Invincibility is a temporary state in which a player character becomes immune to damage or negative effects, such as knockback or debuffs. The frames a player spends invincible are sometimes referred to as I-Frames. Actions such as Burst Movement Options or specific Attacks commonly come with Invincibility. In addition, it is common for a player character to be briefly Invincible in the time after taking damage.
Different systems feature different windows of Invincibility, which translate to more or less lenient gameplay. Increasing I-Frames may be a perk of equipment. Invincibility is not always complete; certain damage types may be able to bypass it.
Examples
Super Mario Bros. (1985) – After taking damage, the player character enters a few seconds flashing invincibility state, preventing consecutive damage.
Hollow Knight (2018) – The Dash ability grants brief I-Frames, allowing players to evade attacks. Charms can extend this duration.
Street Fighter V (2016) – Certain special attacks have I-Frames on startup, allowing the player to attack through incoming attacks.
Ultrakill (Upcoming) – Dashing comes with I-Frames, although certain obstacles are impossible to dash through.