Animation System in Godot 4.3+

All examples target Godot 4.3+ with no deprecated APIs. GDScript is shown first, then C#.

Related skills: state-machine for gameplay state management, player-controller for movement that drives animation, component-system for reusable animation components, 2d-essentials for TileMaps, parallax scrolling, 2D lights, and canvas layer organization, 3d-essentials for AnimationTree and 3D animation blending, shader-basics for shader-driven hit flash and dissolve effects, tween-animation for code-driven motion alongside keyframe animation.

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1. Core Concepts

AnimationPlayer vs AnimationTree

Node	Use For	Complexity	Notes
AnimationPlayer	Simple playback, one-shot effects	Low	Play/stop/queue individual clips directly
AnimationTree	Blending, transitions, layered animation	Medium-High	State machines and blend trees for smooth transitions

Rule of thumb: Start with AnimationPlayer. Add AnimationTree when you need blending between animations (walk/run blend, directional movement, layered upper/lower body).

Animation Workflow

1. Create AnimationPlayer node       → holds all animation clips
2. Add tracks in the Animation panel → keyframe properties, methods, audio
3. (Optional) Add AnimationTree      → blend/transition logic
4. Trigger from code                 → play(), travel(), set parameters

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2. AnimationPlayer Basics

Scene Structure

Character (CharacterBody2D)
├── Sprite2D
└── AnimationPlayer