Foosball Controls: Keyboard, Mouse, Gamepad and Phone
You can play Foosball Online with a keyboard, a mouse, a gamepad or by touch on a phone. This guide explains how each kind of control works and how to change the keys.
Keyboard
A/D or ←/→ slides the active rod. W or ↑ swings the figures forward (they stay raised for as long as you hold it), S or ↓ pulls them back and winds up the shot. Left Shift gives precision: shots become slow and soft.
- A/D or ←/→: slide the rod
- W or ↑: kick forward; S or ↓: pull back
- Q/E: previous and next rod; 1, 2, 3, 4: goalkeeper, defence, midfield, attack
- Shift: precision; space: shake a stuck ball
- Esc: pause (online, the host pauses); R: rematch after the final whistle
Mouse
Turn on mouse control in Settings and click the table, and the mouse is captured by it. Moving the mouse sideways slides the rod; flicking it up or down swings the figures, and the faster the flick the harder the shot. The left and right buttons kick forward and back, the wheel switches rods and Esc lets the mouse go.
Gamepad
On gamepads with the standard layout the left stick slides and the right stick swings the figures. A and B kick forward and back, LB/RB or the D-pad switch rods, the triggers give precision and Start pauses. In local 2 players the first gamepad is player 1 and the second is player 2.
Phone and tablet
On a touch screen the controls appear on the table by themselves. The default layout has an analog stick and a Shoot button: push the stick sideways to slide the rod, up to shoot and down to wind up; how far you push sets the power, and holding Shoot fires at full power.
If you like to play with two thumbs, choose the two-pad layout in Settings: the left pad slides and the right pad shoots. There are left-handed layout, control size, vibration and full screen options too. Add the site to your home screen and it opens full screen like an app, with practice against bots working without internet.
Choosing rods and precision shots
Rod selection can be automatic (the rod nearest the ball is the active one) or manual. With manual selection four rod buttons appear above the table on a phone. The Precise button is Shift's counterpart: it softens shots and is used for short passes.
Changing keys, and local two-player
Every key can be changed under Settings → Controls and the settings are saved in your browser. Graphics quality, the FPS limit, sound and vibration are set in the same place.
In local two-player the second player slides with ←/→; because they play towards the bottom of the screen, ↓ kicks forward and ↑ pulls back. Right Shift is precision, comma and full stop switch rods, and 7, 8, 9 and 0 pick a rod.
Questions about foosball controls
How do you play foosball with a keyboard?
A and D slide the rod, W kicks forward, S pulls back and Q and E switch rods; holding Shift makes the shots soft.
Can I play foosball on a phone?
Yes. You play with an analog stick and a Shoot button, and there are two-pad and left-handed layouts too. Add the site to your home screen and it opens full screen.
Can I use a gamepad?
Yes. On gamepads with the standard layout the left stick slides and the right stick shoots; LB/RB or the D-pad switch rods.
Can I change the keys?
Yes. Under Settings → Controls you can change every key and the mouse sensitivity; the settings are saved in your browser.
Foosball Online is a real-time multiplayer foosball (table football) game that runs in your browser. No download and no sign-up needed: pick a nickname and you are at the table in seconds.
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