PlayCanvas Engine can now run headlessly in Node.js without JSDOM — here's how
willeastcott · x · 2026-09-24
PlayCanvas engineer Will Eastcott announces the engine now runs headlessly in Node.js without JSDOM. Key points:
- Install: Node.js 18+, npm install playcanvas
- Headless setup: use NullGraphicsDevice with a plain object as canvas, skipping rendering entirely
- Main loop: no requestAnimationFrame in Node — drive app.update(dt) via setInterval at a fixed tick rate with fixed dt to avoid timer drift
Use cases: multiplayer servers, asset-processing tools, and unit tests (the engine's own test suite runs on Node.js).
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