Use Your Android Phone as a RetroArch Controller on PC

RetroArch detects XInput controllers automatically. Gamepad — Play Anywhere makes your Android phone one — wirelessly over WiFi — so you can play every core in RetroArch without buying a physical controller.

RetroArch + Gamepad — Automatic Setup

RetroArch's XInput support means no manual mapping is needed. Connect your phone using the Gamepad app, then in RetroArch go to Settings → Input → Port 1 Controls → Device Type and select "Xbox". RetroPad translates the XInput buttons to the correct console inputs for whatever core you are running.

Every major system maps correctly: SNES (A/B/X/Y + L/R), NES (A/B + Start/Select), Genesis (A/B/C/X/Y/Z via pad6), N64 (all 14 buttons including Z and C-stick via right stick), PSX (full DualShock with analog sticks), and more.

Latency for Retro Gaming

Classic retro games tolerate very little input lag — the originals had near-zero latency. The Gamepad app over 5GHz WiFi achieves under 10ms end-to-end latency, which is imperceptible in gameplay. Even for precise platformers like Mega Man or Castlevania, the response feels identical to a wired controller.

On 2.4GHz WiFi latency is typically 15–25ms, still well within the threshold for comfortable retro gaming. For the most demanding twitch-reflex games, 5GHz is recommended.