The Best Controllers for Playing PC Games

Although the Xbox Core Controller doesn’t needfully revolutionize the modular Xbox controller we erstwhile knew and loved, it does connection immoderate indispensable updates that PC gamers volition appreciate, which we’ve highlighted successful our Xbox Core Controller review. The caller cosmetics are a bully touch; the all-black Xbox button, for instance, matte bumpers and triggers, and an wide much comfy design. There are besides a ton of Xbox controller colors to take from.

The controller's hybrid D-pad is other responsive and allows for an easier favoritism betwixt the cardinal and diagonal inputs, which is perfect for those who emotion warring games. Of course, the remainder of the buttons and sticks stay reliable and consistent, and the textured grip connected the triggers, bumpers, and backmost lawsuit support the controller successful manus adjacent during heated moments. All of these improvements mean a caller level of precision and control. There’s besides present a dedicated Share fastener that makes capturing screenshots and video clips a breeze.

Many of the Xbox Core Controller’s buttons, triggers, and sticks tin beryllium customized via the Xbox Accessories app erstwhile downloaded from the Microsoft Store connected PC, and you tin prevention profiles to debar the hassle each clip you power games. Remapping tin besides beryllium done utilizing Steam; however, determination volition beryllium much limitations than erstwhile utilizing an Xbox Series X|S. Connecting to a PC is simple, arsenic USB-C enactment provides a plug-and-play solution. For wireless connectivity, Bluetooth is disposable oregon Xbox Wireless via a dongle with supported devices. The Core Controller's biggest flaw is that it uses AA batteries; you tin ammunition retired immoderate other dough for a rechargeable artillery pack.

During our hands-on investigating of the PowerA Enhanced wired controller, we recovered it to beryllium an fantabulous and affordable PC controller option. PowerA’s updated model, the Advantage, makes immoderate meaningful improvements without expanding the terms tag. It comes with a removable 10-foot USB-C cable, a important upgrade from the MicroUSB connected the Enhanced model, for seamless PC connection. Unfortunately, wireless and Bluetooth connectivity are inactive excluded from this fund gamepad, but you bash get a 3.5mm jack to plug successful a large gaming headset.

The PowerA Advantage sticks to the acquainted signifier and consciousness of the Xbox Core Controller, featuring each the emblematic Xbox controls, adjacent taking a leafage retired of the Xbox Elite Controller’s publication with 2 small, easy-to-reach buttons connected the underside for shortcuts; it’s somewhat little robust, but inactive punches acold supra its terms class. The backside of the grips diagnostic a flimsy texture, though it’s not capable to adhd importantly much power similar rubberized grips can. Dual rumble motors and impulse triggers are adjacent disposable for amended immersion. And don’t worry, they’re close and subtle.

What makes this controller a existent standout is the three-level trigger halt switches, which are not disposable connected the PowerA Enhanced exemplary and are a rarity successful controllers of this terms range. It's a boon for fans of FPS who privation to measurement distant from the rodent and keyboard occasionally without shelling retired tons of dough for a pro-level controller. The thumbsticks are shorter and diagnostic a bully magnitude of tension. While those sticks are large for precision, the other unit required tin beryllium a hindrance successful definite games. The remainder of the buttons are responsive and reliable, putting it connected the level of a first-party controller.

In our hands-on reappraisal of the Hyperkin Competitor, we recovered it offered a convincing simulcrum of the Sony DualSense controller for PC and Xbox, with PlayStation-style symmetrical sticks, a akin black-and-white colour strategy and upgraded internals. That includes Hall Effect sensors nether each thumbstick and trigger, which boost durability and assistance precision with smaller deadzones. The sticks themselves are peculiarly worthy of praise, with anti-friction rings and metallic stems that nutrient a fluid, linear feel, though it is simply a interaction airy successful examination to the console controller it emulates.

In presumption of pro-level features, the stand-out is the inclusion of 2 rear buttons, mapped to A and B by default. These are placed straight wherever your mediate fingers tin actuate them, with locks adjacent to forestall accidental presses if you're not utilizing them and a mapping fastener to reassign them.

The Competitor feels rather airy and is made of plastic, but it's inactive reasonably well-constructed fixed its middling price. The rear grips person a good texture to them, preventing them from sliding retired of somewhat sweaty hands, the D-pad feels bouncier than the DualSense's, and the look buttons are a spot tiny but responsive. Neither excessively wide nor excessively narrow, astir manus sizes are accommodated present (something you couldn't accidental astir the Xbox Duke remake Hyperkin is besides liable for).

The Competitor sits astatine an absorbing spot successful the market, coming successful astir the aforesaid terms arsenic a first-party controller from Xbox oregon PlayStation, portion offering immoderate advantages (HE sticks, rear buttons) and immoderate disadvantages (wired connectivity and a somewhat toy-like feel). Overall though, it does capable close to gain the nod.

We spent a batch of clip reviewing the Sony DualSense Controller, and it's different large first-party enactment for PC, whether you link it with a cablegram oregon via Bluetooth. It's peculiar niche is playing PS5 ports that enactment its Adaptive Triggers, which adhd amazingly amounts of granularity to the experience. If you're a instrumentality of the output of Sony's crippled studios, past this mightiness beryllium what sways you to choosing the DualSense implicit the Xbox Core controller. And dissimilar the Xbox Core, there’s a rechargeable artillery for wireless use, though it's comparatively constricted astatine astir 10-13 hours during our testing.

As you mightiness beryllium aware, the DualSense was made for the PS5 and continues the company's contented of opting for symmetrical analog sticks, similar the Hyperkin Competitor above. Unlike the Competitor though, this gamepad feels a spot amended heavier and amended built, portion remaining balanced, casual to grip, and yet much ergonomic. There are besides plentifulness of DualSense colour options disposable if you don't similar the modular look.

With useful enactment from Steam arsenic good arsenic fan-made bundle packages, positive expanding numbers of PlayStation-exclusive games ending up not truthful exclusive acknowledgment to PC ports, afloat DualSense functionality connected PC makes for the champion mode to play those games.

If you're aft a controller that offers the acquainted Xbox plan but amps up its capability, our reappraisal of the Xbox Elite Series 2 controller shows you wherefore it's cleanable for your needs. This exemplary features 4 rear paddles that tin person their ain actions oregon tin alteration the relation of the look buttons. Plus, each of the buttons connected the gamepad are remappable. The D-pad, backmost paddles, and analog sticks are magnetically swappable for added customization, ensuring the controller feels precisely however you want. Xbox besides kept the tunable triggers from the archetypal Elite.

While each of these features dependable large connected paper, they present successful existent life, excessively — for the astir part. Swapping retired sticks and D-pads is casual and helped amended the consciousness for our reviewer successful definite genres, similar platformers oregon warring games. Setting up hairsbreadth triggers kept absorption times connected constituent successful shooters. The rear paddles whitethorn instrumentality a infinitesimal to master, but are poppy and responsive. However, they don’t marque up for the mushy ABXY buttons, which are a large disappointment for specified a premium controller.

At slightest the Elite Series 2 controller adds the rechargeable artillery that the Xbox Core controller lacks, and lasts an awesome 40 hours connected each charge. In summation to Xbox Wireless erstwhile utilizing an adapter with PC, Bluetooth is disposable for casual pairing with your PC oregon smartphone. A low-latency wired transportation via USB-C is besides supported.

One of the astir enticing things we recovered successful our reappraisal of the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is its unsocial “Connected Command Display.” It’s a compact, full-color surface straight connected the controller that displays telephone notifications and allows on-the-fly mounting adjustments, similar swapping betwixt 10 antithetic profiles, fine-tuning the vibration intensity, and modifying RGB lighting, which tin adjacent alteration colors to bespeak telephone notification alerts oregon a debased battery.

The Stealth Ultra features immoderate somewhat buggy bundle that works with a PC to supply a afloat suite of options for tuning the controller and creating profiles for circumstantial games oregon desired feels. Everything from joystick and trigger deadzones to joystick effect curves and rear paddle fastener mapping tin beryllium done with this software.

Turtle Beach’s offering is wireless, truthful there’s a 2.4GHz dongle for a lag-free transportation to your PC oregon Xbox. Bluetooth enactment is useful for your gaming phone. However, erstwhile you commencement experimenting with the show and RGB lighting, the advertised 30-hour artillery beingness rapidly drops to astir 10 hours.

While each the customizability is large (and honestly overkill), real-world show is what matters, and the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is 1 beast of a gamepad. It features an Xbox layout with tactile micro switches that are crisp and precise, which proved adjuvant successful Dead Cells during testing, wherever the fastener timing was flawless. While drifting has plagued different Turtle Beach controllers, the Hall Effect sensors connected the sticks forestall drifting and supply nuanced control. The trigger toggle adjacent helped chopped milliseconds of important clip successful FPS.

If you play a bully woody of arcade oregon warring games, bash yourself a favour and prime up a large combat stick, and for PC, the Razer Kitsune we've reviewed is simply a standout option. Rather than including a emblematic instrumentality connected the controller, it has a leverless plan offering buttons that determination successful a afloat scope of directions. Admittedly, there’s a spot of a learning curve to maestro the Kitsune, but the quicker input velocity (milliseconds substance successful warring games), improved accuracy, and easier execution of definite moves are worthy the effort to KO opponents.

The Kitsune is simply a PlayStation-licensed device, truthful beyond directional controls are the indispensable PlayStation buttons. Razer opted to usage optical switches connected this combat stick, and successful testing, inputs were accelerated and reliable portion remaining amazingly quiet, but inactive delivering a keyboard-like feel. While those buttons connection a chiseled feel, the controls are hot-swappable to easy customize the committee to your liking.

Like immoderate bully combat stick, the Razer Kitsune is sturdy, durable, and ample capable to fto some hands remainder comfortably connected it with the buttons perfectly spaced. On apical is simply a removable aluminum sheet to adhd your ain flair to the controller, and the bottommost features a bully grip, ensuring it stays successful spot during heated moments. It does each of this portion remaining airy capable to transportation astir to tournaments, weighing nether 2lbs. Razer besides includes a flashy airy portion astir the borderline of the controller and a tourney fastener to forestall you from accidentally getting disqualified. Even if it’s designed for the PS5, this controller works flawlessly with PC and seamlessly connects via a USB.

Anyone into sim racing connected PC needs a large racing instrumentality for a deeper level of immersion, and Logitech's Pro Racing Wheel and Pedals are an awesome enactment – adjacent if they bash outgo a small implicit $1,000. As the sanction suggests, this nonstop thrust centrifugal connects straight to the steering wheel, providing overmuch amended power and unit feedback than cogwheel oregon belt-driven alternatives. The strategy delivers up to 11Nm of torque, which is plentifulness to consciousness acccurate feedback astir the roadworthy aboveground and however good your tires are gripping it.

You besides get further colour done the instrumentality successful games that enactment Logitech's TrueForce feature, which adds an other magnitude of telemetry-based feedback beyond what's imaginable done modular DirectInput. It's besides casual to trim the spot of the unit feedback via the Logitech G app oregon the instrumentality itself, which has an integrated show and controls to set this and galore different settings.

The Pro Racing Wheel is disposable successful PC-only, PC/Xbox and PC/PlayStation varieties, with the PC enactment costing $100 little than the 2 consoles models. The fastener layout doesn't alteration betwixt each model, conscionable the labels, and I recovered the buttons well-placed and satisfying to push, adjacent portion wearing gloves. The 300mm rim is besides well-sized, with a flimsy D-shape that's good to usage for each genres of racing, though rally and drift enthusiasts mightiness similar to acceptable the RS Wheel Hub and the RS Round Wheel, portion Formula racers person the enactment of the RS Track Wheel. On the default wheel, the magnetic shifters supply suitably clunky feedback, with dual analogue paddles that are perfect for clutches oregon handbrakes.

The Racing Pro Pedals are built to the aforesaid precocious prime standard, with the three-item acceptable including a clutch, brake and throttle. The item is the brake, which uses a load compartment to measurement however hard you're hitting it, alternatively than however acold down it's been pressed. This feels much akin to a existent contention car, and tin assistance you brake much consistently to yet amended your thigh times. All 3 pedals are adjustable, though the dialling successful the consciousness of the brake is the astir important.

If you're investing this overmuch into a instrumentality and pedals, past hard-mounting to a rig similar the Logitech x Playseat Trophy makes a batch of sense, and I truly enjoyed the stableness and portability this provided. However, it's besides imaginable to equine the instrumentality to a desk, which works good capable if you tin forestall the pedals for slipping backwards and whitethorn beryllium preferable to a fixed setup for immoderate usage cases.

Overall, the Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel and Pro Racing Pedals are tremendously almighty pieces of kit that proceed to amended arsenic caller accessories are released and much games are supported.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller was an innovative controller erstwhile it was released backmost successful 2018, and it’s inactive large today. Unfortunately, the accessible controller marketplace is comparatively small, with astir apical options coming astatine a premium; that doesn't adjacent see each the indispensable peripherals required to marque the controller enactment for your circumstantial needs. While the Xbox Adaptive Controller isn’t inexpensive by immoderate means, its inclusive, simple-to-use plan and compatibility with PC proceed to propulsion it supra others.

Rather than a emblematic gamepad, the Adaptive Controller is much of an input hub with a assemblage akin to a fightstick. Its utmost modularity and customizability let the controller to beryllium adapted for circumstantial abilities. The built-in controls are limited, but it inactive features 2 monolithic remappable buttons connected its face, on with a D-pad, presumption button, and location button.

However, the crushed you’ll privation the Adaptive Controllers is for the excess of inputs. 19 3.5mm jacks correspond with each the emblematic controller inputs, including bumpers and triggers, allowing ft pedals, switches, joysticks, and different adaptability immunodeficiency to beryllium added. I’d urge picking up the Xbox Adaptive Joystick, which includes the stick, 4 buttons, and a mounting thread. While it adds $30 to the terms tag, the buttons tin beryllium remapped, ergonomics are solid, and 3D-printable thumbstick toppers are supported. The joystick tin besides plug into a modular Xbox controller.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller is an invaluable instrumentality for accessibility, but that doesn’t mean it’s flawless. The learning curve is steep erstwhile mastering each the antithetic controls, and sometimes simultaneous inputs aren’t supported, starring to limitations successful games. The biggest downfall is the outgo of each the other peripherals required to marque this functional controller, but it does enactment third-party options. Still, gamers person reported that, for the astir part, this controller works great, allowing them to play games that weren’t ever feasible.

Originally posted:

Nov 26, 2025 8:40 pm