If you have been waiting for a practical introduction to Phaser 4, Scott Westover just released exactly that. Instead of jumping straight into complicated systems, his free mini course on YouTube focuses on the fundamentals every Phaser developer needs to understand. By the end, you will have a fully playable falling-object catch game running in the browser.
What You Will Build and Learn
The course is a growing series of short videos, each building directly on the last. New episodes are released regularly, and every topic is introduced in the context of a real game taking shape. Here is what Scott covers:
- The Phaser game loop and how it drives everything on screen
- Scenes and the lifecycle (preload, create, and update) and why they matter
- Rendering sprites and game objects from scratch
- Handling player input with keyboard controls, no physics engine needed
- Spawning objects and managing game state as the game grows
- Collision detection without physics, keeping things simple and fast
- Scoring systems, win conditions, and restarting the mechanics that complete the game
The series opens with project setup and core concepts, giving you a solid mental model before any gameplay is written. Individual videos run between 3 and 12 minutes, and you can follow along at your own pace as new episodes drop.
Why It Works for Phaser 4 Beginners
Most Phaser tutorials online were built for Phaser 3. Scott's course is written specifically for Phaser 4, so the code, APIs, and patterns reflect how the engine actually works today. No legacy baggage, no outdated workarounds. Just clean, current Phaser 4 development from the first line.
The approach is deliberately practical. Scott does not over-explain theory or pad the runtime. Each video introduces one concept, applies it to the game, and moves on.
Who Should Watch This Course
Scott designed this series for three kinds of learners: developers who are new to Phaser, JavaScript developers curious about game development, and anyone who wants a hands-on introduction to building browser games. Prior game development experience is not required, just a working knowledge of JavaScript.
With Phaser 4 now officially released, this is the cleanest starting point available. Start with Episode 1 and follow the series in order.
Watch the full Phaser 4 Mini Course on YouTube
Follow along with Scott Westover's free series and build your first browser game step by step.