Built-in Actions
Use this index to choose the Action category that owns a gameplay operation before opening the searchable selector. The selector also includes compatible methods, properties, integrations, and project code, so its results can be broader than the built-in package catalog.
Find an Action
Select an Action State, use +, and search by a verb or affected Unity feature. Use Favorites for common choices and Recent for the current task. Clear filters when a known Action is hidden.
The Kind, Member, Scope, Returns, Requires, and Execution filters distinguish built-ins from codebase members and restrict the workflow or installed dependency. Use Documentation on an entry when a focused page is available.
Start with common categories
| Goal | Category | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Print or inspect a value | Debug | Log a message while learning or isolating a graph. |
| Wait or measure time | Time | Delay a sequence, store a timestamp, or control a timed phase. |
| Change a Shared Variable | Variables, Math, or Conversions | Set, calculate, compare, or convert reusable data. |
| Enable, disable, spawn, or destroy an object | GameObject or Resources | Control scene-object lifetime and visibility. |
| Move or rotate an object | Transform, Rigidbody, or Character Controller | Apply the movement system that already owns the object. |
| Navigate an agent | NavMesh | Set a destination, stop navigation, or inspect agent state. |
| Play visual or audio feedback | Animator, Animation, Audio, Particles, or Rendering | Drive presentation from a State. |
| Read player input | Input > Input System or Input > Input Manager | Use the input backend configured by the project. |
| Open, close, or update UI | UI or TextMeshPro | Change panels, controls, and labels. |
| Send graph communication | Events or State Designer | Send events or control another state machine. |
| Load or preserve state | Save Load or Scene Management | Save data or change scenes with explicit ownership. |
Additional built-in categories include Camera, IList, Physics, Physics 2D, and Utility. Choose the system that already owns the object rather than applying Transform, Rigidbody, Character Controller, and NavMesh movement to the same object at once.
Applied tutorials
The following tutorials show the Physics and IList categories in complete graphs.
Watch the State Designer raycasting tutorial on YouTube.
Watch the Lists and Iterators tutorial on YouTube.
Iterator and Repeater are specialized Action States rather than Actions added inside a regular Action State. Use Iterator to run the same Actions for each value in a list, and Repeater to rerun a set of Actions a fixed number of times or until a transition interrupts it.
Choose GameObject or Entity execution
Start with GameObject Actions when the behavior uses Components and scene objects. Use Entity Actions only when the data belongs in ECS and the authoring/baking path is configured. The Entities dependency does not require every State to use Entity Actions.
Verify an unfamiliar Action
Create a temporary Action State containing only that Action, fixed input values, and one visible or logged result. Enter Play Mode, observe completion status, and confirm the affected object. Add it to the production State only after its result and ownership are clear.