Video game Emoji

Activities

A classic handheld video game controller, typically depicted with a directional pad, action buttons, and two analog sticks. It represents modern gaming hardware rather than the early, boxy arcade sticks of the past.

Usage Context

Used to signal that someone is currently gaming, looking for players, or discussing the gaming hobby. It is frequently sent alongside 🕹️ when talking about retro hardware or 📺 when describing a home entertainment setup.

History

Added to the Unicode standard in 2010, this icon replaced earlier, platform-specific emojis used on Japanese mobile networks. Its design has evolved to reflect the standard dual-joystick layout that has dominated the industry since the late 1990s.

Details

Glyph

🎮

Unicode

U+1F3AE

Shortcode

:emoji_u1f3ae:

HTML Entity

&#xD83C;&#xDFAE;

Specifications

Vendor Microsoft

Category Activities

Subcategory game

Unicode Version 6.0

Emoji Version 1.0

License MIT

Microsoft Fluent License

Emoji graphics by Microsoft. © Microsoft Corporation. Licensed under MIT. Excludes assets such as Clippy, flags, and trademarks.

Microsoft Fluent Emoji assets are licensed under the MIT License. Certain assets—such as Clippy, country flags, and Microsoft product/brand trademarks—are excluded from this license and may not be used without separate permission.

MIT License Fluent Emoji Repository