How to Import Sprite Sheets into Godot 4 (the AnimatedSprite2D way)

What you need

An even-grid sprite sheet (say 4×2 at 256px per cell) or transparent PNG sequence frames. Godot is especially kind to sequences — 'Add frames from files' lets you multi-select an entire folder of frames at once.

Step-by-step

1. 1Drop the PNG into your project

   Drag the sheet into any folder in the FileSystem dock (res://sprites/ is the common home). Godot imports it automatically — no wizard needed.

2. 2Add an AnimatedSprite2D node

   In your character scene press Ctrl+A and search for AnimatedSprite2D. It's Godot's dedicated frame-animation node — far more direct than the old Sprite2D + AnimationPlayer trick of keyframing the frame property.

3. 3Create the SpriteFrames resource

   With the node selected, find the Sprite Frames property in the Inspector, choose New SpriteFrames from the dropdown, then click it once more — the SpriteFrames panel opens at the bottom of the editor, where everything else happens.

4. 4Slice frames from the sheet

   In the panel toolbar click 'Add frames from sprite sheet' (the grid icon). Pick your PNG, set Horizontal to your column count and Vertical to rows (4×2 for this guide's sheet), click the cells you want (or drag-select), then Add Frames. For PNG sequences use the neighboring 'Add frames from files' and multi-select instead.

5. 5Name the animation and set FPS

   Rename the default animation to your action (attack, fly, run), set FPS on the left (10–12 is typical), and toggle Loop for actions that should cycle. Repeat steps 4–5 per action — they all live inside the same SpriteFrames resource.

6. 6Play and switch in GDScript

   The AnimatedSprite2D API is one layer deep: play() starts an action, and the animation_finished signal catches the end of non-looping ones. A typical controller:

   # dragon.gd
   extends CharacterBody2D
   
   @onready var anim: AnimatedSprite2D = $AnimatedSprite2D
   
   func _ready() -> void:
       anim.play("fly")
       anim.animation_finished.connect(_on_anim_finished)
   
   func attack() -> void:
       anim.play("attack")
   
   func _on_anim_finished() -> void:
       # Return to the flight loop after one-shot actions like attack
       if anim.animation == "attack":
           anim.play("fly")

Two settings pixel art needs

• Switch texture filtering to Nearest: Godot 4 defaults to Linear, which blurs pixels. Set it globally in Project Settings → Rendering → Textures → Default Texture Filter, or per-node under CanvasItem → Texture → Filter in the Inspector.
• Use integer scaling: under Project Settings → Display → Window → Stretch set Mode to viewport and keep scale at whole numbers, avoiding the pixel shimmer that fractional scaling causes.

FAQ

AnimatedSprite2D or AnimationPlayer — which should I use?

For pure frame animation (this guide's case) use AnimatedSprite2D — it's simpler and direct. Reach for AnimationPlayer only when one animation must drive multiple properties at once (hitboxes, audio, particles): it's a multi-track system where frame flipping is just one capability.

Why does my animation flicker while playing?

Usually mipmaps got enabled on import, or filtering isn't Nearest while the sprite is scaled. Select the PNG, disable Mipmaps in the Import dock (2D doesn't need them), Reimport, and set filtering to Nearest as above.

My frames imported in the wrong order — what happened?

'Add frames from files' sorts by filename lexicographically: frame_2.png lands after frame_10.png. Zero-pad your numbers (frame_02, frame_10). PNG sequences exported from FrameSprite are three-digit padded already, so they order correctly out of the box.

Can one SpriteFrames be reused across scenes?

Yes. Right-click the Sprite Frames property → Save it as a .tres file, then Load that same resource on any other AnimatedSprite2D. Every instance of the character shares one animation set — edit once, updated everywhere.