Play with a controller
Plenty of games in this arcade take a gamepad, and hooking one up takes about a minute. No downloads, no drivers, no setup screens. Plug it in or pair it, press a button, and play. The Switch Pro Controller and the new Switch 2 Pro Controller are our favorites: great sticks, a real D-pad, and a battery that lasts for days. Both work right here.
Wired: plug in a USB cable
- Plug the controller into your computer with a USB cable. Most modern controllers, Switch Pro included, use USB-C.
- Wait for the little light or the rumble that says it is awake.
- Come back to the arcade, open a game, and press any button. You are in.
Wireless: pair it with Bluetooth
- Open the Bluetooth settings on your computer, phone, or tablet.
- Put the controller in pairing mode. Each pad hides that button somewhere different, and the Nintendo ones are covered right below.
- Pick the controller from the list and wait for it to say Connected.
- Back in the arcade, press any button so the browser wakes it up.
One browser rule surprises everyone: a page is only allowed to see your controller after you press a button on it. So if the tester above still says no controller, press something. That is a privacy rule, not a broken pad.
Nintendo Switch controllers
Switch Pro Controller
Wired: plug in a USB-C cable and you are done.
Wireless: hold the small Sync button on top of the controller, next to the USB-C port, until the player lights on the bottom run back and forth. Then pair Pro Controller in your Bluetooth settings.
Switch 2 Pro Controller
Wired: USB-C cable, same as the original. Done.
Wireless: hold the Sync button on top until the lights start running, then pair it in Bluetooth settings. Its extra chat tricks stay on the Switch 2 itself; here it is simply a superb, comfortable pad.
Joy-Con controllers
Slide a Joy-Con off the console and hold the tiny Sync button on its rail until the lights run, then pair it like any Bluetooth device. Each Joy-Con pairs on its own, so two players can each take one sideways for simple games. On a Switch 2, Joy-Con 2 controllers pair the same way.
On a phone or tablet
Same idea, smaller screen. On an iPhone or iPad, open Settings, then Bluetooth, put the controller in pairing mode, and tap it when it appears. On Android, open Settings, then Connected devices, then Pair new device. Modern phones happily take Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch controllers. Open the arcade, press a button, and the tester above should light up green.
When it does not work
- Click the game first. A page can only hear your controller while it has your attention.
- Press a button after connecting. The browser hides controllers until you do.
- Try Chrome or Edge. They have the widest controller support of any browsers.
- Swap the cable. If it charges but never connects, it is a charge-only cable.
- Forget and re-pair. In Bluetooth settings, forget the controller and pair it fresh.
- Close controller-grabby apps. Steam is famous for holding a pad hostage. Quit it and reload this tab.
- Check the game. Some arcade games are keyboard and touch only. Every game page lists what it takes under How to play.