diff --git a/audio/audio_driver.c b/audio/audio_driver.c
index a83f7aea22..df63c57a13 100644
--- a/audio/audio_driver.c
+++ b/audio/audio_driver.c
@@ -31,6 +31,10 @@
 #include "../verbosity.h"
 #include "../string_list_special.h"
 
+#ifdef HAVE_NETPLAY
+#include "../netplay/netplay.h"
+#endif
+
 #ifndef AUDIO_BUFFER_FREE_SAMPLES_COUNT
 #define AUDIO_BUFFER_FREE_SAMPLES_COUNT (8 * 1024)
 #endif
@@ -850,15 +854,12 @@ bool audio_driver_ctl(enum rarch_audio_ctl_state state, void *data)
          {
             const struct retro_audio_callback *cb = 
                (const struct retro_audio_callback*)data;
-#ifdef HAVE_NETPLAY
-            global_t *global = global_get_ptr();
-#endif
 
             if (recording_driver_get_data_ptr()) /* A/V sync is a must. */
                return false;
 
 #ifdef HAVE_NETPLAY
-            if (global->netplay.enable)
+            if (netplay_driver_ctl(RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_IS_ENABLED, NULL))
                return false;
 #endif
             if (cb)
diff --git a/command_event.c b/command_event.c
index 52d0decd8b..39b6d8b1d9 100644
--- a/command_event.c
+++ b/command_event.c
@@ -461,7 +461,8 @@ static void event_load_auto_state(void)
    global_t   *global   = global_get_ptr();
 
 #ifdef HAVE_NETPLAY
-   if (global->netplay.enable && !global->netplay.is_spectate)
+   if (netplay_driver_ctl(RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_IS_ENABLED, NULL)
+         && !global->netplay.is_spectate)
       return;
 #endif
 
diff --git a/configuration.c b/configuration.c
index 59960b4ff2..6580075763 100644
--- a/configuration.c
+++ b/configuration.c
@@ -36,6 +36,10 @@
 #include "system.h"
 #include "verbosity.h"
 
+#ifdef HAVE_NETPLAY
+#include "netplay/netplay.h"
+#endif
+
 #ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
 #include "config.h"
 #endif
@@ -2038,7 +2042,7 @@ bool config_load_override(void)
    }
 
 #ifdef HAVE_NETPLAY
-   if (global->netplay.enable)
+   if (netplay_driver_ctl(RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_IS_ENABLED, NULL))
    {
       RARCH_WARN("Overrides: can't use overrides in conjunction with netplay, disabling overrides\n");
       return false;
diff --git a/menu/menu_setting.c b/menu/menu_setting.c
index 5156146e02..6b6161e23f 100644
--- a/menu/menu_setting.c
+++ b/menu/menu_setting.c
@@ -55,6 +55,9 @@
 
 #include "../tasks/tasks_internal.h"
 
+#ifdef HAVE_NETPLAY
+#include "../netplay/netplay.h"
+#endif
 
 struct rarch_setting_info
 {
@@ -154,6 +157,9 @@ struct rarch_setting
    bool              enforce_maxrange;
 };
 
+/* static local variables */
+static bool setting_netplay_enable;
+
 /* forward decls */
 static void setting_get_string_representation_default(void *data,
       char *s, size_t len);
@@ -2839,6 +2845,14 @@ void general_write_handler(void *data)
 
    switch (hash)
    {
+      case MENU_LABEL_NETPLAY_ENABLE:
+#ifdef HAVE_NETPLAY
+         if (*setting->value.boolean)
+            netplay_driver_ctl(RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_SET_ENABLE, NULL);
+         else
+            netplay_driver_ctl(RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_UNSET_ENABLE, NULL);
+#endif
+         break;
       case MENU_LABEL_VIDEO_THREADED:
          {
             if (*setting->value.boolean)
@@ -6353,7 +6367,7 @@ static bool setting_append_list_netplay_options(
 
    CONFIG_BOOL(
          list, list_info,
-         &global->netplay.enable,
+         &setting_netplay_enable,
          menu_hash_to_str(MENU_LABEL_NETPLAY_ENABLE),
          menu_hash_to_str(MENU_LABEL_VALUE_NETPLAY_ENABLE),
          false,
diff --git a/netplay/netplay.c b/netplay/netplay.c
index 595b7a9696..be0c4aa07d 100644
--- a/netplay/netplay.c
+++ b/netplay/netplay.c
@@ -1102,6 +1102,9 @@ void netplay_post_frame(netplay_t *netplay)
 void deinit_netplay(void)
 {
    netplay_t *netplay = (netplay_t*)netplay_data;
+
+   netplay_driver_ctl(RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_DEINIT, NULL);
+
    if (netplay)
       netplay_free(netplay);
    netplay_data = NULL;
@@ -1123,7 +1126,7 @@ bool init_netplay(void)
    settings_t *settings = config_get_ptr();
    global_t *global     = global_get_ptr();
 
-   if (!global->netplay.enable)
+   if (!netplay_driver_ctl(RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_IS_ENABLED, NULL))
       return false;
 
    if (bsv_movie_ctl(BSV_MOVIE_CTL_START_PLAYBACK, NULL))
@@ -1163,11 +1166,23 @@ bool init_netplay(void)
 
 bool netplay_driver_ctl(enum rarch_netplay_ctl_state state, void *data)
 {
+   static bool netplay_is_enabled = false;
    if (!netplay_data)
       return false;
 
    switch (state)
    {
+      case RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_DEINIT:
+         netplay_is_enabled = false;
+         break;
+      case RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_IS_ENABLED:
+         return netplay_is_enabled;
+      case RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_SET_ENABLE:
+         netplay_is_enabled = true;
+         break;
+      case RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_UNSET_ENABLE:
+         netplay_is_enabled = false;
+         break;
       case RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_IS_DATA_INITED:
          return true;
       case RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_POST_FRAME:
diff --git a/netplay/netplay.h b/netplay/netplay.h
index 8ca7536480..05ec44c3a4 100644
--- a/netplay/netplay.h
+++ b/netplay/netplay.h
@@ -31,11 +31,15 @@ typedef struct netplay netplay_t;
 enum rarch_netplay_ctl_state
 {
    RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_NONE = 0,
+   RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_DEINIT,
    RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_FLIP_PLAYERS,
    RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_FULLSCREEN_TOGGLE,
    RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_POST_FRAME,
    RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_PRE_FRAME,
-   RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_IS_DATA_INITED
+   RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_IS_DATA_INITED,
+   RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_IS_ENABLED,
+   RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_SET_ENABLE,
+   RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_UNSET_ENABLE
 };
 
 enum netplay_cmd
diff --git a/retroarch.c b/retroarch.c
index 4dec592c1c..a89d441279 100644
--- a/retroarch.c
+++ b/retroarch.c
@@ -68,6 +68,10 @@
 #include "command.h"
 #endif
 
+#ifdef HAVE_NETPLAY
+#include "netplay/netplay.h"
+#endif
+
 #ifdef HAVE_MENU
 #include "menu/menu_driver.h"
 #include "menu/menu_content.h"
@@ -852,13 +856,13 @@ static void parse_input(int argc, char *argv[])
 #ifdef HAVE_NETPLAY
          case 'H':
             global->has_set.netplay_ip_address = true;
-            global->netplay.enable = true;
+            netplay_driver_ctl(RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_SET_ENABLE, NULL);
             *global->netplay.server = '\0';
             break;
 
          case 'C':
             global->has_set.netplay_ip_address = true;
-            global->netplay.enable = true;
+            netplay_driver_ctl(RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_SET_ENABLE, NULL);
             strlcpy(global->netplay.server, optarg,
                   sizeof(global->netplay.server));
             break;
diff --git a/runloop.c b/runloop.c
index 545c42bac7..b45ffd4226 100644
--- a/runloop.c
+++ b/runloop.c
@@ -572,11 +572,9 @@ bool runloop_ctl(enum runloop_ctl_state state, void *data)
             const struct retro_frame_time_callback *info =
                (const struct retro_frame_time_callback*)data;
 #ifdef HAVE_NETPLAY
-            global_t *global = global_get_ptr();
-
             /* retro_run() will be called in very strange and
              * mysterious ways, have to disable it. */
-            if (global->netplay.enable)
+            if (netplay_driver_ctl(RARCH_NETPLAY_CTL_IS_ENABLED, NULL))
                return false;
 #endif
             runloop_frame_time = *info;
diff --git a/runloop.h b/runloop.h
index 90b6afcc86..c265289037 100644
--- a/runloop.h
+++ b/runloop.h
@@ -242,7 +242,6 @@ typedef struct global
    struct
    {
       char server[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
-      bool enable;
       bool is_client;
       bool is_spectate;
       unsigned sync_frames;