Does Shroom and Gloom have controller support?
Yes, according to the developers, and it arrived with Early Access. How finished it is depends on who you ask, and the Steam store page does not list it at all.
Who says what
| Who | What they say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Launch announcement | “Controller Support! Our other most requested feature is here too! You can now throw your keyboard and mouse in the bin and enjoy Shroom and Gloom from the comfort of your couch!” | Team Lazerbeam, in Steam announcement: Shroom and Gloom explodes into Early Access!, 10 September 2026 |
| Pinned FAQ | “Shroom and Gloom works with a controller, but we’re working on getting it feeling even better! Watch this space...” | Team Lazerbeam, in Steam discussion: FAQs here!!, 10 September 2026 |
| A developer, after launch | “Right now as a computer-only release, Shroom and Gloom’s controller support is bare bones as dev focus is mostly on the core game mechanics.” | HARRISZONE, replying in Steam discussion: Invert Y-Axis, 23 June 2026 |
| Steam store page | Lists no controller support among the game's features, and leaves both Xbox controller flags, full and partial, unset. | The Shroom and Gloom on the Steam store, 10 September 2026 |
| Steam's hardware report | For Steam Machine: the default controller configuration is fully functional, but on-screen controller icons don't match the device. | From Steam Deck compatibility report for Shroom and Gloom (Steam store data), 13 September 2026 |
| A player | “that games does have controller controls as well but I recommend the keyboard and mouse” | In a Steam user review, 13 September 2026 |
How the answer changed
- While it was a demo. The developers said they had started working out how controllers should work, and were playing other deckbuilders with a pad to see how they handled it (replying in Steam discussion: looking forward to the full native controller support, 2 May 2026). Later they said the game ran best with keyboard and mouse and that controller support was coming in the full game (replying in Steam discussion: Is this game designed for keyboard and mouse?, 18 June 2026).
- At Early Access launch. Controller support shipped as a headline feature, and the FAQ said it works with more polish to come.
- In the first days. HARRISZONE described it as bare bones. Then Team Lazerbeam answered a player with carpal tunnel who was asking for it: “Super happy to share that we do have controller support! You can play Shroom and Gloom with your controller right now.” (in Steam discussion: Controller support please!, 13 September 2026)
What is still rough on a controller
Developers: known
The map
“you can open your map with controller, but currently can’t hover over any of the tunnels or rewards” (Team Lazerbeam, in Steam discussion: Controller support please!, 13 September 2026). Planning a route through the map and pathways still wants a mouse.
Developers: known
Door signs
“In exploration phases, the implementation for inspecting the signs on doors is very clunky.” The developers say both will be improved in future updates. Team Lazerbeam, in Steam discussion: Controller support please!, 13 September 2026
Player report
Card descriptions
One reviewer playing on a controller could not bring up card descriptions, such as what a toasty is (in a Steam user review, 13 September 2026). Whether the card inspector added at launch can be opened from a pad hasn’t been documented.
Player report
Invert Y
A demo player said the settings lacked an invert Y-axis option. The developer reply: “this is certainly something that will be addressed as controller support is further built out” (HARRISZONE, in Steam discussion: Invert Y-Axis, 23 June 2026).
No rebinding on keyboard either
Players report no way to remap controls in the settings. One launch-week reviewer could not move at all and wrote: “No options to rebind or even check bindings.” (in a Steam user review, 13 September 2026) A forum request for rebinding points out that not everyone types on a QWERTY layout and that some players need it for accessibility (in Steam discussion: Please allow control rebinding, 11 September 2026). The developers haven’t announced a rebinding option.
If W does nothing for you, the developers gave two alternatives while the game was a demo: “you can also press the up arrow key, or the middle mouse button” (replying in Steam discussion: Unable to play. I see the "W" card but nothing is happening, 18 June 2026). Linux players in that thread found a different workaround, covered on the platforms board.
Walking on its own? Check for a phantom controller
Some players start a run and the character walks forward with nothing pressed. After launch the developers updated their reply in the thread about it: “The team are prioritizing resolving this issue as a top priority.” and “It seems to be related to hardware.” (in Steam discussion: Auto-Walk, 22 June 2026) They pointed everyone to one player’s temporary fix. That player’s wireless keyboard and mouse combo, on its 2.4G dongle, had been registered by Windows as a game controller. What they did:
- Open Device Manager in Windows.
- Expand the Human Interface Devices category.
- Find HID-compliant game controller, right-click it, and choose Disable Device.
That fix is one player’s, for one keyboard, and the developers called it a temporary workaround. Disabling a device you actually play with will stop it working in other games too, so turn it back on afterwards if it was not the culprit. The Xbox page has another keyboard that Windows treats as an Xbox pad.
Before you settle on the couch
- On a Steam Deck, cards can also be dragged with the trackpad or touchscreen; see the Steam Deck page.
- A PS5 pad on PC gets no special mention from the developers; the PS5 page covers what PlayStation players can do.
- The map and door-sign improvements are promised for future updates; the updates page follows the patches.