Troubleshooting & FAQ

My controller isn’t detected

• Check that Android itself sees it: the controller should move focus on the Android home screen or in Settings. If not, re-pair it over Bluetooth or reconnect the USB cable.
• Open System → Device → Controls & text size. The Controllers line lists every pad GameBEX sees. A handheld’s built-in controls sometimes appear under an odd name (for example “… Consumer Control”); that’s normal, and it still counts.
• Some controllers have several modes (XInput / DInput / Switch / Android). Use the mode for Android or XInput if yours has a switch.
• If a pad works in GameBEX but not in a game, run Set up emulators for this controller and read the status for that emulator. See Controllers.

The touch overlay still shows over my game

• RetroArch: make sure the controller was connected before the game started; RetroArch hides its overlay only while a pad is connected.
• Dolphin, NetherSX2, Flycast: these need Shizuku for GameBEX to change their settings. Run Set up emulators for this controller; if a status says Start Shizuku or Allow GameBEX in Shizuku, fix that and run it again.
• Status says “open once, then retry”: the emulator hasn’t created its settings file yet. Open it once from the Android launcher, close it, and retry.
• NetherSX2: also do the one-time Automatic Mapping (see Controllers → NetherSX2).

Shizuku isn’t running after a reboot

That’s expected on devices without root: Shizuku stops whenever the device restarts. Open the Shizuku app and start it again (with Wireless debugging this takes a few seconds and no computer). You only need Shizuku when you set up a new controller or a newly installed emulator, and games still launch without it. Rooted devices can start Shizuku automatically at boot from its own settings.

My library is empty

1. Grant storage access. Android Settings → Apps → GameBEX → All files access → Allow. Without it, GameBEX can’t see SD card folders.
2. Check the folder names. Games must be inside a system folder: GameBEX/snes/, not loose in GameBEX/. The exact names are on Supported systems. For your own collection, add the parent folder under System → Device → Game folders.
3. Rescan. Press the rescan button shown in the hint strip on the Library or System screen.
4. Check the file type. Files with extensions a system doesn’t use are ignored. See Formats & disc prep.

A game says it needs setup

Press Finish Setup and read what it lists. Typical reasons are a missing BIOS file, a disc image that needs extracting or a playlist, or a format the emulator can’t boot (for example NKit GameCube images, or cue sheets with MP3 audio). Each message names the fix. See Formats & disc prep.

How well does PS2 run?

GameBEX boots PS2 games directly in NetherSX2, and how well they run depends heavily on your phone. As a rough guide:

• Recent high-end chips run many games at full speed, though demanding games may still need NetherSX2’s per-game tweaks or a lower resolution.
• Mid-range and older chips run lighter games, and heavier ones can stutter or drop audio.

For settings suggested for your phone, open the System screen, focus PlayStation 2, and press the Tuning hint. NetherSX2 keeps its settings private, so you apply those suggestions in NetherSX2 yourself. If a game still runs badly, try ARMSX2 instead: on the game’s page, open Advanced → Emulator → Change.

A Play together session won’t start

Both phones need the same version of GameBEX and the same Wi-Fi network. The Play together page lists each message a session can show, for every session type, and what to do about it.

Something else

Open an issue on GitHub with your device model, Android version, and the emulator and version involved.