Android: 10-15s Blank Screen Before Boot Splash - Need Native Loading Screen

[SOLVED] Show Android Splash Screen Before Godot Boot Splash (Godot 4.4.1)

Problem:
When launching my Godot Android game, the screen goes black for 10–15 seconds before the boot splash appears. I wanted to display a logo and a “Loading…” message during that time (like Candy Crush does).

Cause:
That blank screen is when the Godot engine is starting up. By default, nothing is shown until it's ready.

Goal:
Add a native Android splash screen that shows instantly, before Godot’s engine kicks in.

Solution:
You need to create a native Android Java activity (SplashActivity.java) and set it as your app’s launcher. It shows your logo/message for a few seconds, then launches Godot.

Steps:

1. Export the Android build from Godot with:

   • Use Gradle Build: ON
   • Custom Build: ON (shows full Android project structure)

2. Create this Java file: android/build/src/main/java/com/godot/game/SplashActivity.java

package com.godot.game;

import android.app.Activity;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.content.pm.ActivityInfo;
import android.graphics.Color;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.os.Handler;
import android.view.Gravity;
import android.view.ViewGroup;
import android.widget.FrameLayout;
import android.widget.ImageView;
import android.widget.LinearLayout;
import android.widget.TextView;

public class SplashActivity extends Activity {
    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setRequestedOrientation(ActivityInfo.SCREEN_ORIENTATION_PORTRAIT);

        FrameLayout rootLayout = new FrameLayout(this);
        rootLayout.setBackgroundColor(Color.BLACK);

        LinearLayout verticalLayout = new LinearLayout(this);
        verticalLayout.setOrientation(LinearLayout.VERTICAL);
        verticalLayout.setGravity(Gravity.CENTER);
        verticalLayout.setLayoutParams(new FrameLayout.LayoutParams(
                ViewGroup.LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT,
                ViewGroup.LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT));

        ImageView logo = new ImageView(this);
        logo.setImageResource(R.drawable.splash_logo);
        logo.setAdjustViewBounds(true);

        TextView message = new TextView(this);
        message.setText("TNT comin' up... – Mud Dog ");
        message.setTextColor(Color.WHITE);
        message.setTextSize(16);
        message.setGravity(Gravity.CENTER);

        verticalLayout.addView(logo);
        verticalLayout.addView(message);
        rootLayout.addView(verticalLayout);
        setContentView(rootLayout);

        new Handler().postDelayed(() -> {
            Intent intent = new Intent(SplashActivity.this, GodotApp.class);
            startActivity(intent);
            finish();
        }, 4000);
    }
}

3. Put your logo at:
   android/build/src/main/res/drawable/splash_logo.png

4. In AndroidManifest.xml, use this launcher:

<activity android:name="com.godot.game.SplashActivity"
    android:theme="@android:style/Theme.Black.NoTitleBar.Fullscreen"
    android:exported="true"
    android:screenOrientation="portrait">
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
    </intent-filter>
</activity>

<activity android:name="com.godot.game.GodotApp"
    android:exported="false"
    android:screenOrientation="portrait" />

That’s it! You now get a clean, branded loading screen before the Godot engine even starts. Works great on slower phones.

Godot 4.4.1 | macOS | Android target SDK 34