oldGame controls – keyboard, gamepad and emulators
Most games are played with the keyboard (a USB gamepad helps with consoles). Here you'll find key mappings, saving, sound and fullscreen – and every game page also shows its own controls.
Before you start (3 things)
- 🖱️ Click into the game window — only then does it capture the keyboard and mouse.
- 🔊 If a game asks for a sound card, usually pick 1 / SoundBlaster.
- ⛶ For the best experience switch to fullscreen.
Three emulators, three control styles
Keyboard → console buttons
Default mapping in EmulatorJS (NES, SNES, Mega Drive, Game Boy…). Everything can be remapped in the player menu, or plug in a USB gamepad.
| Key | Console button |
|---|---|
| ←↑↓→ | Direction (D-pad) |
| Z | A button |
| X | B button |
| A | X button |
| S | Y button |
| Enter | Start |
| Shift | Select |
DOS and PC games
Typical keys (each game shows its exact controls on its own page).
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| ←↑↓→ | Move (often W A S D too) |
| Ctrl | Fire / primary action |
| Space | Use / jump / action |
| Alt | Secondary action / strafe |
| Esc | Menu / pause |
| F2/F3 | Save / load (handled by the game) |
| 🖱 | Mouse — strategy, adventures, shooters |
Controls by game type
| Type | Main controls |
|---|---|
| Shooter (FPS) | ←↑↓→ move & turn, Ctrl fire, Space use |
| Platformer | ←→ move, ↑ /Space jump |
| Racing | ↑ gas, ↓ brake, ←→ steer |
| Fighting | ←→ move, ↓ block, CtrlAltSpace attacks |
| Action / arcade | ←↑↓→ move, CtrlSpace action |
| Adventure | 🖱 point & click, Esc menu |
| Strategy | 🖱 select & command, ←↑↓→ scroll map |
Gamepad / joystick
Plug a USB gamepad into your computer before launching a game. For console games (EmulatorJS) the emulator detects it automatically and it feels most authentic; you can remap buttons in the player menu. For DOS games a gamepad only works where the game supported a joystick.
How saving works
First the key thing: when you are logged in, the game is saved to the cloud automatically — just close it and next time (even on another computer or phone) you continue where you left off. No clicking needed. The “Start fresh” button above the game ignores the cloud save and starts a new game.
On top of that the classics work too: (1) in-game save — handled by the game via its menu (often F2/F3 or under Esc); (2) save state on consoles — store/restore the whole emulator state from the player menu. A save state is fast but tied to this browser (the cloud save, by contrast, follows you everywhere).
⛶ Fullscreen and sound
Turn on fullscreen with the button in the game window (or F11 in the browser). On some games sound starts only after you click into the screen — browsers block autoplay.
Mobile and tablet
In-browser play works on mobile too and many games show touch controls. Still, old games were made for a keyboard and mouse — the best experience (and most precise control) is on a computer.