diff --git a/client/index.html b/client/index.html
index 3e68a28..31f4eb1 100644
--- a/client/index.html
+++ b/client/index.html
@@ -95,6 +95,27 @@
           <button id="closeSettingsButton">Close</button>
         </div>
       </div>
+
+      <div id="mobileControls" class="mobile-controls" data-expanded="false" aria-label="Mobile game controls">
+        <button id="mobileControlsToggle" type="button" class="mobile-toggle-btn"
+          aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="mobileControlsBody">&#9776; Controls</button>
+        <div id="mobileControlsBody" class="mobile-controls-body">
+          <div class="dpad" role="group" aria-label="Movement">
+            <button id="dpadUp"    type="button" class="dpad-btn dpad-up"    aria-label="Move up">&#9650;</button>
+            <button id="dpadLeft"  type="button" class="dpad-btn dpad-left"  aria-label="Move left">&#9664;</button>
+            <div class="dpad-center" aria-hidden="true"></div>
+            <button id="dpadRight" type="button" class="dpad-btn dpad-right" aria-label="Move right">&#9654;</button>
+            <button id="dpadDown"  type="button" class="dpad-btn dpad-down"  aria-label="Move down">&#9660;</button>
+          </div>
+          <div class="mobile-actions" role="group" aria-label="Actions">
+            <button id="mobileBtnChat"       type="button" class="mobile-action-btn">Chat</button>
+            <button id="mobileBtnUse"        type="button" class="mobile-action-btn">Use</button>
+            <button id="mobileBtnLocateUser" type="button" class="mobile-action-btn">Find User</button>
+            <button id="mobileBtnLocateItem" type="button" class="mobile-action-btn">Find Item</button>
+            <button id="mobileBtnCommands"   type="button" class="mobile-action-btn mobile-action-btn--wide">Commands</button>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      </div>
     </main>
     <script src="%BASE_URL%version.js"></script>
     <script type="module" src="/src/main.ts"></script>
diff --git a/client/src/input/mobileController.ts b/client/src/input/mobileController.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b32462a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/src/input/mobileController.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+import type { ModeInput } from './commandTypes';
+
+type MobileControllerDeps = {
+  dom: {
+    canvas: HTMLCanvasElement;
+    mobileControls: HTMLDivElement;
+    toggleButton: HTMLButtonElement;
+    dpadUp: HTMLButtonElement;
+    dpadDown: HTMLButtonElement;
+    dpadLeft: HTMLButtonElement;
+    dpadRight: HTMLButtonElement;
+    btnChat: HTMLButtonElement;
+    btnUse: HTMLButtonElement;
+    btnLocateUser: HTMLButtonElement;
+    btnLocateItem: HTMLButtonElement;
+    btnCommandPalette: HTMLButtonElement;
+  };
+  state: {
+    running: boolean;
+    keysPressed: Record<string, boolean>;
+  };
+  handleModeInput: (input: ModeInput) => void;
+  openCommandPalette: () => void;
+};
+
+/**
+ * Wires touch handlers for the on-screen mobile controls panel.
+ * Movement uses hold-to-walk by writing directly into keysPressed (same as the
+ * keyboard controller). Action buttons dispatch through handleModeInput so they
+ * travel the same code path as their keyboard equivalents.
+ */
+export function setupMobileControls(deps: MobileControllerDeps): void {
+  const { dom, state } = deps;
+
+  // ── Toggle ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+  dom.toggleButton.addEventListener('click', () => {
+    const expanded = dom.mobileControls.dataset['expanded'] === 'true';
+    const next = String(!expanded);
+    dom.mobileControls.dataset['expanded'] = next;
+    dom.toggleButton.setAttribute('aria-expanded', next);
+  });
+
+  // ── D-pad movement ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+  const dpadMap: Array<[HTMLButtonElement, string]> = [
+    [dom.dpadUp,    'ArrowUp'],
+    [dom.dpadDown,  'ArrowDown'],
+    [dom.dpadLeft,  'ArrowLeft'],
+    [dom.dpadRight, 'ArrowRight'],
+  ];
+
+  for (const [btn, arrowCode] of dpadMap) {
+    btn.addEventListener('touchstart', (e) => {
+      e.preventDefault();
+      if (!state.running) return;
+      state.keysPressed[arrowCode] = true;
+    }, { passive: false });
+
+    btn.addEventListener('touchend', () => {
+      state.keysPressed[arrowCode] = false;
+    });
+
+    btn.addEventListener('touchcancel', () => {
+      state.keysPressed[arrowCode] = false;
+    });
+  }
+
+  // ── Action buttons ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+  type ActionDef = [HTMLButtonElement, string, string];
+  const actionMap: ActionDef[] = [
+    [dom.btnChat,       'Slash',  '/'],
+    [dom.btnUse,        'Enter',  'Enter'],
+    [dom.btnLocateUser, 'KeyL',   'l'],
+    [dom.btnLocateItem, 'KeyI',   'i'],
+  ];
+
+  for (const [btn, code, key] of actionMap) {
+    btn.addEventListener('touchstart', (e) => {
+      e.preventDefault();
+      if (!state.running) return;
+      dom.canvas.focus();
+      deps.handleModeInput({ code, key, ctrlKey: false, shiftKey: false });
+    }, { passive: false });
+  }
+
+  dom.btnCommandPalette.addEventListener('touchstart', (e) => {
+    e.preventDefault();
+    if (!state.running) return;
+    dom.canvas.focus();
+    deps.openCommandPalette();
+  }, { passive: false });
+}
diff --git a/client/src/main.ts b/client/src/main.ts
index 1a1fce8..b082193 100644
--- a/client/src/main.ts
+++ b/client/src/main.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import { dispatchModeInput } from './input/modeDispatcher';
 import { handleListControlKey } from './input/listController';
 import { createAdminController, type AdminMenuAction } from './input/adminController';
 import { setupKeyboardInputHandlers } from './input/keyboardController';
+import { setupMobileControls } from './input/mobileController';
 import { handleYesNoMenuInput, YES_NO_OPTIONS } from './input/yesNoMenu';
 import { getEditSessionAction } from './input/editSession';
 import { formatSteppedNumber, snapNumberToStep } from './input/numeric';
@@ -2679,6 +2680,25 @@ setupKeyboardInputHandlers({
     replaceTextOnNextType = value;
   },
 });
+setupMobileControls({
+  dom: {
+    canvas: dom.canvas,
+    mobileControls: requiredById('mobileControls') as HTMLDivElement,
+    toggleButton: requiredById('mobileControlsToggle') as HTMLButtonElement,
+    dpadUp:    requiredById('dpadUp') as HTMLButtonElement,
+    dpadDown:  requiredById('dpadDown') as HTMLButtonElement,
+    dpadLeft:  requiredById('dpadLeft') as HTMLButtonElement,
+    dpadRight: requiredById('dpadRight') as HTMLButtonElement,
+    btnChat:          requiredById('mobileBtnChat') as HTMLButtonElement,
+    btnUse:           requiredById('mobileBtnUse') as HTMLButtonElement,
+    btnLocateUser:    requiredById('mobileBtnLocateUser') as HTMLButtonElement,
+    btnLocateItem:    requiredById('mobileBtnLocateItem') as HTMLButtonElement,
+    btnCommandPalette: requiredById('mobileBtnCommands') as HTMLButtonElement,
+  },
+  state,
+  handleModeInput,
+  openCommandPalette,
+});
 setupDomUiHandlers({
   dom,
   updateConnectAvailability,
diff --git a/client/src/styles.css b/client/src/styles.css
index a100d56..8f63e37 100644
--- a/client/src/styles.css
+++ b/client/src/styles.css
@@ -234,3 +234,124 @@ canvas {
   display: grid;
   gap: 0.5rem;
 }
+
+/* ── Mobile controls panel ─────────────────────────────────────────────── */
+
+/* Hide on pointer:fine (mouse) devices; show on touch screens */
+@media (hover: hover) and (pointer: fine) {
+  .mobile-controls {
+    display: none;
+  }
+}
+
+/* Extra bottom padding so the fixed panel doesn't cover footer content */
+@media not all and (hover: hover) and (pointer: fine) {
+  .app {
+    padding-bottom: 3rem;
+  }
+}
+
+.mobile-controls {
+  position: fixed;
+  bottom: 0;
+  left: 0;
+  right: 0;
+  background: rgb(15 23 42 / 95%);
+  border-top: 1px solid #334155;
+  z-index: 100;
+}
+
+.mobile-toggle-btn {
+  display: block;
+  width: 100%;
+  padding: 0.5rem 1rem;
+  background: none;
+  border: none;
+  color: #e5e7eb;
+  font-family: inherit;
+  font-size: 1rem;
+  text-align: left;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  touch-action: manipulation;
+}
+
+.mobile-controls-body {
+  display: none;
+  flex-wrap: wrap;
+  gap: 1rem;
+  padding: 0.75rem 1rem 1rem;
+  align-items: flex-start;
+  justify-content: center;
+}
+
+.mobile-controls[data-expanded="true"] .mobile-controls-body {
+  display: flex;
+}
+
+/* D-pad: 3×3 cross layout */
+.dpad {
+  display: grid;
+  grid-template-areas:
+    ". up ."
+    "left mid right"
+    ". down .";
+  grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 52px);
+  grid-template-rows: repeat(3, 52px);
+  gap: 2px;
+}
+
+.dpad-btn {
+  background: #1e293b;
+  border: 1px solid #475569;
+  border-radius: 6px;
+  color: #e5e7eb;
+  font-size: 1.1rem;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  touch-action: none;
+  -webkit-user-select: none;
+  user-select: none;
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: center;
+}
+
+.dpad-btn:active {
+  background: #334155;
+}
+
+.dpad-up    { grid-area: up; }
+.dpad-left  { grid-area: left; }
+.dpad-center { grid-area: mid; }
+.dpad-right { grid-area: right; }
+.dpad-down  { grid-area: down; }
+
+/* Action buttons row */
+.mobile-actions {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-wrap: wrap;
+  gap: 0.5rem;
+  align-items: center;
+}
+
+.mobile-action-btn {
+  min-height: 48px;
+  padding: 0.25rem 0.75rem;
+  background: #1e293b;
+  border: 1px solid #475569;
+  border-radius: 6px;
+  color: #e5e7eb;
+  font-family: inherit;
+  font-size: 0.9rem;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  touch-action: manipulation;
+  -webkit-user-select: none;
+  user-select: none;
+}
+
+.mobile-action-btn:active {
+  background: #334155;
+}
+
+.mobile-action-btn--wide {
+  flex: 1 0 100%;
+}