diff --git a/src/game/AsteroidsGame.ts b/src/game/AsteroidsGame.ts
index ef2e2c7..68c22ce 100644
--- a/src/game/AsteroidsGame.ts
+++ b/src/game/AsteroidsGame.ts
@@ -394,6 +394,7 @@ export class AsteroidsGame {
   }
 
   private updateFrame(timestampMs: number): void {
+    this.input.pollGamepad();
     this.handleGlobalInput();
 
     if (this.mode === "playing") {
@@ -479,6 +480,10 @@ export class AsteroidsGame {
       if (this.mode === "menu" || this.mode === "game-over") {
         this.audio.enable();
         this.startNewGame();
+      } else if (this.mode === "playing") {
+        this.mode = "paused";
+        this.pauseFromHidden = false;
+        this.audio.pauseMusic();
       } else if (this.mode === "paused") {
         this.mode = "playing";
         this.pauseFromHidden = false;
diff --git a/src/game/input.ts b/src/game/input.ts
index d65d8d5..b3e208e 100644
--- a/src/game/input.ts
+++ b/src/game/input.ts
@@ -36,9 +36,26 @@ function isEditableTarget(target: EventTarget | null): boolean {
   return false;
 }
 
+// Xbox controller button index → key code mapping (Standard Gamepad API layout)
+const GAMEPAD_BUTTON_MAP: Array<[number, string]> = [
+  [1, "Escape"],     // B → Return to menu
+  [6, "ArrowUp"],    // LT → Ignition (thrust)
+  [7, "Space"],      // RT → Fire
+  [9, "Enter"],      // Start → Start / resume / pause
+  [12, "ArrowUp"],   // D-Pad Up → Thrust
+  [14, "ArrowLeft"], // D-Pad Left → Turn left
+  [15, "ArrowRight"],// D-Pad Right → Turn right
+];
+
+// Thumbstick deadzone threshold
+const GAMEPAD_AXIS_THRESHOLD = 0.5;
+
 export class InputController {
   private readonly down = new Set<string>();
   private readonly pressed = new Set<string>();
+  // Tracks which codes are currently held via gamepad (kept separate from
+  // keyboard state so releasing one input source never clears the other).
+  private readonly gamepadDown = new Set<string>();
 
   handleKeyDown(event: KeyboardEvent): void {
     if (!GAME_KEYS.has(event.code)) {
@@ -74,8 +91,45 @@ export class InputController {
     this.down.delete(event.code);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Poll all connected gamepads and synthesize key presses/releases.
+   * Must be called once at the start of each animation frame.
+   */
+  pollGamepad(): void {
+    if (typeof navigator === "undefined" || !navigator.getGamepads) return;
+
+    const gamepads = navigator.getGamepads();
+    const newDown = new Set<string>();
+
+    for (const pad of gamepads) {
+      if (!pad?.connected) continue;
+
+      for (const [idx, code] of GAMEPAD_BUTTON_MAP) {
+        if (pad.buttons[idx]?.pressed) newDown.add(code);
+      }
+
+      // Left thumbstick axes (index 0 = X, index 1 = Y)
+      const lx = pad.axes[0] ?? 0;
+      const ly = pad.axes[1] ?? 0;
+      if (lx < -GAMEPAD_AXIS_THRESHOLD) newDown.add("ArrowLeft");
+      if (lx > GAMEPAD_AXIS_THRESHOLD) newDown.add("ArrowRight");
+      if (ly < -GAMEPAD_AXIS_THRESHOLD) newDown.add("ArrowUp");
+    }
+
+    // Newly pressed this frame → register in shared pressed set
+    for (const code of newDown) {
+      if (!this.gamepadDown.has(code)) {
+        this.pressed.add(code);
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Update gamepadDown to reflect current hardware state
+    this.gamepadDown.clear();
+    for (const code of newDown) this.gamepadDown.add(code);
+  }
+
   isDown(code: string): boolean {
-    return this.down.has(code);
+    return this.down.has(code) || this.gamepadDown.has(code);
   }
 
   consumePress(code: string): boolean {
@@ -91,5 +145,6 @@ export class InputController {
   reset(): void {
     this.down.clear();
     this.pressed.clear();
+    this.gamepadDown.clear();
   }
 }