Systems

Hitbox and hurtbox in game development

what hits, what gets hit

Interactive example · scroll or point here to play

what hits, what gets hit

A hitbox is the area of an attack that deals damage, and it exists only during the attack's active frames. A hurtbox is the area of a character that can take damage. A hit lands only when the two overlap, so the defender's duck here makes every second swing miss.

prompt bit

Separate hitboxes from hurtboxes: enable each hitbox only during the attack's active frames, test it against the target's hurtboxes instead of sprite bounds, and register at most one hit per target per swing.

When to use it

Use separate attack and damage-receiving volumes when animation timing matters. A single attack instance should record which targets it already hit, independently from the defender’s invulnerability timer.

Implementation example

Engine-neutral pseudocode. Adapt the functions and coordinate conventions to your engine.

if attack.isActive:
  for target in overlaps(attack.hitbox):
    if target not in attack.hitTargets:
      applyHit(target)
      attack.hitTargets.add(target)

Common mistakes

Reset the hit-target set for a new swing, not every frame. Sprite bounds often include empty space and usually make poor combat collision shapes.

Maintained by Nicolas Zullo · Follow on X ↗

When to use it

Implementation example

Common mistakes

Related concepts