How to Create a Proper Loading Screen

UI•Intermediate•15 min read

Build a professional loading screen with progress bar for smooth scene transitions in your game.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1:Create the loading screen scene

Create a new scene with a Control node as root. Name it 'LoadingScreen'. Add a ColorRect as background (full screen, dark color). Add a Label at the top with text 'Loading...'. Add another ColorRect as the progress bar fill (narrow rectangle, bright color like blue or green).

Step 2:Set up the script with variables

Create a script called 'LoadingScreen.gd'. Add variables: `@export var next_scene: String`, `var progress = 0.0`. Add references to your UI elements: `@onready var progress_bar = $ProgressBar`, `@onready var status_label = $StatusLabel`.

Step 3:Implement threaded loading

Implement the loading logic in `_ready()`: Call `ResourceLoader.load_threaded_request(next_scene)`. In `_process(delta)`: Check loading progress with `var progress = ResourceLoader.load_threaded_get_status(next_scene)`. Update your progress bar: `progress_bar.scale.x = progress[1]` (0.0 to 1.0).

Step 4:Add status messages

Add status messages: Use an array of loading tips: `var tips = ['Loading assets...', 'Preparing world...', 'Almost ready...']`. Display random tips or cycle through them based on progress percentage. Update `status_label.text = tips[int(progress[1] * (tips.size() - 1))]`.

Step 5:Transition to the next scene

When loading completes (`if progress[0] == ResourceLoader.THREAD_LOAD_LOADED`): Add a small delay for visual feedback (`await get_tree().create_timer(0.5).timeout`). Then change to the loaded scene: `get_tree().change_scene_to_file(next_scene)`. This creates a smooth, professional loading experience.

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How to Create a Proper Loading Screen

UI•Intermediate•15 min read

Build a professional loading screen with progress bar for smooth scene transitions in your game.