# Net Forge and Phaser: when to use each

> Phaser is a mature 2D framework for browser games with a very large example library. Net Forge is a 3D multiplayer engine with one simulation shared by client and server and ten finished multiplayer games to start from.

Net Forge, the open-source multiplayer browser game engine built for AI coding agents, is published on npm under `@netforge` with source at https://github.com/netnetdev/net-forge.

Source: https://forge.netnet.capital/docs/compare/phaser  
Last updated: 2026-10-24. Checked against @netforge/engine 0.2.0.

Pick Phaser when you are making a 2D browser game and want the largest library of 2D examples and a long-established community. Pick Net Forge when you want a 3D multiplayer game in the browser that starts from a finished, server-authoritative template and is shaped so your own coding agent can change it safely.

```sh
npm create netforge@latest my-game -- --template arena --yes
```

## At a glance

| | Phaser | Net Forge |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A 2D game framework for web browsers ([Phaser docs](https://docs.phaser.io/phaser/getting-started/what-is-phaser)) | A multiplayer browser game engine plus ten genre templates |
| Language | JavaScript or TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Rendering | WebGL and Canvas | three.js, WebGPU with a WebGL2 fallback |
| Multiplayer model | Your choice of server library (Phaser's overview page does not describe a networking layer) | Authoritative room host running the same simulation as the client |
| License | MIT ([npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/phaser)) | MIT |
| Latest version (checked 2026-10-23) | 4.2.1, released 2026-07-09 | `@netforge/engine` 0.2.0 |
| Best for | 2D games of every kind, including platform targets such as Discord Activities and YouTube Playables | 3D online games in ten genres, built and changed by people working with coding agents |

## When to pick Phaser

- **Your game is 2D.** Phaser describes itself as "a 2D game framework" with WebGL and Canvas rendering across desktop and mobile browsers ([What is Phaser?](https://docs.phaser.io/phaser/getting-started/what-is-phaser)). Sprites, tilemaps, arcade physics and cameras are its home ground. Phaser 4 shipped in April 2026 (4.0.0 on npm on 2026-04-10, announced on 2026-04-23) with a WebGL renderer rebuilt from scratch around a new RenderNode architecture ([Phaser news](https://phaser.io/news/2026/04/phaser-4-renderer-faster-cleaner-and-built-for-modern-games), [release notes](https://github.com/phaserjs/phaser/releases/tag/v4.0.0)).
- **You learn by example.** Phaser publishes an examples index for agents at [phaser.io/llms.txt](https://phaser.io/llms.txt); on 2026-10-23 it was about 400 KB of example entries, each with a version, folder, title and description.
- **You want an agent service built around Phaser.** The Phaser Game Agent MCP connects Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Codex, Gemini CLI and Windsurf to Phaser's hosted game agent ([Phaser news, 2026-07](https://phaser.io/news/2026/07/phaser-game-agent-mcp-setup)).
- **You target platforms beyond the open web.** Phaser's docs list YouTube Playables, Discord Activities and Twitch Overlays, and native apps through third-party wrappers ([What is Phaser?](https://docs.phaser.io/phaser/getting-started/what-is-phaser)).

## When to pick Net Forge

- **You want multiplayer from the first minute.** Every template is already an online game: an authoritative host steps the world at a fixed tick (30 or 60 Hz, by template) and each browser predicts its own player with the same simulation code. See [Simulation and ECS](https://forge.netnet.capital/docs/concepts/simulation-ecs.md).
- **You want to start from a finished game.** Ten templates (survivor-like, arena shooter, tower defense, dungeon crawl, idle, platformer, card battler, monster collector, kart racer, party game) ship with netcode, rendering, touch controls, bots and a playtest. See [Templates](https://forge.netnet.capital/docs/templates.md).
- **Your coding agent does the editing.** A game is one declarative file, `src/game.ts`, that may import only `@netforge/engine`. Bad declarations fail with one actionable line, and `npm run check` plays the game headless with bots and reports JSON. See [Let an AI agent build your game](https://forge.netnet.capital/docs/guides/build-a-game-with-an-ai-agent.md).
- **You want 3D.** The renderer is three.js with WebGPU and a WebGL2 fallback, and the asset library has CC0 models in six art styles.

## Honest limits of Net Forge

Net Forge is young (0.2.0). It covers ten genres, not every kind of game, and a 2D-first game with hand-drawn sprites and tilemaps is more natural in Phaser. Game code is restricted to the declarative API on purpose, so a mechanic the API does not describe needs a change to the template, not to `src/game.ts`. The public repository's room host is for playing on your own computer and network; the production room server is the hosted Net Forge service.

## Moving from Phaser

| Phaser | Net Forge |
|---|---|
| `Phaser.Game` config | `game({ template, style, players, ... })` in `src/game.ts` |
| Scene `create()` and `update()` | Declarations plus `system()` callbacks that run on the simulation tick |
| Sprites and animations | Prefabs with a library model id, such as `"style.lowpoly.bat"` |
| Arcade or Matter physics | Rapier physics inside `@netforge/engine-sim`, the same on client and server |
| Your own server (often Socket.IO or Colyseus) | The template's authoritative room host |
| Asset loader with file paths | Asset ids from the library, never URLs |

A first step: pick the template closest to your game and port one enemy or item at a time. If your Phaser game already has a Colyseus server, [Net Forge vs Phaser + Colyseus](https://forge.netnet.capital/docs/compare/phaser-colyseus.md) maps both halves.

```sh
npm create netforge@latest my-game -- --template platformer --yes
cd my-game
npm run play
```

```ts title=src/game.ts
import { prefab } from "@netforge/engine";

// A Phaser enemy sprite becomes a prefab with a library model and numbers.
prefab("bat", { model: "style.lowpoly.bat", health: 8, speed: 5, radius: 0.25, damage: 4, ai: "chase" });
```

## FAQ

### Is Net Forge a Phaser alternative?

For 3D multiplayer browser games, yes. For 2D games, Phaser is usually the better fit: it is built for 2D and has a far larger example library. For other 3D options, see [3D multiplayer browser game engines compared](https://forge.netnet.capital/docs/compare/3d-multiplayer-engines.md).

### Can I use Phaser and Net Forge together?

Not in one game client: Net Forge templates draw with three.js. A Phaser game can still use other parts of the ecosystem, such as a Colyseus server.

### Does Phaser have multiplayer?

Phaser's overview page describes rendering, input and platforms, not networking, so Phaser games pair with a server library. Colyseus, for example, documents a JavaScript client that works with browser frameworks ([Colyseus docs](https://docs.colyseus.io/llms.txt)).

### Is Net Forge free like Phaser?

Yes. Both are MIT licensed. Net Forge's library assets are CC0.