Spectate System
Updated May 25, 2026
The Spectate System lets players view the game through other players’ perspectives. It supports team restrictions, alive-player prioritization, override rules, and manual target switching.
For shared setup guidance, see the Migration Guide and Integration Guide. Use the System Atlas to look up functions, variables, events, components, and ownership references. Use this page for Spectate System-specific setup and behavior.
Core Concepts
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Spectator | The player viewing another player’s perspective. |
| Spectate Target | The player being viewed. |
| Team-Based Spectating | Restricts spectators to players on their own team. |
| Alive Player Prioritization | Prioritizes living players in the spectate list. |
| Override Options | Customizes who can spectate and who can be spectated. |
| Player Switching | Cycles through valid spectate targets with input controls. |
Component
AC_Spectate manages the spectator’s current target, the list of spectatable players, team restrictions, alive-player prioritization, and player switching. It integrates with the Game Mode System to query team affiliation and player state.
Spectate Restrictions
By default, team-based spectating allows spectators to view only teammates. Enemy team members are excluded from the spectate list. This prevents dead players from revealing enemy positions in competitive team modes.
Override options can be used for coach, observer, replay, free-for-all, or non-competitive modes where different permission rules are needed.
Alive Player Prioritization
When enabled, alive players are prioritized in the spectate list. Dead players are still present unless your project adds stronger filtering, but living players are easier to reach. The system does not automatically switch targets when the current target dies; switching remains manual.
Setup
- Add AC_Spectate to the appropriate Player Controller or player-owned class used by your project.
- Configure team-based restrictions and override rules.
- Enable alive-player prioritization if the mode should favor living players.
- Bind input for previous/next spectate target.
- Test in a multiplayer session with multiple players, teams, deaths, and manual switching.
Example Use Cases
- Team Deathmatch: Dead players spectate living teammates only.
- Observer / Coach Mode: Specific roles can spectate all players.
- Battle Royale: Players spectate remaining valid targets after death.
- Free-For-All: Override restrictions allow spectating any valid player.
See Also
- Game Mode System: Team and player-state queries.
- Team Manager: Team affiliation rules.
- Player Manager: Player list and player-state data.