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Another week, another newsletter 👾

We've been heads down on something we've wanted to bring to Phaser for years and it's almost ready, but that's for another day 😉

In this issue: the Gamedev.js Jam 2026 just wrapped with Phaser all over the leaderboard, we have a solid Phaser 3 vs Phaser 4 breakdown for anyone still on the fence, and a production game already running on v4 ☄️

Here we go! (Mario voice) 🍄👇

⭐ Gamedev.js Jam 2026: Phaser Took 5 Spots in the Top 13

The Gamedev.js Jam 2026 just wrapped as the biggest edition yet. Nearly 2,800 devs submitted 495 games in 13 days around the theme Machines, and Phaser was all over the leaderboard. Around 100 Phaser-built games competed, with 5 of them landing in the top 13 overall. Proof that great tools make great games 🏆

Phaser also ran a "Build It with Phaser" challenge inside the jam, picking 15 winners from the Phaser-built entries.

“Bauhaus Builder” took the #1 spot overall and scored a Phaser Challenge win too 🙂

🎞️ Watch All 15 Phaser Challenge Winners in Action

We put together a video compilation of all 15 Phaser Challenge winners so you can see them in action 👌 Puzzle games, rhythm games, platformers… 15 different takes on Machines, all built with Phaser 💜

🔥 Fresh From the Web This Week

» Learn Phaser the Right Way with Scott Westover

If you've been following Phaser for a while, Scott Westover needs no introduction. He's been publishing Phaser tutorials on YouTube for over three years, focused on building real, shippable games and solving the problems that actually come up in development 🎮

From Phaser Fundamentals to complete game projects, his channel is built around understanding why things work, not just copying code. And if you're already eyeing Phaser 4, Scott is actively publishing videos on it too 👀

» Phaser 3 vs Phaser 4: What Changed and Why You Should Upgrade

Phaser 4 launched in April 2026 as the biggest release in the framework's history. New renderer, filters, lighting, GPU-powered objects and more. If you're still on Phaser 3 and wondering whether to migrate, this article covers everything you need to know before deciding 🚀

Render an entire tilemap in a single draw call. 16 million tiles at the same cost as 100. And that's just the start of what's waiting for you 😁

» HEXSTORM: Tears of Arcadia Is Already Running on Phaser 4

Solo dev Anton Chuev has already migrated HEXSTORM: Tears of Arcadia to Phaser 4, making it one of the first games running the new engine in a real production environment 🧑‍💻

Beyond the migration, Anton also shipped a 4K art upgrade, a terrain texture overhaul, and a brand new mission comic builder. The game is heading to Steam later this quarter 🔜

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📩 20,000 Devs Want to See What You've Built

Games, tutorials, tools, videos. If you made it with Phaser, we want to feature it. Completely free, always. Drop us a line and let's get it in front of them 👇

Happy coding, and see you next week! 👽