Gamepad API

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The Gamepad API is a way for developers to access and respond to signals from gamepads and other game controllers in a simple, consistent way. It contains three interfaces, two events and one specialist function, to respond to gamepads being connected and disconnected, and to access other information about the gamepads themselves, and what buttons and other controls are currently being pressed.

Interfaces

Gamepad

Represents a gamepad/controller connected to the computer.

GamepadButton

Represents a button on one of the connected controllers.

GamepadEvent

The event object representing events fired that are related to gamepads.

Experimental Gamepad extensions

GamepadHapticActuator

Represents hardware in the controller designed to provide haptic feedback to the user (if available), most commonly vibration hardware.

GamepadPose

Represents the pose of a controller (e.g. position and orientation in 3D space) in the case of a WebVR controller. This is not used by the newer WebXR standard.

See also the extensions to the Gamepad interface, for features that allow you to access the above information.

Extensions to other interfaces

Navigator.getGamepads()

An extension to the Navigator object that returns an array of Gamepad objects, one for each connected gamepad.

Window events

Window.ongamepadconnected

Represents an event handler that will run when a gamepad is connected (when the gamepadconnected event fires).

Window.ongamepaddisconnected

Represents an event handler that will run when a gamepad is disconnected (when the gamepaddisconnected event fires).

Tutorials and guides

Specifications

Specification Status Comment
Gamepad Extensions Editor's Draft Defines the Experimental Gamepad extensions.
Gamepad
The definition of 'The Gamepad API specification' in that specification.		 Working Draft Initial definition

Browser compatibility

Desktop Mobile
Chrome Edge Firefox Internet Explorer Opera Safari WebView Android Chrome Android Firefox for Android Opera Android Safari on IOS Samsung Internet
Gamepad_API
35
21-34
12
29
No
22
15-21
10.1
No
35
25-34
32
22
14-21
10.3
4.0
2.0-3.0
axes
35
21-34
12
29
No
22
15-21
10.1
No
35
25-34
32
22
14-21
10.3
4.0
2.0-3.0
buttons
35
21-34
12
29
No
22
15-21
10.1
No
35
25-34
32
22
14-21
10.3
4.0
2.0-3.0
connected
35
25-34
12
29
No
22
15-21
10.1
No
35
25-34
32
22
14-21
10.3
4.0
2.0-3.0
displayId
55-80
Only works on desktop in an experimental version of Chrome (other builds won't return any devices when Navigator.getVRDisplays() is invoked).
79-80
15-79
55
Windows support was enabled in Firefox 55.
64
macOS support was enabled in Firefox 64.
No
No
No
No
55-80
Currently supported only by Google Daydream.
55
?
No
6.0-13.0
Currently supported only by Google Daydream.
hand
No
15-79
55
No
No
No
No
No
55
No
No
No
hapticActuators
No
15-79
55
No
No
No
No
No
55
No
No
No
id
35
21-34
12
29
No
22
15-21
No
No
35
25-34
32
22
14-21
No
4.0
2.0-3.0
index
35
21-34
12
29
No
22
15-21
10.1
No
35
25-34
32
22
14-21
10.3
4.0
2.0-3.0
mapping
35
21-34
12
29
No
22
15-21
10.1
No
35
25-34
32
22
14-21
10.3
4.0
2.0-3.0
pose
No
15-79
55
No
No
No
No
No
55
No
No
No
secure_context_required
86
86
91
No
72
No
No
86
91
61
No
No
timestamp
35
21-34
12
29
No
22
15-21
10.1
No
35
25-34
32
22
14-21
10.3
4.0
2.0-3.0
vibrationActuator
68
79
No
No
55
No
No
68
No
48
No
10.0

See also

© 2005–2021 MDN contributors.
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5 or later.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Gamepad_API