Ride and shoot with a game controller

Switch Pro, PlayStation and Xbox pads, Bluetooth or USB, nothing to install.

Monsoon Cycles, Colorado Springs · Updated November 4, 2026

Plug in a pad and the game switches to its buttons. Switch Pro, PlayStation and Xbox controllers all work over Bluetooth or USB, with nothing to install. Press any button once the game is open and the key help swaps to that pad's glyphs. Zwift sells its own controller; here, the one in your drawer works.

OPEN THE GAME FREEDOM MODE

Setting up

Pair the pad with the computer in its Bluetooth settings, or plug in a USB cable. On a Switch Pro, hold the small sync button on the top edge until the lights run.
Open the game in Chrome or Edge and press any button. The help line switches to your pad's glyphs.
Ride. In demo mode a face button pedals. With a trainer paired, the trainer does the pedaling and the pad steers and looks.

The button map

Action	Switch Pro	PlayStation	Xbox
Pedal (demo mode)	B	Cross	A
Steer on the road	Left stick	Left stick	Left stick
Look around / aim	Right stick	Right stick	Right stick
Freedom Mode on or off	+	OPTIONS	Menu
Fire	ZR	R2	RT
Aim down the sights	ZL	L2	LT
Reload	X	Square	X
Previous / next gun	L / R	L1 / R1	LB / RB

The right stick in Freedom Mode moves a free cursor, not the camera; near a target it locks on and follows. Aim assist can be turned off in the FREEDOM tab, and the pad rumbles on hits and on the Argus fight if the browser supports it.

Three notes

Browser focus. The pad only talks to the tab that has focus. Click the game once if the buttons go quiet.
Steam. If Steam is open it can grab the controller first. Quit it or turn off Steam Input for the pad.
Several pads. The first one that presses a button wins. A second pad is ignored.

Controller questions

Which controllers work?

Nintendo Switch Pro and Joy-Con, PlayStation DualShock 4 and DualSense, and Xbox pads, over Bluetooth or USB. Anything the browser's Gamepad API sees will work; those three families get their own button glyphs in the help.

Can I ride with a controller instead of a trainer?

Yes. In demo mode a face button pedals, the left stick steers on the road, and the right stick looks around. It is the couch way to ride the Nordschleife.

Does the controller work with a trainer paired?

Yes. The trainer supplies the power, the pad steers, looks and, in Freedom Mode, aims and shoots.

Do I need to install a driver?

No. Pair the pad with the computer in its Bluetooth settings or plug in a cable, open the game and press any button.

Does it work on a phone?

A Bluetooth pad paired to an Android phone works in Chrome. iPhones ride with touch controls.

Keep going: Freedom Mode · The Argus boss fight · How to pair a trainer · Open the game

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