# Timer
Timer acts as a countdown to events happening, and is another 'behind the scenes' type of component. It can be really helpful in creating increased difficulty in obstacle courses or a battle royale, for instance; every 20 seconds a new trap appears, and you have to dodge an increasing number of things that want to kill you!
It can also just help provide a nice sense of pace or suspense to your game: you're being chased down by an angry monster, but the door takes 3 seconds to unlock - will you make it in time?
* **Time** - how long the countdown lasts
* **Loop** - does the countdown restart immediately after reaching 0, or does it need linking to be reset?
* **Auto-start** - does the countdown start from the beginning of the game?
### Common uses
* [Item respawn](/guides/creating-game-logic-in-mutate/item-respawn.md)
* Traps - platforms only appear for a short time, meaning you have to time your jumps right!
* Variety and pacing of events
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