Game feel

Input buffering in game development

an early press that still counts

Interactive example · scroll or point here to play

an early press that still counts

Input buffering remembers a button press for a short window, usually about 0.1 s, and performs the action on the first frame it becomes possible. Players often press jump a few frames before they land, and without a buffer the game drops that press because the character is still in the air. Both characters here press jump 0.08 s before landing, and only the one with a 0.1 s buffer jumps on the frame it touches down.

prompt bit

Add a jump input buffer: when the player presses jump, set a buffer timer to 0.1 s that counts down every frame, fire the jump on the first frame the player is grounded while that timer is above 0, and reset the timer to 0 when the jump fires so one press gives one jump.

When to use it

Use a short input buffer when an action should happen on the first eligible frame after a press. Jumping just before landing and queuing an attack near recovery are common uses.

Implementation example

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

if jumpPressed: buffer = 0.1
else: buffer = max(0, buffer - dt)
if canJump and buffer > 0:
  jump()
  buffer = 0

Common mistakes

Consume the input once. A buffer is different from repeatedly reading a held button, and an excessively long window can trigger actions the player no longer expects.

Maintained by Nicolas Zullo · Follow on X ↗

When to use it

Implementation example

Common mistakes

Related concepts