How do I move a character in 2D?

Godot 4.x

Set up the scene

Create a new scene with this structure:

PlayerCharacterBody2Dthe script goes here
- Sprite2DSprite2D
- CollisionShape2DCollisionShape2Dgive it a shape

Give the Sprite2D a texture. The default icon.svg is fine for now. Then select the CollisionShape2D, pick a shape in the Inspector such as RectangleShape2D or CapsuleShape2D, and resize it to fit the sprite.

Add the script

Attach a script to Player:

GDScript
C#

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extends CharacterBody2D
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const SPEED := 300.0
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func _physics_process(_delta: float) -> void:
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  var direction := Input.get_vector("ui_left", "ui_right", "ui_up", "ui_down")
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  velocity = direction * SPEED
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  move_and_slide()

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using Godot;
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public partial class Player : CharacterBody2D
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{
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    private const float Speed = 300.0f;
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    public override void _PhysicsProcess(double delta)
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    {
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        Vector2 direction = Input.GetVector("ui_left", "ui_right", "ui_up", "ui_down");
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        Velocity = direction * Speed;
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        MoveAndSlide();
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    }
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}

Run the scene. The arrow keys move the player in eight directions, and it stops at walls instead of passing through them.

Input.get_vector() returns a vector with a length of 1 or less, so moving diagonally isn’t faster than moving straight.

Use WASD too

Open Project → Project Settings → Input Map and add four actions: move_left, move_right, move_up, move_down. Assign both the arrow keys and WASD to them, then use those names instead of the ui_ ones:

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var direction := Input.get_vector("ui_left", "ui_right", "ui_up", "ui_down")
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var direction := Input.get_vector("move_left", "move_right", "move_up", "move_down")

The ui_ actions are meant for menus. Keeping your own actions separate means a UI change later won’t break your movement.

Common mistakes

CharacterBody2DOfficial class reference.

Using CharacterBody2DOfficial guide to movement and collision responses.