Controller-Friendly Browser Games

The Gamepad API has been in browsers since 2013, but 'controller support' is a spectrum. At one end: full button remapping, analogue stick sensitivity curves, rumble feedback. At the other: 'we detect the gamepad exists and map face buttons.' Bramwell's 2023 audit of 24 browser games with claimed controller support found four that he would describe as genuinely good implementations. Two were .io games (Krunker with a third-party extension, Stickman Fighter). One was a WebGL platformer on Itch.io. One was an official browser port of a console title. This category is specifically for games that Bramwell has verified on a DualShock 4 and Xbox Series controller.

Screen Notes

Works at any screen size. Desktop recommended for most controller titles.

Compatibility

Chrome and Edge have best Gamepad API support. Firefox is reliable on Windows. Safari 16.4+ added basic gamepad support.

Editorial Note

On macOS, Chrome requires the 'enable-gamepad' flag in some older builds. Check chrome://flags if a pad isn't registering.