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Update Controllers, gamepads and joysticks for SDL 3 #11243

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Sep 10, 2025
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Update Controllers, gamepads and joysticks for SDL 3 #11243

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35 changes: 31 additions & 4 deletions tutorials/inputs/controllers_gamepads_joysticks.rst
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Expand Up @@ -4,7 +4,20 @@ Controllers, gamepads, and joysticks
====================================

Godot supports hundreds of controller models out of the box.
Controllers are supported on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and HTML5.
Controllers are supported on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and Web.

.. note::

Since Godot 4.5, the engine relies on `SDL 3 <https://www.libsdl.org/index.php>`__
for controller support on Windows, macOS, and Linux. This means the list of
supported controllers and their behavior should closely match what is available
in other games and engines using SDL 3. Note that SDL is only used for input,
not for windowing or sound.

Prior to Godot 4.5, the engine used its own controller support code.
This can cause certain controllers to behave incorrectly.
This custom code is still used to support controllers on Android, iOS,
and Web, so it may result in issues appearing only on those platforms.

Note that more specialized devices such as steering wheels, rudder pedals and
`HOTAS <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HOTAS>`__ are less tested and may not
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -354,10 +367,24 @@ Controllers can still work without udev support, but it is less reliable as
regular polling must be used to check for controllers being connected or
disconnected during gameplay (hotplugging).

HTML5
^^^^^
Android/iOS
^^^^^^^^^^^

HTML5 controller support is often less reliable compared to "native" platforms.
As described at the top of the page, controller support on mobile platforms relies
on a custom implementation instead of using SDL for input. This means controller
support may be less reliable than on desktop platforms.

Support for SDL-based controller input on mobile platforms is
`planned <https://github.com/godotengine/godot/pull/109645>`__
in a future release.

Web
^^^

Web controller support is often less reliable compared to "native" platforms.
The quality of controller support tends to vary wildly across browsers. As a
result, you may have to instruct your players to use a different browser if they
can't get their controller to work.

Like for mobile platforms, support for SDL-based controller input on the web platform
is `planned <https://github.com/godotengine/godot/pull/109645>`__ in a future release.
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