Local multiplayer with controllers

Updated October 9, 2026

Plug some controllers into a computer, open Brudvig Hockey and press Rink Lobby Mode on the main menu. Everyone presses A to join, picks a side, and plays on the one screen. Up to four controllers, three a side, the computer filling the empty spots. Phones can join the same game too. No download, no account.

How it fits together

The controllers plug into a small USB hub, the hub plugs into the computer, and the computer plugs into the TV. The computer runs the game in its web browser. That's the whole thing.

The setup we use

• Rii Classic Retro USB controllers, 2-pack (Amazon). Wired, plug and play, and about the cheapest way to get four controllers: buy two packs. They have a D-pad instead of a thumbstick, so skating goes in eight directions, and their buttons come in a scrambled order, so remap them once (it takes a minute, see below).
• vienon 4-port USB hub (Amazon). Turns one USB port into four, so all four controllers fit on a small computer. It plugs into a regular USB-A port; if your computer only has USB-C, get a USB-C hub instead.
• A computer that runs Chrome, and an HDMI cable to the TV. It doesn't need to be fancy: see the cheapest computer that can run it.

Any of the controllers listed below work the same way, if you already have some. Controllers with a thumbstick (Xbox, PlayStation) skate more smoothly.

What you need

• A computer with a web browser: Windows, Mac, Linux or a Chromebook. Chrome and Edge have the best controller support.
• One to four game controllers. Xbox, PlayStation (DualShock 4, DualSense), Switch Pro and most generic USB gamepads work, wired or over Bluetooth.
• Optional: a TV. Connect the computer with an HDMI cable and everyone can sit on the couch.
• An internet connection to load the page.

Step 1: connect the controllers

• USB: plug each controller in. Most work straight away. On Windows, Xbox controllers need nothing extra.
• Bluetooth: pair each controller in your computer's Bluetooth settings first, the way you'd pair headphones.
• Then press a button on each controller. Browsers don't let a page see a controller until it has been pressed once, so this step matters.

How the browser knows about the controllers

1. Plug it in. The computer recognizes a game controller the same way it recognizes a mouse or a keyboard. The controllers in this guide need nothing installed.
2. Press any button with the game open. Every modern browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari) has a built-in way for a web page to read game controllers. For privacy, the browser doesn't tell a page a controller exists until someone presses a button on it while the page is open. That's why the screen says PRESS A.
3. You're in. About sixty times a second the game asks the browser which buttons are down and which way each stick or D-pad points. The first controller to press a button is P1, the next P2, up to P4. A controller that comes unplugged just plugs back in and presses a button again.

Step 2: open Rink Lobby Mode

Go to brudvighockey.com and press Rink Lobby Mode on the main menu (or go straight to brudvighockey.com/?bar=1). The game goes full screen and shows PRESS A TO JOIN. If the computer is plugged into a TV, put it on the TV now.

Step 3: everyone joins

Each player presses A on their controller (any face button works, ✕ on PlayStation). They show up as P1, P2, P3 and P4. Friends without a controller can scan the QR code on the screen with their phone and play with it as a controller.

Step 4: pick sides and play

In the lobby, every controller does its own setup:

• Stick left or right: choose a side. Up to three players a side; put everyone on one side to play the computer together.
• Stick up or down: change your side's team.
• LB / RB (L1 / R1): change the arena.
• A: ready. When everyone is ready, a short countdown starts the game.
• B: leave the lobby.

The buttons

The same layout on every controller, by position:

• Left stick: skate.
• X (□ on PlayStation): shoot. Hold it for a slap shot.
• A (✕): pass, or switch skaters on defense.
• B (○): check. Hold it to wind up a bigger hit.
• Y (△): spin, poke check or dive.
• In a fight: X (□) throws a left, B (○) a right, A (✕) ducks, Y (△) blocks.

Switch Pro controllers use the same positions, so the bottom button is B on a Switch pad. For the full list, see the controls cheat sheet.

Changing the buttons

In the lobby, press Y (△) on a controller to remap its buttons. The game asks for each action in turn; press the button you want. It's saved in that browser for that kind of controller, so the next time you plug in the same model it remembers. Reset to the defaults puts it back.

After the game

The final score and box score come up, and the game goes back to the lobby by itself after 20 seconds. Press A for a rematch with the same sides, or B to pick sides again. If nobody touches anything for a minute, the computer plays a demo game; press any button to jump back in.

Leaving Rink Lobby Mode

Rink Lobby Mode is built to run on a TV at a party or a bar, so it's hard to leave by accident. Hold View (Back, Select or Share) or Esc on a keyboard for 3 seconds, or use the small button in the corner and confirm. That takes you back to the normal menu.

Troubleshooting

• A controller doesn't join: press a few buttons on it. If it still doesn't show, unplug it, plug it back in and press a button again. Make sure no other app or game launcher has grabbed it.
• The buttons are in the wrong places: some generic and older controllers report their buttons in an unusual order. Remap them with Y in the lobby.
• Retro USB pads (SNES-style, no thumbstick): they work. The D-pad skates in eight directions, and their buttons usually come in a scrambled order, so remap them once in the lobby. For the smoothest skating, use a controller with a thumbstick.
• A fifth player wants in: Rink Lobby Mode takes four controllers. Anyone else can join with a phone by scanning the QR code, up to four a side in all.
• It's slow: close other tabs and apps, and plug in the laptop's charger. On a 4K TV, set the computer's display to 1920 x 1080: drawing a 4K picture is four times the work. The game picks lighter graphics on slower computers by itself; for the lightest, open brudvighockey.com/?bar=1&hq=0.
• It lags on the TV: turn on the TV's game mode if it has one.
• Xbox controller on a Mac: pair it over Bluetooth. A Mac doesn't recognize Xbox controllers on a USB cable without extra drivers.

Setting it up somewhere public

The same setup works in a rink lobby, a bar, a party room or a team lounge. More on each: a hockey game for rinks, arcade games for a rink lobby, building a hockey arcade machine, a hockey game for bars, a player lounge for tournaments and hockey birthday parties.

Other ways to play together

• Play on your TV with everyone's phones as controllers, no gamepads needed.
• Play a friend online on separate computers or phones with one link.