### **Create TIMER and STOPWATCH in your Unity game!**

The most versatile thing you can add to your project is TIMER! It’s a core feature used in countless games like:

- Racing Games
- Endless Runners
- Survival modes

Today you will not only learn how to create countdown timer but also a stopwatch and how to calculate score in your game based on the time passed

### Set up UI for the timer!

1. Add text (TextMeshPro) to your scene showing “0:00” - this will be our timer
2. Add two timer buttons one for the “Start” and the one for “Stop”

![Screenshot_2025_000252@2x.png](attachment:40c32028-bdf0-4dd8-8ae3-358ec15a03ed:Screenshot_2025_0002522x.png)

### Create timer script

Lets’s create logic behind the countdown timer:

1. Create new script called `Timer` :

```csharp
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.UI;

public class Timer : MonoBehaviour {
	public int StartMinutes;
	public Text currentTimeText;
	
	float currentTime;
	
	void Start(){
		currentTime = startMinutes * 60
	}
	
	void Update()
	{
		currentTimeText.text = currentTime.ToString();
	}
}
```

1. Add this script to any object on the screen, e.g. Canvas
2. Configure parameters:
    - Start minutes: 0
    - Current Time Text: drag in your text component
    
    ![image.png](attachment:e54d195d-d95f-4dcc-b0cf-2b8352a93644:image.png)
    
3. To make time update every second, modify `Update` method. Let’s also add `StartTimer` and `StopTimer`:
    
    ```csharp
    void Update()
    {
        if (timerActive == true)
        {
            CurrentTime = currentTime - Time.deltaTime;
        }
        currentTimeText.text = currentTime.ToString();
    }
    
    public void StartTimer()
    {
        timerActive = true;
    }
    
    public void StopTimer()
    {
        timerActive = false;
    }
    ```
    
4. Save script. Now in Unity go to “Start timer” button and in `OnClick` event assign `Timer` script and select `Timer > StartTimer` method.
    
    ![image.png](attachment:86d5f7ff-e5c8-4eac-9363-4b799d1736ad:image.png)
    
5. Repeat the same for Stop timer button

Great! Now our Timer runs when we click “Start”!

![Screenshot_2025_000264@2x.png](attachment:360f2b91-dc34-4b93-9232-548747b61baa:Screenshot_2025_0002642x.png)

### Time is not formatting properly?

If you start your timer now you will see that time is only measured in the seconds. To fix that
you need to use this simple method:

1. In your Update method, add this line
    
    ```csharp
    void Update()
    {
        TimeSpan time = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(currentTime);
        currentTimeText.text = time.Minutes.ToString() + ":" + time.Seconds.ToString();
    }
    ```
    

But if the time runs out then… oh no it goes negative!!!

1. You need to add new if statement to fix that. Here is a fully finished Update function
    
    ```csharp
    void Update()
    {
        if (timerActive == true)
        {
            currentTime = currentTime - Time.deltaTime;
            if (currentTime <= 0)
            {
                timerActive = false;
                Start();
                Debug.Log("Timer finished!");
            }
        }
    
        TimeSpan time = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(currentTime);
        currentTimeText.text = time.Minutes.ToString() + ":" + time.Seconds.ToString();
    }
    ```
    

### Let’s create stopwatch!

If you created timer now its time for stopwatch (I promise its only getting easier from here)

1. Copy the scene from Timer
2. Duplicate timer script
3. Rename all the files to mention the stopwatch (or just copy script below)

**To make Stopwatch work:**

1. Set the start time to 0
2. Alter update function so that `currentTime` will be increased overtime:

```csharp
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.UI;
using System;

public class Stopwatch : MonoBehaviour
{
    bool stopwatchActive = false;
    float currentTime;
    public Text currentTimeText;

    void Start()
    {
        currentTime = 0;
    }

    void Update()
    {
        if (stopwatchActive == true)
        {
            currentTime = currentTime + Time.deltaTime;
        }

        TimeSpan time = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(currentTime);
        currentTimeText.text = time.Minutes.ToString("00") + ":" + time.Seconds.ToString("00");
    }

    public void StartStopwatch()
    {
        stopwatchActive = true;
    }

    public void StopStopwatch()
    {
        stopwatchActive = false;
    }

    public void ResetStopwatch()
    {
        currentTime = 0;
        currentTimeText.text = "00:00";
    }
}
```

1. To add millisecond to your stopwatch (For you speed runners 😉), use this line:
    
    ```csharp
    currentTimeText.text = time.ToString(@"mm\:ss\:fff");
    ```
    
2. Just like that we created timer!

### Add a score system based on time!

So whats the time if you cant set new high scores right? Now let’s create score measurement system perfect for runner games

1. Duplicate your stopwatch script
2. Add `scoreText` text
3. Your new gameManager:
    
    ```csharp
    using UnityEngine;
    using UnityEngine.UI;
    using System;
    
    public class GameManager : MonoBehaviour
    {
        // Stopwatch
        bool stopwatchActive = false;
        float currentTime;
        public Text currentTimeText;
    
        // Score
        int score;
        public Text scoreText;
        public float multiplier = 5;
    
        void Start()
        {
            currentTime = 0;
            score = 0;
            scoreText.text = score.ToString(); // Initialize score text
        }
    
        void Update()
        {
            if (stopwatchActive == true)
            {
                currentTime = currentTime + Time.deltaTime;
    
                // Score Part 2
                score = Mathf.RoundToInt(currentTime * multiplier);
                scoreText.text = score.ToString();
            }
    
            TimeSpan time = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(currentTime);
            currentTimeText.text = time.ToString(@"mm\:ss\:fff");
        }
    
        public void StartStopwatch()
        {
            stopwatchActive = true;
        }
    
        public void StopStopwatch()
        {
            stopwatchActive = false;
        }
    
        public void ResetStopwatchAndScore()
        {
            currentTime = 0;
            stopwatchActive = false;
            score = 0;
            currentTimeText.text = "00:00:000"; // Reset time text
            scoreText.text = score.ToString(); // Reset score text
        }
    }
    
    ```
    
4. Drag text to current variable field
5. And that's it!

Now you’ve got working timer, stopwatch and score counter ready to implement to your games!

Today you will not only learn how to create countdown timer but also a stopwatch and how to calculate score in your game based on the time passed

Create Stopwatch and Timer in Unity