatile, allowing you to learn in whatever way you want. You can choose to view the
online video tutorials, read the included summaries, or follow along with the instructor using the
included course files.

Now that you know what this course is about, let’s get started with the first lesson!

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Godot Installation and Version

Course Updated to Godot 4.2

We’ve updated the project files to Godot version 4.2 for this course – the latest stable release.

How to Install Version 4.2

You can download the most recent version of Godot by heading to the Godot download page here:
https://godotengine.org/download/windows/

Then, just click the option for Godot 4.2. This will download the Godot engine to your local
computer. From there, unzip the file and simply click on the application file – no further installation
steps required!

If you are using another non-Windows operating system, such as MacOS or Linux, you can scroll
down on the page to change the download link before hitting the button above.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Project Setup

Creating a 2D game with Godot is a great way to get started with game development. In this lesson,
we will go through the steps of setting up a project and adding sprites to it.

Opening the Project Manager

The first step is to open up the Godot project manager by running the .exe, we can then create
a New Project.

We can then fill out the Project Name section, we will be calling our project Platformer2DProject.
Then, you can choose a Project Path to where you want to store the Godot project files. This needs to
be an empty folder.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Project Setup

Then press Create & Edit to open the new project.

Creating the Root Node

As we will be creating a 2D game, we first need to swap to the 2D view on the top row.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Project Setup

We then need a root node for our scene, to do this we will select the 2D Scene option in the
Scene tab.

We can then rename this to Main so that it is easily identifiable as our scene’s root node.

We will then open the Scene menu from the top row and choose Save Scene As…

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Project Setup

We will then save it as Level1.tscn or a similar name and press the Save button.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Project Setup

Adding Sprites

The next step is to add sprites to your project. You can use your own 2D sprites, or you can
download the sprites included in the course files tab of this course. If you choose to use our provided
sprites, extract the contents of the zip file. With the new folder open, drag-and-drop the
Sprites folder into the Godot Editor’s FileSystem tab.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Project Setup

As we are using pixel art sprites the default import settings make them appear blurry, you can fix
this by going to Project and selecting Project Settings.

Under the Rendering section, select the Textures tab, and change the Default Texture Filter to
Nearest.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Project Setup

Now that you have set up your project and added sprites to it, we are ready to start creating your
game. In the next lesson, we will look at setting up the game environment.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Creating the Environment

Creating a tile map is an important step in setting up a platform game. It allows you to create a grid
that can be used to paint with sprites. In this article, we will go through the steps of creating a tile
map and setting up the environment for our platform game.

Creating the Tile Map

To begin, we need to create a TileMap node. To do this, go to the Scene tab and click on the plus
sign.

We then search for the TileMap node and create it.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Creating the Environment

Once the tile map is created, go to the inspector tab and click on the tile set button to create a New
TileSet.

This will open up the tile set window along the bottom of your editor. Here, we need to tell the tile
map what sprites we want to use to construct our level. To do this, drag-and-drop the tiles-
packed.png file into the white box.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Creating the Environment

If you get a popup, click yes. If the tile size appears wrong inside the Tiles editor, go to the
Inspector window and change the Tile Size to 18 by 18. This will ensure that the sprites are
correctly aligned, if you are using your own textures, you may want to use different values.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Creating the Environment

Then, in the Properties panel of the Tiles editor, change the Texture Resolution to be the same 18
by 18. This will make the grid match up with your tiles.

If you are using a custom tileset, it may have gaps in between the tiles. You can add this using the
Separation and Margins options.

Now, if you want to use this tile set across multiple tile maps, in other scenes for example, then you
can save it to your File System. Just click on the down arrow next to the Tile Set and select Save.
This will then create a new resource in your File System which you can drag and drop into a new tile
map.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Creating the Environment

Painting the Level

Now that the tile map is set up, we can begin painting the level. To do this, open the tile map
window.

Then chose the Select tool in the editor (or use the shortcut Q), as this is the tool needed to draw
our tiles on the Tilemap node.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Creating the Environment

Now if you Left-Click on the grid in the editor you can place tiles, or Right-Click to remove tiles. You
can then select the tile you want to draw with from the Tiles panel and use them to construct the
level.

In the next lesson, we will look at setting up our Player Controller so that we have a player that can
walk around our level.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Multiple Level TileSet Fix

Multiple Level TileSet Fix

In Godot, there is a bug where copy and pasting a tile map causes the TileSet of the original to
break. To fix this, we can save our current TileSet as a resource and use that for each new tile map
we create.

1. Select the TileMap

2. In the Inspector, click on the dropdown arrow next to the Tile Set property.
3. Select Save As… and save it to the FileSystem.

Now when you create a new tile map, you can use that saved TileSet and when you duplicate a tile
map, no error should occur.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

In this lesson, we are going to be setting up our player controller. It will allow us to give it a velocity
input that will automatically move our player throughout the world. It will also take into account
grounding the player, making sure they won’t fall for any obstacles.

Creating a Node

To begin, we are going to be creating a CharacterBody2D node by clicking the plus button in the
Scene tab.

This can then be named Player.

We need to give our player a Sprite. We can do this by selecting one of our character Sprites and
dragging it into the scene to create a Sprite node.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

We then need to make this sprite a child of the Player node (by dragging and dropping the node on
top of Player in the Scene view) and rename it to Sprite.

Then to center the sprite, set the sprite’s Position value to (0, 0) in the Inspector tab.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

We then need to add in a collider. To do this, right-click on the Player node in the Scene tab and
select Add Child Node.

We will then add a CollisionShape2D node.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

We can then go to the Shape value in the Inspector and create a capsule.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

Then use the orange circles on the new blue capsule in the scene view, to scale the capsule to the
size of the Sprite.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

Setting up our first script

We then need to create a script that is going to give our player the ability to move around and jump.
To do this, in the Inspector tab, choose Create Script under the Script property.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

The default values should be fine, just ensure the script is called Player.gd and that it inherits from
CharacterBody2D. Then press the Create button.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

There may be some default code in the editor, but for this lesson, we will select all of it (apart from
the first line) and delete it. This should leave you with the following code:

extends CharacterBody2D

This line will give us the ability to communicate with our CharacterBody2D node. Firstly, we will
need to create some variables. The first will be our move_speed variable with the line:

var move_speed : float = 100.0

We gave the script a value of 100.0 which means our character will move at 100 pixels per second.

For the next line, we will also add a variable called jump_force, which will also be of type float, using
the line:

var jump_force : float = 200.0

This value will be the upwards velocity we add when the user presses the jump button.

We will also create another variable called gravity, with the type of float, using the line:

var gravity : float = 500.0

This value will be the downward force we use as our gravity, to combat the jump_force value.

Physics Process Function

We are going to create a function called _physics_process. The physics process function is generally
where you want to run the physics code that you want to check every frame. This function gets run
at a consistent rate per second. To do this we will add the function to our code:

func _physics__process(delta):

In this function, we are going to be applying gravity. To do that, we first want to check to see if the
Player is not standing on the floor by using the is_on_floor function. Then, if we are not standing on
the floor, we want to modify our vertical velocity by our gravity value.

func _physics_process(delta):
if not is_on_floor():
velocity.y += gravity * delta

Multiplying by the delta value above will convert a per-frame action, into a per-section action.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

We then want to have the ability to move left and right. We will being by setting our X velocity to
zero, and if we are pressing the left key, we want to set our velocity to be negative move speed. If
we are pressing the right key, we then want to set our velocity to be positive move speed. This can
be done using the following code:

func _physics_process(delta):
...
velocity.x = 0

if Input.is_key_pressed(KEY_LEFT):
velocity.x -= move_speed
if Input.is_key_pressed(KEY_RIGHT):
velocity.x += move_speed

Finally, we need to apply the velocity to the CharacterBody2D node so that Godot can process our
movement. This will be done using the move_and_slide function that will move our player based on
the velocity and slide across objects like ramps.

func _physics_process(delta):
...
move_and_slide()

Testing the Movement

We can then save this script (CTRL + S) and return back to our 2D scene view.

If you test the game you will notice we can’t see anything, this is due to our camera isn’t showing
what we want to render. To fix this, we are going to add a new node of Camera2D.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

We can then zoom in a bit by changing the zoom property to (3, 3).

Now, we can press the Play button, and we should be able to see our character. If you get a pop-up
when pressing play, choose the Select Current option.

When you test the game you will notice our player falls through the ground. Don’t worry, this is an
easy fix.

Adding Ground Collisions.

Firstly, we want to select our TileMap node in the Scene tab.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

We then want to open the Physics Layers tab in the Inspector and press Add Element.

We then need to add this physics layer to our tiles. In the Tiles tab, select the Paint option.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

Then choose the Physics Layer 0 option in the Select a property editor option.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

Then we can go through and “paint” all of the tiles that we want to have collisions with, using the left
mouse button.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

Testing the Game

Now when you press Play you should be able to move left and right using the keys we set up earlier,
and gravity will affect the Player if it falls off the edge of the terrain we made.

Adding Jumping to our Player Script

As well as moving and falling, another important section of a platformer game is jumping. To do this,

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

we will reopen our Player script and add the following lines above the move_and_slide function call.

func _physics_process(delta):
...
if Input.is_key_pressed(KEY_SPACE) and is_on_floor():
velocity.y = -jump_force
move_and_slide()

This will add our jump force to the player (negative to say going upward) if the player presses the
space bar and is on the ground. We also want our Camera to follow the Player, to do this, just drag
and drop the Camera node as a child of the Player node.

You can also position the Camera to be just above the Player Sprite using the arrow tools in the
editor window.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Player

Now, you can press space to jump around your level, use the arrow keys to move left and right, and
you will fall due to gravity, all from this one simple Player script.

In the next lesson, we will set up the ability to have enemies and falling set off our game over
screen.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Game Over

In this article, we will go over how to set up a game over state in a 2D game. This state will occur
when our player hits spikes, enemies, or anything else that hurts them.

Setting up the Game-Over Function

The first step is to create a game-over function in the player script. To do this, return to the Script
tab, and make sure the Player.gd script from the last lesson is still open.

At the bottom of the script, add the new function using the following line:

func game_over():

This function will simply reload the current scene. To do this, we need to get the node tree and then
call the reload_current_scene() function on the tree.

func game_over():
get_tree().reload_current_scene()

Checking for Fall Deaths

The next step is to check the player’s position, if they are below the terrain, we want to call the
game_over function. The first step is to find a position under your world by dragging your Player to
the lowest position they should be able to reach.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Game Over

And check the Y position value to find the lowest position you want the player to reach. For us, we
will be using 100 pixels or lower as our range for calling the game_over function.

We can then add an if statement to the _physics_process function. This statement will check the
player’s Y position and if it is greater than 100 (or the value you found earlier), the game-over
function will be called.

func _physics_process(delta):
...

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Game Over

if global_position.y > 100:

game_over()

You can now press Play to test the game, and you will notice if you fall off the platform, the scene
will be reloaded.

Changing the background

Finally, we can change the background of the game. To do this, open up the project settings
window.

Then open the Environment tab (under Rendering), and we can then change the Default Clear
Color. This can be set to any color you want.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Game Over

You will then see the background color in both your scene view and the game if you press Play.

In the next lesson, we will be making enemies that if the player hits, will produce a game_over state.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Enemy

Creating an enemy scene in a game is an important part of the development process. In this lesson,
we will be setting up an enemy scene in a 2D game.

Creating the Enemy Scene

The first step is to create a new node of type Area2D. This node will detect collisions and run an
event in the code when another collider passes through it. You can rename this to Enemy.

We will then add a Sprite node as a child of the Area2D node. We will be using
the character_0024.png sprite from our pack.

This will give the enemy a visual representation in the game. We can then rename the node to
Sprite.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Enemy

Next, we need to add a CollisionShape2D node to the enemy to give our Area2D a shape to check.

Then set the Shape property to a new CircleShape2D.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Enemy

Next, adjust its size to be slightly smaller than the Sprite.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Enemy

This will allow the player to pass by the enemy without colliding with it but still set off a collision
event.

Creating the Enemy Script

With the Enemy node selected, create a new script.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Enemy

This script will be named Enemy.gd and inherit from Area2D, as this is the Enemy node’s type.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Enemy

This time we will keep the default functions, but we will add variables for the enemy’s move_speed,
move_direction, start_position, and target_position.

extends Area2D

@export var move_speed : float = 30.0

@export var move_dir : Vector2

var start_pos : Vector2

var target_pos : Vector2

move_speed – The speed at which our enemy will move.

move_direction – The maximum point our enemy will move to before moving back.
start_pos – The position the enemy starts in and will move back to.
target_pos – The position the enemy will move to and away from.

We have used the @export tag to make our variables visible to edit in the inspector.

With these variables, we can then set the start_pos and the target_pos in the _ready function.

func _ready():
start_pos = global_position
target_pos = start_pos + move_dir

We can now create the logic to move toward our target position. This will be done in the _process
function, as it runs once every frame.

func _process(delta):

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Enemy

global_position = global_position.move_toward(target_pos, move_speed * delta)

We will also need to check to see if we have reached our target position, and if we have, change the
target position to the other way.

func _process(delta):
...

if global_position == target_pos:
if global_position == start_pos:
target_pos = start_pos + move_dir
else:
target_pos = start_pos

This code will check to see if we have reached our target_pos, and then proceed to check if we are at
the start_pos or not. If we are, we will change the target_pos to our move_dir value, if not, we want
to move back to the start_pos.

We can now save this script (CTRL+S) and return to the 2D scene view.

Setting up our Enemy

We now need to set the Move Dir value we exported earlier, we will use the value (0, -50) to state
move 50 pixels upward, you can of course change this value however you want.

If you now press Play, you will see the Enemy we created go up and down between its start position
and target position.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Enemy

You will notice, however, if you touch the enemy, it doesn’t yet call our game over function.

Detecting Collisions

To do this, we will select the Player node and open the Node tab and select the Groups section.

We want to add our Player node to a group, this is like tagging our node and will let us know what
type of node a collider is when one is detected by our Enemy. We will add a group to our
Player named Player.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Enemy

Next, with the Enemy node selected, choose the Signals section this time.

To add a signal to our Enemy, choose the body_entered signal and double-click it.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Enemy

Then select our Enemy node in the list that appears and press Connect.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Enemy

This will create an _on_body_entered function that will call when the signal is set off. The body
parameter passed through the function is the object we have interacted with, so we want to check if
this is the Player and call the game_over function if it is. We will do this with the following code at the
bottom of the Enemy.gd script:

func _on_body_entered(body):
if body.is_in_group("Player"):
body.game_over()

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Enemy

Now if you save the script, and press Play you will see the player is reset when they touch the
enemy, as intended.

Turning the Enemy into a Scene

We finally need to save the Enemy node tree as a scene. This will allow us to drag in multiple
instances of it into the game, and still be able to edit it globally. Do this by dragging the top
Enemy node from the Scene tab to the FileSystem tab.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Enemy

Then, save the scene as Enemy.tscn

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Enemy

You can now copy and paste the Enemy scene around the level and change the Move Dir and Move
Speed to make differing enemies.

In the next lesson, we will be creating spikes, which will be another trap that the player must avoid.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Spikes - Part 1

In this lesson, we are going to be setting up our spikes. Our spikes are nodes that, when the player
collides with them, will call the player’s game over function.

Creating the Spike Node

To begin, we need to create an Area2D node that will act as the base for our spike.

We then double-click the new node to rename it Spikes.

Adding a Sprite

Next, we need to add a Sprite to the node. As with the other sprites, we will do this by dragging a
texture into our scene. We will be using the tile_0068.png file for our spikes.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Spikes - Part 1

Then make the Sprite a child of the spikes node, and rename it to Sprite.

Finally, make sure to set the position of the Sprite to (0,0) to center it inside the Spikes node.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Spikes - Part 1

Adding a Collision Shape

We then need to add a collision shape to the spikes node. Right-click on Spikes and choose Add
Child Node, and create a CollisionShape2D.

Then choose New RectangleShape2D for the Shape property.

Finally, resize it to make sure it covers the Spikes sprite correctly.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Spikes - Part 1

Select the Spikes parent node and move the object to somewhere you want in your level. For us, we
will place ours on top of a hill section.

Adding a Script

Finally, we need to attach a script to the spikes node. With the Spikes node selected, choose New

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Spikes - Part 1

Script in the Script property, as we have done previously.

Make sure the script is named Spikes.gd and that it inherits from Area2D. Then press Create.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Spikes - Part 1

We can then remove the default functions, leaving only the Area2D inheritance call. This should
leave your Spikes.gd script looking like the following:

extends Area2D

Functionality

The functionality of the script is similar to the enemy script, and we challenge you to create it on
your own. In the Enemy.gd script we have an _on_body_entered function, which gets called from the
signal in the node panel. When this is called, we check to see if the body is in the Player group. If so,
we call the game_over function. We will cover the solution to this in the next lesson.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Spikes - Part 2

In this lesson, we will be looking at the solution to setting up our Spikes node.

Setting up the Spikes

With the Spikes node selected, in the Node panel, select the Signals section and double-click the
body_entered signal.

In the next window, select the Spikes node and press Connect to create an _on_body_entered
function in our Spikes.gd script.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Spikes - Part 2

Then in the Script tab make sure Spikes.gd is open. Then add the following code to our new
_on_body_entered function.

func _on_body_entered(body):
if body.is_in_group("Player"):
body.game_over()

You can then save the script (CTRL+S) and return to the 2D scene view.

Testing the Spikes

Once we have saved the script, we can go back into our 2D scene and press Play. We should be able
to move our enemies and jump over them. If we collide with the spikes, the scene should restart.

In the next lesson, we will be looking at setting up coins. This will allow us to collect coins to increase
our score, and have some text on the screen to display the current amount.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Coin

In this lesson, we will be looking at setting up a scoring system for our game. This system will allow
us to keep track of the player’s score and display it on the screen.

Setting up our Spikes Scene

Firstly, we need to drag our Spikes node into the FileSystem tab to save it as a new Scene.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Coin

Make sure to save the file as Spikes.tscn and press Save.

Like with our Enemy scene, this will allow us to create multiple instances of the Spikes scene but still
edit it using the parent scene at a later date.

Creating the Score Variable

The first step is to create a variable to store the score in our Player.gd script.

We will call this variable score, it will be of type int and give it a default value of 0. This can be
placed below the last gravity variable.

var score : int = 0

We can then create an add_score function that will take a parameter named amount. This can be
placed below our game_over function.

func add_score(amount):

We will then use this function to add the amount value to our score variable. This will not be

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Coin

everything in the function, however, this will be the base functionality for now.

func add_score(amount):
score += amount

Creating the Coin Node

Like with our Enemy and Spike scenes, we will begin by creating an Area2D node and naming it
Coin.

From the Sprites folder, drag in a sprite to use for our coin. From our sprite pack, we will be using a
sprite named tile_0151.png.

Make the sprite a child of Coin and rename it to Sprite.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Coin

Make sure to center the Sprite by setting its position to (0,0).

Create a CollisionShape2D as a child node of Coin.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Coin

Then create a new CircleShape2D for the Shape property and resize it to the Coin sprite.

Finally, select the coin and move it to a good position on your level.

Adding Movement to the Coin

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Coin

We want the coin to move up and down. To do this we will create a New Script on our Coin node,
making sure to name it Coin.gd.

Firstly, you can remove the _ready function as we won’t be needing it in this script. From here, we
need to create some variables:

var bob_height : float = 5.0

var bob_speed : float = 5.0

@onready var start_y : float = global_position.y

var t : float = 0.0

bob_height – This will show how many pixels our coin will move up and down. In this case, we
use a default value of 5.0.
bob_speed – This will be the speed at which our coin bobs up and down.
start_y – This will keep track of our starting y position. To set it when the script begins
running, we use the @onready tag. This will then allow us to use the global_position value, as
using the @onready tag is like setting something in the _ready function.
t – This will be the time value, a number that we will increase every frame.

Now, inside of _process we are ready to write the functionality for our coin movement. We will begin
by increasing t by delta to keep track of the time that has passed. We can then pass the t value
into a sin function which will give us a value along a sin wave between 1 and 0. We will save this in
a variable called d for sin delta.

func _process(delta):
t += delta

var d = (sin(t * bob_speed) + 1) / 2

This equation will move along a sign wave at a rate of t multiplied by bob_speed and then we add 1,

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Coin

then divide by 2 to turn the values between -1 and 1 into values between 0 and 1.

From here we can then add the line:

func _process(delta):
...

global_position.y = start_y + (d * bob_height)

This will set the y position of the coin to be increased by the sin delta multiplied by the bob_height.
So when the sin delta (d) returns 0 it will be at the start_y position, and when it returns 1 it will be at
the maximum position set by bob_height.

Now if you save the script (CTRL+S) and press play you will be able to see the coin bob up and
down as intended. All of the variables can of course be edited to change factors like the height and
the speed of the bobbing.

Collecting the Coin

Finally, we need to add code to detect when the player has collected the coin. Like with the
Enemy, we will do this by connecting a body_entered signal from the Signals section under the
Node tab.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Coin

This can then be connected to the Coin node and press Connect.

Then, in the Coin.gd script we want to add the following code to the new _on_body_entered function.

func _on_body_entered(body):
if body.is_in_group("Player"):
body.add_score(1)
queue_free()

This will check if the body collided with our Player node, and if it is, call the add_score function with a
value of 1. Then we will use the queue_free function to destroy the coin node after it has been
collected.

Now you can save the script and press Play and you will be able to collect the coin.

Creating a Scene from the Coin Node

We finally need to create a scene from the Coin node, so that we can have multiple instances of this.
Do this by dragging the Coin node into the FileSystem tab.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Coin

From here, this can be named Coin.tscn and Saved. You can now use this scene to create coins
across your level for the player to collect and increase their score.

In the next lesson, we will look at displaying the player’s score on the screen.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Score Text

In this lesson, we will be setting up our score text for our game. This will allow us to see our score as
we progress through the game.

Creating the Score Text

First, we need to create a Canvas Layer as a child node of the Player node, this is a node that
renders UI elements on our screen. We will also add a Label node as a child to the Canvas Layer.

We can then rename the label to ScoreText.

Next, select the ScoreText node and press the F key to focus on it. In the inspector, add the text
Score: 0. This will be the text that is displayed on the screen.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Score Text

We can position the Score Text wherever we want relative to the screen. To do this, scroll out and
you will see a faint blue rectangle. This represents the screen resolution. We can then use the
move tool arrows to position it in the space.

We can also customize the Score Text by changing the font size, outline, and shadow. To do this, in
this Inspector choose New LabelSettings in the Label Settings property.

We will increase the font size to 40 pixels and add a black outline that is 5 pixels wide. You can
change any of the values you like to your own taste of course.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Score Text

This will make the Score Text display on our screen, however, we still haven’t added any
functionality to it.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Score Text

Adding the Score Text to the Script

Now, we need to add the score text to our Player.gd script and hook it up to the function we created
previously.

Underneath the score variable, we will add a new variable to keep track of our Score Text. We will
use the @onready tag and the get_node function to set it to our Score Text node when the script is
loaded.

@onready var score_text : Label = get_node("CanvasLayer/ScoreText")

Finally, in the add_score function, we want to update our score_text. We will use the str function to
combine our integer score variable with a string.

func add_score(amount):
score += amount
score_text.text = str("Score: ", score)

Now you can press Play and collect the coins in your level and you will see the score increase. Feel
free to duplicate the coin (or drag the Coin.tscn scene into the level from the FileSystem) to create
more coins across your level. Due to the way we handle the game_over state of the game, when we
restart the score will also be reset as intended.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Score Text

In the next lesson, we will be looking at setting up multiple levels.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
End Flag

In this lesson, we will set up an end flag for our game. An end flag is a node that, when interacted
with, triggers a change in the game. In our case, we will be using it to change to a new level.

Creating the Node

To begin with, we will create a new Area2D node, as we have previously, and rename it to EndFlag.

We will then add a sprite from the FileSystem, in our case, we will use the tile_0112.png sprite from
our asset pack.

Finally, make it a child of the EndFlag node and rename it to Sprite.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
End Flag

Remember to center the Sprite by setting the Position value to (0,0).

Next, add a CollisionShape2D node as a child of our EndFlag.

This can then be a New RectangleShape2D for the Shape property, and make sure to scale the
collider to the size of your sprite.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
End Flag

Creating the Script

Next, select the End Flag node and create a new script. Call it EndFlag.gd and make sure it extends
from area2d.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
End Flag

Delete the default functions, which will leave you with the below code in the file.

extends Area2D

Under the Node tab, we can then add a body_entered signal to our EndFlag node, like with previous
nodes.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
End Flag

Then, create a variable with the @export_file tag of type with the “*.tscn” modifier. We will then call
this next_scene to show it stores the next scene.

@export_file("*.tscn") var next_scene

In the _on_body_entered function, we will then add the code to get the tree and change the scene to

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
End Flag

the file stored in the variable, after checking whether the collided body is the player node.

func _on_body_entered(body):
if body.is_in_group("Player"):
get_tree().change_scene_to_file(next_scene)

Now, return to the 2D scene view and you will find the Next Scene property is set to null.

We now need to create a new scene so that we can set this value. To test the EndFlag we will set the
Next Scene property to be our Level1.tscn scene that already exists in the FileSystem.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
End Flag

Now if you press Play and let your player character reach the EndFlag node, you will notice the
scene restarts, as we load into the Next Scene value, which we set as our Level1.tscn scene.

Finally, we need to drag the EndFlag node into the FileSystem to create a scene out of it, allowing us
to have multiple instances of the flag.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
End Flag

We also need to turn our Player node into a scene.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
End Flag

Having everything as a scene will allow us to construct a new level easily.

Creating Multiple Scenes

To begin with, press Scene and select New Scene to create a new level.

From here select 2D Scene and rename the root node to Main again.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
End Flag

We can now save the scene as Level2.tscn (CTRL+S).

Now return to the Level1 scene tab and copy the TileMap node (CTRL+C).

We can then paste that in the Level2 scene tab and paste the TileMap node (CTRL+V).

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
End Flag

Then using the Select tool to draw on the tilemap, replace the pasted tiles to redraw
your TileMap for your new level.

This will give us a new map to play on.

From here, drag the Player, Enemy, Spikes, Coin, and EndFlag scenes into your level to create
some gameplay.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
End Flag

You can press the Run Current Scene (F6) button to test this scene, the normal Play button will
simply run the default scene, which is currently set to Level1.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
End Flag

Connecting Level1 to Level2

To connect our levels, we want the EndFlag on Level1 to have a Next Scene property of
Level2.tscn.

Now if you press Play you can touch the EndFlag and you will be teleported to the next level. You
now have the skills to set up as many levels as you like and link them together using the
EndFlags we set up.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Conclusion

Creating a 2D Platformer

Creating a 2D platformer is a great way to learn game development. In this course, we have looked
at the basics of creating a 2D platformer using the Godot engine. From what we have shown you,
you now have the knowledge required to expand upon this project or create your very own game.

The first step in creating a 2D platformer is to create the player character. This character is
able to move around with the arrow keys and jump with the spacebar.
The next step is to create enemies for the player to interact with. These enemies can be
either stationary (spikes) or mobile (enemies that move from one point to another). Both
types of enemies will call the game over function in the player’s script when they come into
contact with the player.
Coins are a great way to add an extra layer of interactivity to your game. To create coins, we
used a sine wave to make them bob up and down. When the player collects a coin, it
increases their score and updates the UI label that displays their current score.
The end flag is used to string different levels together. When the player reaches the end flag,
they should be taken to the next level.

About Zenva

Zenva is an online learning academy with over 1 million students. They offer a wide range of courses
for people who are just starting out or for people who want to learn something new. The courses are
versatile, allowing you to learn in whatever way you want, whether it is by viewing the online video
tutorials, reading the included lesson summaries, or following along with the instructor with included
course files.

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Full Source Code - 2D Platformer with Godot 4

In this lesson, you can find the full source code for the project used within the course. Feel free to
use this lesson as needed – whether to help you debug your code, use it as a reference later, or
expand the project to practice your skills!

You can also download all project files from the Course Files tab via the project files or
downloadable PDF summary.

Spikes.gd

Found in the Project root folder

This code is for a 2D game where the player should avoid hitting spikes. If the player’s object comes
into contact with the spikes (i.e., enters the same ‘Area2D’), the game will end.

extends Area2D

# if the player hits the spikes, game over!

func _on_body_entered(body):
if body.is_in_group("Player"):
body.game_over()

Coin.gd

Found in the Project root folder

This code controls a coin in the game that bobs up and down over time. When the player’s object
intersects with the coin, it is removed from the scene and the player is awarded one point.

extends Area2D

var bob_height : float = 5.0

var bob_speed : float = 5.0

@onready var start_y : float = global_position.y

var t : float = 0.0

# Called every frame. 'delta' is the elapsed time since the previous frame.
func _process(delta):
# increase 't' over time.
t += delta

# create a sin wave that bobs up and down.

var d = (sin(t * bob_speed) + 1) / 2

# apply that to the coin's Y position.

global_position.y = start_y + (d * bob_height)

# when the player hits the coin, add score and destroy the coin.
func _on_body_entered(body):
if body.is_in_group("Player"):
body.add_score(1)
queue_free()

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Full Source Code - 2D Platformer with Godot 4

Player.gd

Found in the Project root folder

This code defines a 2D character with specific movement capabilities (left, right and jump controlled
by player’s input), gravity effects, and a scoring system. The game ends, i.e., current scene gets
reloaded, if the character falls below a certain level. Each time a coin is collected, the player’s score
increases.

extends CharacterBody2D

var move_speed : float = 100.0

var jump_force : float = 200.0
var gravity : float = 500.0

var score : int = 0

@onready var score_text : Label = get_node("CanvasLayer/ScoreText")

func _physics_process(delta):
# gravity.
if not is_on_floor():
velocity.y += gravity * delta

velocity.x = 0

# move left.
if Input.is_key_pressed(KEY_LEFT):
velocity.x -= move_speed
# move right.
if Input.is_key_pressed(KEY_RIGHT):
velocity.x += move_speed

if Input.is_key_pressed(KEY_SPACE) and is_on_floor():

velocity.y = -jump_force

move_and_slide()

# game over if we fall below the level.

if global_position.y > 100:
game_over()

# restarts the current scene.

func game_over ():
get_tree().reload_current_scene()

# called when we collect a coin.

func add_score (amount):
score += amount
score_text.text = str("Score: ", score)

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Full Source Code - 2D Platformer with Godot 4

Enemy.gd

Found in the Project root folder

This code controls a 2D area within a game that moves towards a specified target position at a set
speed, reversing its direction when it reaches the target. If this area intersects with the player, it
ends the game.

extends Area2D

@export var move_speed : float = 30.0

@export var move_dir : Vector2

var start_pos : Vector2

var target_pos : Vector2

# Called when the node enters the scene tree for the first time.
func _ready():
start_pos = global_position
target_pos = start_pos + move_dir

# Called every frame. 'delta' is the elapsed time since the previous frame.
func _process(delta):
# move towards the 'target_pos'.
global_position = global_position.move_toward(target_pos, move_speed * delta)

# when we arrive at 'target_pos' switch it around.

if global_position == target_pos:
if global_position == start_pos:
target_pos = start_pos + move_dir
else:
target_pos = start_pos

# when the enemy hits the player, game over.

func _on_body_entered(body):
if body.is_in_group("Player"):
body.game_over()

EndFlag.gd

Found in the Project root folder

This code represents a game level flag. When the player touches the flag, the game transitions to
the next level, loading the new scene file specified in the ‘next_scene’ variable.

extends Area2D

@export_file("*.tscn") var next_scene

# when the player hits the flag, load the next level.
func _on_body_entered(body):
if body.is_in_group("Player"):

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

 Create a 2D Platformer with Godot 4
Full Source Code - 2D Platformer with Godot 4

get_tree().change_scene_to_file(next_scene)

© 2024 Zenva Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. https://academy.zenva.com

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)