Getting Started

What is Virtual Gamepad?

Virtual Gamepad turns an Android phone into a low-latency wireless gamepad for Windows or Linux. It has two parts: a desktop companion that runs on your PC and registers a virtual controller device, and a client app on your phone that sends touch input to it over your local Wi-Fi network.

There's no cloud relay involved. Your phone talks directly to your PC over the network you're already connected to.

What you'll need

• A Windows or Linux PC
• An Android phone (iOS isn't currently supported — see the FAQ for why)
• Both devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network

Quick setup

1. Install the desktop companion from the Download page.
2. Install the client app on your phone from the same page.
3. Open the desktop companion — it will start listening on your local network.
4. Open the phone app; it should discover your PC automatically.
5. Tap to connect. Your PC now sees the phone as a regular game controller.

# If automatic discovery doesn't find your PC, you can also connect
# by entering its local IP address directly in the phone app.
ipconfig        # Windows — look for "IPv4 Address"
ip addr show    # Linux — look for your Wi-Fi interface's inet address

Next steps

Head to Windows Setup or Linux Setup for platform-specific notes, or jump straight to Android Setup for details on the client app.