Gaming on mobile phones can be fun, but touchscreens aren’t always the best way to enjoy them. If you have a gamepad, you can connect it to your phone and play with its physical buttons and joystick. In addition to increasing your gaming experience, this can also double your enjoyment of this work.

You can use different gamepads on your phone, such as wired USB controllers, wireless Bluetooth controllers, and console-specific controllers like Xbox One, PS4, PS5, or Nintendo Switch. This article will show you how to connect these gamepads to your phone and what games you can play.

As we said before, there are different ways to connect the game controller to mobile phones, which are divided into two main parts, wired and wireless.

If you have a USB controller on your PC, you can also use it on your mobile phone, for which you need a special adapter called a USB OTG cable. This device is a small device that allows you to connect standard USB connectors to your phone. These cables are readily available and available in all online and local stores.

Follow the steps below to connect the wired gamepad to your phone:

• Ensure you have a USB OTG cable that fits your phone’s port type (USB-C or micro-USB).

• Connect the OTG converter to the charging port of your phone.

• Then connect the desired handle to the other side of the OTG converter and wait for the controller to be recognized by the phone’s operating system.

• After completing the detection operation, run your desired game and enjoy it!

Some games may not support USB controllers by default, so you may need to change some settings or use third-party apps to play with the controller, which we’ll cover below.

If you have a Bluetooth wireless gamepad compatible with Android devices, you can connect it to your phone without cables or adapters. It is more convenient and portable than using wired gamepads.

Follow the steps below to connect the wireless Bluetooth gamepad to your mobile phone:

• Turn on your phone’s Bluetooth and make sure your phone is visible to other Bluetooth devices.

• Please turn on your handset and put it in pairing mode. This may vary depending on the model of your handset but usually involves holding down a button or combination of controls for a few seconds until a particular light starts flashing.

• Select your game console from the list of available devices and confirm the pairing request.

• After identifying and pairing the two devices, you can quickly run your mobile game and continue with the controller.

Of course, it is possible that all games do not follow this process by default, and you need to install a unique program to recognize the game category on your phone.

If you have a console-specific gamepad like Xbox One, PS4, PS5, or Nintendo Switch, you can also use it on your mobile phone. These controllers use Bluetooth technology to communicate with their respective consoles, so as long as your phone supports Bluetooth, they can easily pair with your phone.

However, connecting these bands to your phone may require additional steps or tricks depending on the model of the band and your phone. Here are some general guidelines for each type of controller:

Follow the steps below to connect the Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S gamepads to your phone:

• First, turn on your phone’s Bluetooth and enter the Bluetooth settings.

• Turn on your Xbox controller by pressing and holding the Xbox button in the center.

• Put the controller in pairing mode by pressing and holding the Connect button on the top edge for a few seconds until the Xbox button flashes quickly.

• Search for nearby Bluetooth devices on your phone, select the Xbox Wireless Controller from the list of available devices, and confirm the pairing request.

• After connecting the Xbox controller to your phone, you can easily play and enjoy the game you want, just like other wireless controllers.

Note: Some older Xbox One or Xbox 360 controller models may not support Bluetooth connectivity. So if you want to use these old handles, ensure they are Bluetooth first.

If you want to play games with a PS4 controller on your phone, you have two options: Bluetooth or line. In the following, the steps of both methods are mentioned in detail.

Using Bluetooth

To connect your PS4 controller to your phone via Bluetooth, you must ensure your phone is running Android 10 or higher or iOS 13 or higher. Then follow the steps below:

• Turn on your phone’s Bluetooth and go to the Find other devices page in your Bluetooth settings.

• On your PS4 controller, press and hold the PS button (the middle button with the PlayStation logo) and the Share button (the small button to the right of the D-pad and the left of the touchpad) at the same time for about five seconds. The light bar on the back of the handle starts flashing rapidly. This means that the handle is in pairing mode.

• On your mobile phone, look for a device called “DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controller” under “Other Devices” or “Available Devices.” Tap it to pair the phone with the handle.

• The light bar on the handle will turn pinkish-red, and you will receive a confirmation message on your mobile phone that the connection is successful.

You can now use your PS4 controller to play games on your phone that support controller input. Some controller features, such as a touchpad, motion sensor, noise, and battery indicator, may not work on some phones or games.

Using cable

Most Android phones have a USB-C port, and iPhones also have a Lightning port. You’ll also need the USB-A cable that came with your PS4. To connect the PS4 controller to the phone via cable, you need an OTG converter that matches the port on your phone.

• Connect the USB-A cable to your PS4 console.

• Connect the other end of the cable to the OTG converter.

• Then connect the OTG converter to the port of your phone.

Your phone should automatically detect the handle, and you can start playing games supporting controller input. However, as we said, some features of the PS4 controller may not work on some phones or games.

Connecting the game console wirelessly or wirelessly may be hassle-free and accessible for many users. Still, the connection made through the settings without installing any other program does not work correctly on all phones. Therefore, many companies have developed in this field to create third-party applications to connect game consoles to mobile phones as accurately as possible. In the following, we will review some of the most famous programs for joining the game console on the phone.

Octopus Gamepad is an Android application developed by Octopus Gaming Studio. This app helps you play Android games with various peripherals like a gamepad, keyboard, and mouse.

The Octopus Gamepad app creates a virtual overlay on your screen that matches the buttons and keys on your peripheral. You can adjust the controls to match the game interface, transparency, and size. You can also choose different modes for different types of games; For example, when playing shooter and racing games, you can easily see the FPS and other things.

Octopus Gamepad supports most apps and games, and you can add any game you want to your game list. It also supports popular gamepads, keyboards, and mice from Xbox, PS, IPEGA, Gamesir, Razer, and Logitech brands. You can customize the desired key and assign each button for a specific task.

Mantis Gamepad Pro Beta is an application for connecting the keyboard and gamepad to the phone, which allows you to experience many games on Android using the gamepad. This app supports almost all gamepads for Android devices like Xbox, Playstation, Razer, iPega, GameSir, Logitech, etc. It is also fully compatible with hundreds of thousands of games from Google Play, including popular titles such as Apex Legends, Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile, Wild Rift, Mobile Legends, and more.

Mantis Gamepad Pro Beta uses proprietary environment mapping technology that does not require the emulation of applications or special access. This means you can play with your original Google Play account without compromising your data or getting banned. Mantis Gamepad Pro Beta also has an on-device activation feature that allows you to run the app without using a PC or another Android device (for Android 11 and up).

Panda Gamepad Pro (BETA) is software for connecting the gamepad to Android phones, which was developed by Panda Gaming Studio and had a price equivalent to 3.99 dollars in the Play Store.

Panda Gamepad Pro (BETA) requires rooting or using a PC before use. This software supports all kinds of game consoles. It establishes a proper connection between the console and the phone; one of the essential features is the ability to play shooter games such as PUBG and Call Of Duty Mobile. You need to connect your phone to the computer and run Panda Gamepad Pro Activator, which you can download from the company’s official website. After activation, you can connect your phone to the handle and use it wirelessly.

This software is still in beta so it may have performance issues or bugs. You can report any problem or feedback to its developers via email or social media.

Now you know how to connect your gamepad to your Android device correctly, but after doing so, you may still face problems, such as the gamepad’s buttons not working. If you encounter such a problem, the general solution is to turn off Accessibility features on Android devices.

For this, you can follow the following steps:

• Go to the Settings app on your Android device.

• Scroll down and enter the Accessibility section and then Installed Services.

• Turn off any services you see here, then try your gamepad buttons.

• Then turn on the services one by one to determine which service caused the problem in the operation of the game console. Finally, turn off that particular service and use your handle easily. In 99% of cases, this will solve the problems related to the buttons not working.

In the following, we have addressed some minor problems in connecting the handle to the phone so that we may answer the questions of more users.

If you leave your gamepad on when you’re not using it, your battery will drain faster than if you turn it off or unplug it. This constant connection can be annoying if you want to play with the controller for a long time or if you need to use your phone for other tasks.

If your gamepad is connected to your phone via Bluetooth, it may interfere with other nearby Bluetooth devices, such as headphones, speakers, or keyboards. This can cause audio glitches, lag, or disconnection issues. To avoid this, you should unplug your game controller when not in use or switch to a wired connection if possible.

Among other Bluetooth connection problems between the handle and the phone, your mobile phone may be vulnerable to hacking attacks or malware from other devices. This can compromise your personal information, such as contacts, messages, photos, or passwords. Pair your gamepad with trusted devices and use a secure Bluetooth connection to avoid this.

When your game controller is connected to your phone via a USB cable, it may prevent you from receiving notifications from other apps or services. This can cause you to miss important calls, emails, or reminders. To solve this problem, you should enable notification sounds or vibrations on your phone or check your phone regularly while playing.