SpriteKit Diagnostics

Systematic diagnosis for common SpriteKit issues with time-cost annotations.

When to Use This Diagnostic Skill

Use this skill when:

• Physics contacts never fire (didBegin not called)
• Objects pass through walls (tunneling)
• Frame rate drops below 60fps
• Touches don't register on nodes
• Memory grows continuously during gameplay
• Positions and coordinates seem wrong
• App crashes during scene transitions

Mandatory First Step: Enable Debug Overlays

Time cost: 10 seconds setup vs hours of blind debugging

if let view = self.view as? SKView {
    view.showsFPS = true
    view.showsNodeCount = true
    view.showsDrawCount = true
    view.showsPhysics = true
}

If showsPhysics doesn't show expected physics body outlines, your physics bodies aren't configured correctly. Stop and fix bodies before debugging contacts.

For SpriteKit architecture patterns and best practices, see axiom-spritekit. For API reference, see axiom-spritekit-ref.

---

Symptom 1: Physics Contacts Not Firing

Time saved: 30-120 min → 2-5 min

didBegin(_:) never called
│
├─ Is physicsWorld.contactDelegate set?
│   └─ NO → Set in didMove(to:):
│        physicsWorld.contactDelegate = self
│        ✓ This alone fixes ~30% of contact issues
│
├─ Does the class conform to SKPhysicsContactDelegate?
│   └─ NO → Add conformance:
│        class GameScene: SKScene, SKPhysicsContactDelegate
│
├─ Does body A have contactTestBitMask that includes body B's category?
│   ├─ Print: "A contact: \(bodyA.contactTestBitMask), B cat: \(bodyB.categoryBitMask)"
│   ├─ Result should be: (A.contactTestBitMask & B.categoryBitMask) != 0
│   └─ FIX: Set contactTestBitMask to include the other body's category
│        player.physicsBody?.contactTestBitMask = PhysicsCategory.enemy
│
├─ Is categoryBitMask set (not default 0xFFFFFFFF)?
│   ├─ Default category means everything matches — but in unexpected ways
│   └─ FIX: Always set explicit categoryBitMask for each body type
│
├─ Do the bodies actually overlap? (Check showsPhysics)
│   ├─ Bodies too small or offset from sprite → Fix physics body size
│   └─ Bodies never reach each other → Check collisionBitMask isn't blocking
│
└─ Are you modifying the world inside didBegin?
    ├─ Removing nodes inside didBegin can cause missed callbacks
    └─ FIX: Flag nodes for removal, process in update(_:)

Quick Diagnostic Print

func didBegin(_ contact: SKPhysicsContact) {
    print("CONTACT: \(contact.bodyA.node?.name ?? "nil") (\(contact.bodyA.categoryBitMask)) <-> \(contact.bodyB.node?.name ?? "nil") (\(contact.bodyB.categoryBitMask))")
}

If this never prints, the issue is delegate/bitmask setup. If it prints but with wrong bodies, the issue is bitmask values.

---

Symptom 2: Objects Tunneling Through Walls

Time saved: 20-60 min → 5 min

Fast objects pass through thin walls
│
├─ Is the object moving faster than wall thickness per frame?
│   ├─ At 60fps: max safe speed = wall_thickness × 60 pt/s
│   ├─ A 10pt wall is safe up to ~600 pt/s
│   └─ FIX: usesPreciseCollisionDetection = true on the fast object
│
├─ Is usesPreciseCollisionDetection enabled?
│   ├─ Only needed on the MOVING object (not the wall)
│   └─ FIX: fastObject.physicsBody?.usesPreciseCollisionDetection = true
│
├─ Is the wall an edge body?
│   ├─ Edge bodies have zero area — tunneling is easier
│   └─ FIX: Use volume body for walls (rectangleOf:) with isDynamic = false
│
├─ Is the wall thick enough?
│   └─ FIX: Make walls at least 10pt thick for objects up to 600pt/s
│
└─ Are collision bitmasks correct?
    ├─ Wall's categoryBitMask must be in object's collisionBitMask
    └─ FIX: Verify with print: object.collisionBitMask & wall.categoryBitMask != 0

---

Symptom 3: Poor Frame Rate

Time saved: 2-4 hours → 15-30 min

FPS below 60 (or 120 on ProMotion)
│
├─ Check showsNodeCount
│   ├─ >1000 nodes → Offscreen nodes not removed
│   │   ├─ Are you removing nodes that leave the screen?
│   │   ├─ FIX: In update(), remove nodes outside visible area
│   │   └─ FIX: Use object pooling for frequently spawned objects
│   │
│   ├─ 200-1000 nodes → Likely manageable, check draw count
│   └─ <200 nodes → Nodes aren't the problem, check below
│
├─ Check showsDrawCount
│   ├─ >50 draw calls → Batching problem
│   │   ├─ Using SKShapeNode for gameplay? → Replace with pre-rendered textures
│   │   ├─ Sprites from different images? → Use texture atlas
│   │   ├─ Sprites at different zPositions? → Consolidate layers
│   │   └─ ignoresSiblingOrder = false? → Set to true
│   │
│   ├─ 10-50 draw calls → Acceptable for most games
│   └─ <10 draw calls → Drawing isn't the problem
│
├─ Physics expensive?
│   ├─ Many texture-based physics bodies → Use circles/rectangles
│   ├─ usesPreciseCollisionDetection on too many bodies → Use only on fast objects
│   ├─ Many contact callbacks firing → Reduce contactTestBitMask scope
│   └─ Complex polygon bodies → Simplify to fewer vertices
│
├─ Particle overload?
│   ├─ Multiple emitters active → Reduce particleBirthRate
│   ├─ High particleLifetime → Reduce (fewer active particles)
│   ├─ numParticlesToEmit = 0 (infinite) without cleanup → Add limits
│   └─ FIX: Profile with Instruments → Time Profiler
│
├─ SKEffectNode without shouldRasterize?
│   ├─ CIFilter re-renders every frame
│   └─ FIX: effectNode.shouldRasterize = true (if content is static)
│
└─ Complex update() logic?
    ├─ O(n²) collision checking? → Use physics engine instead
    ├─ String-based enumerateChildNodes every frame? → Cache references
    └─ Heavy computation in update? → Spread across frames or background

Quick Performance Audit

#if DEBUG
private var frameCount = 0
#endif

override func update(_ currentTime: TimeInterval) {
    #if DEBUG
    frameCount += 1
    if frameCount % 60 == 0 {
        print("Nodes: \(children.count)")
    }
    #endif
}

---

Symptom 4: Touches Not Registering

Time saved: 15-45 min → 2 min

touchesBegan not called on a node
│
├─ Is isUserInteractionEnabled = true on the node?
│   ├─ SKScene: true by default
│   ├─ All other SKNode subclasses: FALSE by default
│   └─ FIX: node.isUserInteractionEnabled = true
│
├─ Is the node hidden or alpha = 0?
│   ├─ Hidden nodes don't receive touches
│   └─ FIX: Check node.isHidden and node.alpha
│
├─ Is another node on top intercepting touches?
│   ├─ Higher zPosition nodes with isUserInteractionEnabled get first chance
│   └─ DEBUG: Print nodes(at: touchLocation) to see what's there
│
├─ Is the touch in the correct coordinate space?
│   ├─ Using touch.location(in: self.view)? → WRONG for SpriteKit
│   └─ FIX: Use touch.location(in: self) for scene coordinates
│        Or touch.location(in: targetNode) for node-local coordinates
│
├─ Is the physics body blocking touch pass-through?
│   └─ Physics bodies don't affect touch handling — not the issue
│
└─ Is the node's frame correct?
    ├─ SKNode (container) has zero frame — can't be hit-tested by area
    ├─ SKSpriteNode frame matches texture size × scale
    └─ FIX: Use contains(point) or nodes(at:) for manual hit testing

---

Symptom 5: Memory Spikes and Crashes

Time saved: 1-3 hours → 15 min

Memory grows during gameplay
│
├─ Nodes accumulating? (Check showsNodeCount over time)
│   ├─ Count increasing? → Nodes created but not removed
│   │   ├─ Missing removeFromParent() for expired objects
│   │   ├─ FIX: Add cleanup in update() or use SKAction.removeFromParent()
│   │   └─ FIX: Implement object pooling for frequently spawned items
│   │
│   └─ Count stable? → Memory issue elsewhere
│
├─ Infinite particle emitters?
│   ├─ numParticlesToEmit = 0 creates particles forever
│   ├─ Each emitter accumulates particles up to birthRate × lifetime
│   └─ FIX: Set finite numParticlesToEmit or manually stop and remove
│
├─ Texture caching?
│   ├─ SKTexture(imageNamed:) caches — repeated calls don't leak
│   ├─ SKTexture(cgImage:) from camera/dynamic sources → Not cached
│   └─ FIX: Reuse texture references for dynamic textures
│
├─ Strong reference cycles in actions?
│   ├─ SKAction.run { self.doSomething() } captures self strongly
│   ├─ In repeatForever, this prevents scene deallocation
│   └─ FIX: SKAction.run { [weak self] in self?.doSomething() }
│
├─ Scene not deallocating?
│   ├─ Add deinit { print("Scene deallocated") }
│   ├─ If never prints → retain cycle
│   ├─ Common: strong delegate, closure capture, NotificationCenter observer
│   └─ FIX: Clean up in willMove(from:):
│        removeAllActions()
│        removeAllChildren()
│        physicsWorld.contactDelegate = nil
│
└─ Instruments → Allocations
    ├─ Filter by "SK" to see SpriteKit objects
    ├─ Mark generation before/after scene transition
    └─ Persistent growth = leak

---

Symptom 6: Coordinate Confusion

Time saved: 20-60 min → 5 min

Positions seem wrong or flipped
│
├─ Y-axis confusion?
│   ├─ SpriteKit: origin at BOTTOM-LEFT, Y goes UP
│   ├─ UIKit: origin at TOP-LEFT, Y goes DOWN
│   └─ FIX: Use scene coordinate methods, not view coordinates
│        touch.location(in: self)  ← CORRECT (scene space)
│        touch.location(in: view)  ← WRONG (UIKit space, Y flipped)
│
├─ Anchor point confusion?
│   ├─ Scene anchor (0,0) = bottom-left of view is scene origin
│   ├─ Scene anchor (0.5,0.5) = center of view is scene origin
│   ├─ Sprite anchor (0.5,0.5) = center of sprite is at position (default)
│   ├─ Sprite anchor (0,0) = bottom-left of sprite is at position
│   └─ FIX: Print anchorPoint values and draw expected position
│
├─ Parent coordinate space?
│   ├─ node.position is relative to PARENT, not scene
│   ├─ Child at (0,0) of parent at (100,100) is at scene (100,100)
│   └─ FIX: Use convert(_:to:) and convert(_:from:) for cross-node coordinates
│        let scenePos = node.convert(localPoint, to: scene)
│        let localPos = node.convert(scenePoint, from: scene)
│
├─ Camera offset?
│   ├─ Camera position offsets the visible area
│   ├─ HUD attached to camera stays in place
│   └─ FIX: For world coordinates, account for camera position
│        scene.convertPoint(fromView: viewPoint)
│
└─ Scale mode cropping?
    ├─ aspectFill crops edges — content at edges may be offscreen
    └─ FIX: Keep important content in the "safe area" center

---

Symptom 7: Scene Transition Crashes

Time saved: 30-90 min → 5 min

Crash during or after scene transition
│
├─ EXC_BAD_ACCESS after transition?
│   ├─ Old scene deallocated while something still references it
│   ├─ Common: Timer, NotificationCenter, delegate still referencing old scene
│   └─ FIX: Clean up in willMove(from:):
│        removeAllActions()
│        removeAllChildren()
│        physicsWorld.contactDelegate = nil
│        // Remove any NotificationCenter observers
│
├─ Crash in didMove(to:) of new scene?
│   ├─ Accessing view before it's available
│   ├─ Force-unwrapping optional that's nil during init
│   └─ FIX: Use guard let view = self.view in didMove(to:)
│
├─ Memory spike during transition?
│   ├─ Both scenes exist simultaneously during transition animation
│   ├─ For large scenes, this doubles memory usage
│   └─ FIX: Preload textures, reduce scene size, or use .fade transition
│        (fade briefly shows neither scene, reducing peak memory)
│
├─ Nodes from old scene appearing in new scene?
│   ├─ node.move(toParent:) during transition
│   └─ FIX: Don't move nodes between scenes — recreate in new scene
│
└─ didMove(to:) called twice?
    ├─ Presenting scene multiple times (button double-tap)
    └─ FIX: Disable transition trigger after first tap
         guard view?.scene !== nextScene else { return }

---

Common Mistakes

These mistakes cause the majority of SpriteKit issues. Check these first before diving into symptom trees.

1. Leaving default bitmasks — collisionBitMask defaults to 0xFFFFFFFF (collides with everything). Always set all three masks explicitly.
2. Forgetting contactTestBitMask — Defaults to 0x00000000. Contacts never fire without setting this.
3. Forgetting physicsWorld.contactDelegate = self — Fixes ~30% of contact issues on its own.
4. Using SKShapeNode for gameplay — Each instance = 1 draw call. Pre-render to texture with view.texture(from:).
5. SKAction.move on physics bodies — Actions override physics, causing jitter and missed collisions. Use forces/impulses.
6. Strong self in action closures — SKAction.run { self.foo() } in repeatForever creates retain cycles. Use [weak self].
7. Not removing offscreen nodes — Node count climbs silently, degrading performance.
8. Missing isUserInteractionEnabled = true — Default is false on all non-scene nodes.

---

Diagnostic Quick Reference Card

Symptom	First Check	Most Likely Cause
Contacts don't fire	contactDelegate set?	Missing contactTestBitMask
Tunneling	Object speed vs wall thickness	Missing usesPreciseCollisionDetection
Low FPS	showsDrawCount	SKShapeNode in gameplay or missing atlas
Touches broken	isUserInteractionEnabled?	Default is false on non-scene nodes
Memory growth	showsNodeCount increasing?	Nodes created but never removed
Wrong positions	Y-axis direction	Using view coordinates instead of scene
Transition crash	willMove(from:) cleanup?	Strong references to old scene

Resources

WWDC: 2014-608, 2016-610, 2017-609

Docs: /spritekit/skphysicsbody, /spritekit/maximizing-node-drawing-performance

Skills: axiom-spritekit, axiom-spritekit-ref