My game doesn't see the controller: a step-by-step checklist

When a controller does nothing in a game, it is tempting to try random fixes. A better approach is to find out where the chain breaks. There are only four places it can: the phone to the PC link, the Windows driver, a program that sits in between such as Steam, and the game. This checklist tests each in order, so you fix the real problem and not a guess.

Test 1: is the phone connected to the PC?

Look at the app's connection screen and at the Gamepad Server window on the PC. Both should show a live connection. If the app says "No PC connected" or "Connection interrupted", the problem is the link and not the game. Go to Phone can't connect to your PC and come back here when it connects.

Test 2: does Windows see a controller?

1. Press Win + R, type joy.cpl and press Enter.
2. A list of game controllers opens. With the phone connected you should see an Xbox 360 controller.
3. Select it and choose Properties. Press buttons and move sticks on the phone. The test window should react instantly.

If the controller is listed and the test works, Windows and the link are fine. Skip to test 3.

If the controller is missing, the driver is the problem. Run the PC server installer again and accept the permission prompt, restart the PC, and look again. If it is still missing, install ViGEmBus manually from its official releases page. See why the PC sees an Xbox 360 controller.

If it is listed but nothing moves in the test window, the PC is not receiving input even though the controller exists. Check that the app shows a live connection, then check that no VPN or firewall is interfering, and try a USB connection.

Test 3: is the connection order the problem?

Many games and emulators only look for controllers when they start. If the phone connected after the game launched, the game may never notice it. Close the game, connect the phone, confirm it in joy.cpl, and launch the game again.

Test 4: Steam

If you launched the game through Steam, Steam may be intercepting the controller.

• In Steam, open Settings, then Controller, and check that your controller is listed.
• Right-click the game, choose Properties, then Controller, and try switching the override between the default, Steam Input on and Steam Input off. Relaunch after each change.

The Steam and emulators guide goes into this in detail.

Test 5: the game's own settings

• Look in the game's Controls or Input menu. Some games have a switch that selects keyboard or controller, and a few need you to press a button on the controller to wake it.
• Check whether the game supports controllers at all. Look on its store page for a "Full controller support" or "Partial controller support" label.
• Try a different game that definitely supports an Xbox controller. If that one works, the original game simply has weak support or needs a setting.

Test 6: is something else reading the controller?

Symptoms such as doubled inputs, buttons doing two things, or a stick that seems to push by itself mean two things are reading the same input.

• Close other programs that create virtual controllers or remap pads, such as other gamepad mappers or remote-play tools.
• Check the game is not set to read the pad twice, for example both as a controller and through a keyboard mapping.

Test 7: the phone side

If the test window moves but the game behaves oddly, check what the layout sends. A button works only if its label is a real controller input, such as A, B, X, Y, LB, RB, LT or RT. A button with some other label draws on screen and sends nothing. The layout editor warns you when this happens. Open the layout and fix any flagged button. See the layout builder guide.

If a trigger seems stuck or only works in two states, check its Response setting. Throttle gives smooth 0 to 100 percent, and Normal is a simple on-off.

Test 8: tilt steering interfering

If the game is moving or turning by itself, tilt steering may be on and sending stick values. Turn it off in the app's settings, or press CALIBRATE with the phone held in your normal playing position. The tilt steering guide explains the settings.

Still stuck?

Write down the answers to these four questions, and send them to us through the contact form:

1. Does joy.cpl list an Xbox 360 controller, and does its test window react?
2. Which game, and where did you buy or install it?
3. Does another controller-supported game work?
4. Which versions of the PC server and the Android app are you running?

With those four answers we can usually say within one reply which part of the chain is at fault.