---
name: "hgame"
section: "4"
platform: "freebsd"
package: "base"
version: "16.0-CURRENT-20261027-61c70dc16a79"
release: "FreeBSD 16.0-CURRENT (2026-10-27)"
platforms: ["freebsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/hgame"
---

# hgame(4)

generic HID gamepad, joystick, and controller evdev driver

## NAME

**hgame** – generic HID gamepad, joystick, and controller evdev driver

## SYNOPSIS

**device** **hgame** **device** **hid** **device** **hidbus** **device** **hidmap** **device** **evdev**

In [loader.conf(5)](/loader.conf/5.md): **hw.hid.hgame.debug** **hgame\_load="YES"**

In [loader.conf(5)](/loader.conf/5.md) or [sysctl.conf(5)](/sysctl.conf/5.md): **dev.hgame.X.debug**

## DESCRIPTION

The **hgame** driver supports generic game controllers that attach to the HID transport backend, and presents them to applications over the **evdev** interface.

If the appropriate hardware is detected, the driver will be loaded automatically by [devmatch(8)](/devmatch/8.md). To load the driver manually at boot time, set the *hgame\_load* variable to *YES* at the [loader(8)](/loader/8.md) prompt, or add it to [loader.conf(5)](/loader.conf/5.md).

To give user applications access to the game controllers, allow user access to the */dev/input/event\** nodes with inclusion of user in the *games* group.

## HARDWARE

The **hgame** driver supports HID gamepads, joysticks, and controllers such as:

- 8bitdo USB Wireless Adapter 2

## SYSCTL VARIABLES

The following variable is available as both [sysctl(8)](/sysctl/8.md) variable and [loader(8)](/loader/8.md) tunable:

- *dev.hgame.X.debug*

  Debug output level, where 0 is debugging disabled and larger values increase debug message verbosity. Default is 0.

Its default value is set with [loader(8)](/loader/8.md) tunable:

- *hw.hid.hgame.debug*

  ## FILES

- */dev/input/event\**

  input event device (**evdev**) node

## SEE ALSO

[iichid(4)](/iichid/4.md), [ps4dshock(4)](/ps4dshock/4.md), [usbhid(4)](/usbhid/4.md), [xb360gp(4)](/xb360gp/4.md), [devfs.rules(5)](/devfs.rules/5.md)

## HISTORY

The **hgame** driver first appeared in FreeBSD 13.0.

## AUTHORS

The **hgame** driver was written by Val Packett ⟨*val@packett.cool*⟩.

This manual page was written by Vladimir Kondratyev ⟨*wulf@FreeBSD.org*⟩.