Input Systems

Input handling — keyboard, mouse, gamepad, touch, motion controls — and rebinding UI. Pairs with game UI frameworks, VR / XR, distribution / stores (Steam Input lives here). For full landscape see Game Development.

Engine input systems

• ★ Unity Input System (com.unity.inputsystem) — modern Unity input, action-based, rebindable, multi-device aware. The legacy Input.GetKey is being phased out but still works.
• ★ Unreal Enhanced Input — UE 5+ default, action + mapping context based. Replaces the older Action / Axis Mappings.
• Godot InputMap — built in, action-based since Godot 3.

Cross-platform / store input layers

• ★ Steam Input — free with Steamworks, the best controller compatibility layer in existence. Handles every gamepad, weird Steam Deck triggers, motion / gyro, glyphs. Use it even for non-Steam SKUs by adapting actions.
• GameInput (Microsoft, Xbox / Windows) — free, modern Windows controller API.
• OpenXR Input — free, the VR controller standard (see VR / XR).

Lower-level input libraries

• SDL3 input — free OSS, used under raylib and many code-first stacks.
• GLFW — keyboard / mouse / gamepad.
• gainput — free OSS C++ input lib.

Glyphs / icons

• Steam Input glyphs — free, official.
• Xelu's Free Controller Prompts — free CC0 glyph pack, the indie favorite.
• Kenney input prompts — see free asset stores.
• InputIcons (Unreal plugin), various Unity assets.

Rebinding UI

• Unity Input System has rebinding helpers and serialization.
• Unreal Enhanced Input has runtime rebinding via Mapping Contexts.
• Rewired (Unity, paid) — historically the rebinding gold standard before Unity's new system caught up; still excellent.
• InControl (Unity, paid, mostly maintenance).

Touch / mobile

• See mobile-native for general mobile.
• Unity Touch input via Input System, Unreal Enhanced Input touch actions, Godot InputEventScreenTouch.
• Joystick Pack (Unity asset, paid or free variants) for virtual joysticks.

Motion / gyro / haptics

• Steam Input exposes gyro and rumble cleanly.
• DualSense Pro APIs (PS5 SDKs) — paid + NDA.
• Joycon Toolkit / JoyShockLibrary — free OSS for non-Switch use of Switch controllers / DualShock 4 / DualSense gyro.

Pick this if…

• Unity: Input System (modern) or Rewired (paid, more features).
• Unreal: Enhanced Input.
• Godot: InputMap.
• Steam-targeted: Steam Input is mandatory hygiene — every shipped Steam game should set up Steam Input action manifests.
• VR: OpenXR Input.
• Code-first: SDL3 or gainput.
• Free controller glyphs: Xelu's pack or Kenney.