In quantum mechanics, wave function collapse, also called reduction of the state vector, occurs when a wave function—initially in a superposition of several eigenstates—reduces to a single eigenstate due to interaction with the external world.

A consciousness-collapse view may hold that when consciousness represents observable properties of an observed object, the object collapses into a definite state of those observables. For example, perceiving the location of a ball that was previously in a superposition will collapse the ball into a definite location.

According to de Broglie–Bohm theory, interaction with the environment during a measurement procedure separates the wave packets in configuration space, which is where apparent wave function collapse comes from, even though there is no actual collapse.

Wave Function Collapse is a procedural generation algorithm that generates maps out of tiles. This algorithm mimics the Wave Function Collapse from quantum mechanics, by observing a tile it then is able to reasonably solve what the rest of the tiles should be through propagation.