Tesla Arcade: how to use the Model 3’s steering wheel to play games

Tesla owners may soon be able to play video games using their car’s steering wheel as a controller, as the company launches its new Arcade app.

Elon Musk’s electric car company released a small range of retro titles from the 1970s and 80s, including Asteroids and Pole Position, across its electric cars last year, says EV news site Electrek. These were relatively well hidden and could be accessed only by going into the “Toybox” app on the central touchpad found in every model.

But the company announced this week that it will be releasing its own dedicated app called Tesla Arcade, for games that can be played in its cars. It plans to expand the library of games on offer, too.

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Tesla is inviting fans to trial the Arcade app by visiting one of its showrooms, where they can get behind the wheel of a display model and put the in-car games to the test.

What is Tesla Arcade?

Simply put, Tesla Arcade is an app containing a collection of games, ranging from classics from arcade pioneer Atari to newer mobile titles.

Playing games on the move would be far too dangerous, so players can access the library of titles only when the car is stationary, notes TechCrunch.

The car’s steering wheel acts as the controller for the games, though it’s also possible to use the vehicle’s touchscreen, The Verge says. There’s also two-player mode, where a passenger can play alongside the driver by tapping the screen.

Judging by the quirky trailer for the app on Tesla’s Twitter feed, the company sees the feature as a way for drivers to kill time while charging their cars - a process that can take up to an hour using a public fast charger.

What games are on offer?

The app, which launched yesterday in the US, features Atari classics Missile Command, Super Breakout, Pole Position and Asteroids. Puzzle game 2048 and racing game Beach Buggy Racing 2 (pictured top) are also available to download, with the latter including some of Tesla’s cars as playable vehicles.

At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) last week, Bethesda director Todd Howard revealed that mobile game Fallout Shelter may also launch on Tesla’s vehicles, says TechCrunch.

What cars are compatible with Tesla Arcade?

Tesla has yet to confirm which models are compatible with Tesla Arcade. So far, the app has been shown only on the entry-level Model 3 saloon, but we expect newer versions of the Model S and Model X to support the feature as well.