Best PC Games That Are Better to Play with a Controller! | Updated 2024

Dragon's Dogma II

Although the controls of Dragon’s Dogma 2 aren’t hugely complicated, having everything ready to use on a moment’s notice can be a bit of a bother, and while many functions are mapped well enough to the general surroundings of WSAD, they become a bit unwieldy if you want to move and do anything else. To some degree, and in especially hectic encounters, having just two hands might not be enough.

Image credit: CAPCOM

With a gamepad, there are no such problems. You can keep moving your character and camera, while easily accessing weapons skills and D-pad functions, although the latter might still require a bit of finger gymnastics. All in all, if you want to never worry about fumbling key inputs during a vicious fight against a shaggy ogre or upset griffin, a gamepad is the obviously superior option.

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FINAL FANTASY VII Remake Intergrade

Not unlike other third-person melee-range combat-oriented games, the remakes of Final Fantasy VII work a whole lot smoother and more intuitively if you have a gamepad.

It’s not surprising, the games launched first on PlayStation, so being controller-friendly is a given. A gamepad also makes it easier to sit further away from the screen to fully appreciate the flurry of effects making battles more exciting.

Image credit: Square Enix Creative Business Unit I

As of February 2024, the series features two entiries. The first is FF7 Remake Intergrade, which includes the first act of the core story taking place in the city of Midgar, as well as previously separate Intermission focused on Yuffie Kisaragi. The second is FF7 Rebirth, which open the world up to more locations, characters, and elements of the remake’s increasingly complicated storyline.

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Tekken 8

Fighting games can be fairly accepting to many control formats, and you’re mostly limited by how deep and invested you want to be.

Tekken 8 can easily handle keyboard, and becomes smoother with typical Xbox and Playstation gamepads, but why stop there? If you want to try to commit to the genre, you could get specialized arcade controller for fighting games, with or without a stick, as you please.

Image credit: Bandai Namco Studios

Of course, the special controllers are more expensive, but if you’re willing to pay the price and learn the ropes, they can make your experience with Tekken 8 much better than traditional options. And given how much crazy stuff is going on here, and the intense input necessary for higher-level play here, it might be a worthwhile expense for dedicated fans.

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Hi-Fi Rush

Hi-Fi Rush is a delightful game, and its rhythm-based take on the classical Devil May Cry-like gameplay makes it truly stand out from other games in the genre.

See, everything in the game is synchronized to the same steady beat: all enemy attacks, all platforming sections, and if your actions are on point, they get stronger. This also means timing is of the essence.

Image credit: Tango Gameworks

Hi-Fir Rush isn’t particularly hard to play on keyboard and mouse, but most of the game is going to be easier with a controller. Sure, one of the team-ups involves some aiming, but it’s a relatively minor thing and usually there’s little time-crunch involved. What you get in return is all the buttons for dodges and attacks and team-ups easily accessible thanks to a gamepad’s compact nature.

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It Takes Two

Much like its title suggests, It Takes Two requires two players, which if you go for local co-op already means one player is going to need a controller.

ITT features a lot of tight 3D platforming and combat, so a gamepad might be a worthwhile solution for both players anyway. There are, like in Hi-Fi Rush some sequences requiring you to aim, but they are rare enough and reasonably forgiving.

Image credit: Hazelight Studios

The game puts you in the roles of two soon-to-be-divorced parents, May and Cody, who wound up getting turned into little dolls by a magic book about healthy relationships. Over the course of several areas modelled after their large rural house, they’ll conquer many challenges and learn to be together again. Despite this premise and cute aesthetic, the journey is full of, frankly, messed up moments.

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Monster Hunter Rise

Its predecessor, MH World was already miles better on gamepad than KB M (unless you were a bowgun player).

MH Rise, coming o PC from Switch, is much faster than MHW, and the addition of wirebugs makes analog sticks, triggers and bumpers a godsend. Switch skills introduced in the Sunbreak expansion also benefit a lot from gamepad’s tight layout.

Image credit: Capcom Development Division 2

Wirebugs are Monster Hunter’s mobility solution, allowing you to zip around the levels like Spider-Man, but also provide a ton of functionality in combat, including the ability to ride monsters for a while. Which is a useful skill, because the giant beasts of the series take a hefty amount of damage before they are defeated, and just your selection of oversized, powerful weapons might not be quite enough.

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Jedi Survivor

Jedi Survivor is perfectly playable on the keyboard-mouse mix, even on the higher difficulties, but if you have a choice between that and a gamepad, and feel equally comfortable with both, then the latter would really be recommended. Much like Jedi Fallen order, Survivor enjoys its environmental puzzles, parkour, and multi-button input, so it’s a bit easier to handle with a gamepad.

Image credit: Respawn Entertainment

The game picks up a few years after the events of Fallen Order, with Cal Kestis and his crew of rebels fishing for intel which might help against the Empire. Things go poorly, however, which, through a series of unfortunate events sets Cal up for the next big adventure. JS is a great follow-up with greater gameplay diversity, more customization, and satisfying, Metroidvania-like exploration.

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Mortal Kombat 1

The latest instalment, and a kind-of reboot of the Mortal Kombat franchise is, like many fighting games, really benefits from a controller.

As the latest entry in the series, Mortal Kombat 1 has a well-developed and complex fighting system, which makes a controller’s multi-button input method preferrable over a keyboard. That doesn’t mean KB isn’t viable, it might just not be as comfortable.

Image credit: NetherRealm Studios

MK1 is only a kind-of reboot, because while it very much restarts a timeline, it’s also rooted firmly in the ending on MK11, so much so that It might just be a direct sequel, depending on how you choose to define the difference. Despite the new timeline, conflicts are always brewing, of course, and some things never change for long, especially where sorcerers are involved.

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Street Fighter 6

We’ve got Tekken 8, we’ve got MK1, it’s only reasonable for Street Fighter 6 to also make the list.

The same arguments apply, especially if you have/can afford a fightstick. SF6 also comes with three different control modes designed for players of different skill levels, including the classic, six-button attack mode for the veterans and a dynamic mode for beginners.

Image credit: CAPCOM

Street Fighter 6 is a fantastic sequel, pushing the story a few years forward, which provided an excellent opportunity to explore new designs for the classic characters, work on an updated aesthetic. It even introduces a new, open-world experience featuring a player-created avatar learning new combat forms from masters living in the city and getting into a silly number of fights in-between.

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EA Sports FC 24

The title of the series might have changed, but what hasn’t is the fact that EA Sports’ soccer simulator is miles better on a controller than it is on KB M.

Executing complex plays, handling 360 degree movement, all of that work much better with analog sticks and all the buttons immediately at your fingertips. Gamepads are also great if you choose to plug in your TV to play from the couch.

Image credit: EA Romania

The series formerly known as FIFA is going strong, with an ever-greater attention to realism that makes the matches come closer and closer to being completely photorealistic, including accurate animations capturing the style of your favorite players. And if you do decide to play it on TV, from your couch, perhaps with a few friends in multiplayer, it can really look like the real deal.

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Elden Ring

It shouldn’t be a surprise that FromSoftware’s open-world, third-person, mostly melee-oriented game is here, especially since its cousin Dark Souls 3 and remote relative Monster Hunter World appear further down the list in the “previously on” section. Keeping your unlucky Tarnished alive is much easier, if you can access a whole bunch of buttons without weird hand contortions.

Image credit: FromSoftware

Guarding, skill use, attacks, weapon switching, all easy as pie. For a game which requires reflexes and precision, a controller is clearly a more convenient option than keyboard and mouse. Controllers are also slightly more resistant to being crushed in frustration after you were two frames too slow to dodge and lost the boss fight again. Still not recommended to throw them at the wall.

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Sifu

Another tough-as-nails game on the list (and not the last one by any measure), Sifu puts you in the shoes of a young Bak Mei adept who sets out to avenge the death of their (the protagonist can be male or female) family. It’s not going to be an easy revenge quest, however, since the combat system is challenging, the bosses supernaturally empowered, and every death makes you older.

Image credit: Sloclap

While Sifu is quite playable without it, a controller makes action and movement smoother, and you’ll need all the help you can get. The reward for that is quite satisfying, too, since Sifu played with skill looks absolutely incredible in motion, with realistic animations and brutal finishing moves. Without controller support, Sifu would be even harder than it already is.

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Persona 5 Royal

Seeing how the Persona games are native to PlayStation, it’s no wonder they work best with a controller. It’s no different for Person 5 Royal, the most recent mainline installment of the renown jRPG series. From navigating the menus to moving around mind dungeons, controller offers a better-integrated experience than the classic PC combo.

Image credit: Atlus

The story follows a group of teens calling themselves Phantom Thieves of Hearts, who are able to go into a psychic metaverse to steal evil ambitions from adults. They use the eponymous Personas, powerful avatars of their own psyches, to fight against dangers lurking in the mind-dungeons. If you’d love to help stylish teens fight evil to some smooth jazz, give Persona 5 a shot.

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Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered

Can you imagine playing a Spider-Man-themed action game without the analog sticks? WSAD has many advantages, but it isn’t great for dealing with TPP games which don’t have a camera fixed behind your back. As a result, Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man, which made its way to PC in 2022, works much better if you have a controller on hand.

Image credit: Insomniac Games

Insomniac’s game also happens to be probably the best Spider-Man game in ages. It features a great story, a satisfying gallery of Webhead’s villains, and great open world gameplay punctuated with exciting fights showcasing Spidey’s full mobility and web-tricks. The game was welcomed so warmly that it got a sequel-spin-off focused on Miles Morales, which is also playable on PC.

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Overcooked

Overcooked’s control scheme is very simple and the gameplay takes more teamwork than precise input. However, due to a neat gimmick, Overcooked is just plain more FUN if you use a gamepad, especially if you play with your significant other. See, the thing is that two people can play on one gamepad, each having half a gamepad, which might be odd on an Xbox controller due to its skewed symmetry.

Image credit: Ghost Town Games

The game itself is a half-puzzle, half-platformer, and half-team-management game, which comes up to a total of 150% fun. A number of cooks is put on a mobile, often dynamically rearranging kitchen and have to complete as many orders as possible. You need good communications, because ingredients must be cut, plates washed, dishes served… it can quickly become quite chaotic.

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Yakuza 0

Since Yakuza 0 originated on consoles (PlayStation 3, specifically) it was obviously developed with a gamepad in mind. Combat, a major part of the game, uses every button, and all directional inputs: sticks move the character and the camera, while directional pad changes combat styles. That said, even with a sub-optimal controls Yakuza 0 is a fantastic game just by the virtue of its story and characters.

Image credit: Ryu ga Gotoku Studios

It follows two young men: Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima, both involved in a conflict over a patch of real estate that’s a key to incredible amounts of money. The main storyline is a highly engaging crime drama, but there are also many side stories, fun minigames, and two different business subsystems. The two core maps, Kamurocho and Sotenbori, are also fascinating: detailed, populated, colourful, and feeling lived-in.

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Graveyard Keeper

In Graveyard Keeper you’re, perhaps somewhat predictably, playing the role of a local graveyard keeper in a fantasy world. That means a lot of work involving holding down some buttons to fill a progress bar, and walking around to complete regular tasks and unique quests. There’s no need for precision, and the game is rather slow-paced, so it might well be a more chill experience if you have a gamepad.

Image credit: Lazy Bear Games

Thankfully, slow-paced though Graveyard Keeper might be, there’s a lot to do. You have to tend to corpses and bury them appropriately. You have to write sermons which can provide different bonuses. And you might have to sell some meat to the innkeep for quick cash, he won’t ask questions. You also should work on finding a way back to your own world, which you abruptly and unwillingly left.

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Devil May Cry 5

In this kind of game there’s really no way to replace a gamepad without sacrificing a chunk of your effectiveness. Nothing that can’t be overcome, but like with Monster Hunter above you should focus on fighting your enemies, not the controls. Especially since certain attacks require specific directional input, which would be a bit of a pain in the neck to execute without an analogue stick.

Image credit: Capcom Development Division 1

However when you have a controller DMC5 really shines and flourishes as an intense, stylish action game with a bunch of cool weirdos on the cast. Three of them, Dante, Nero, and newcomer V are playable, and each has a different playstyle: Dante changes weapons and fighting styles on a whim, Nero uses a sword, a gun, and a range of cyber prosthetics, while V has three demons to fight for him.

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Batman Arkham series

The Batman Arkham games have become famous for many reasons, one of them being their fluid, dynamic combat system which makes Bats (and friends, occasionally) look like the martial arts master that he is. It is also surprisingly pleasant to play on KB M, even if using gadgets in combat can break your pace a bit. It’s still a much smoother experience on a gamepad, as many such games are.

Image credit: Rocksteady Studios

Whether you play on the ol’ reliable KBM or a gamepad, Batman Arkham games let you feel like Batman, fighting villains, smashing goon heads into pavements, using gadgets with a Bat-logo on them, as well as solving crimes and Riddler’s puzzles. The stealth system is also satisfying, especially since you can see how terrified your enemies become. Batman Arkham is a complete Batman experience.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

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Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

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Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

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Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

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Hades

Hades doesn’t have a very complicated control scheme, but there’s a lot of diagonal movement, which is famously a problem for keyboards to handle, and precise movement suffers without a gamepad. On the other hand if you go for targeted ranged weapons and attacks, then mouse will make things easier than moving the right stick around. Arguably, using a controller is overall smoother.

Image credit: Supergiant Games

Either way, Hades is a Greek mythology-themed roguelite which gives you control of Zagreus, Hades’ son, trying to run from home. On the way to the surface you’ll pass several underworld realms, battle several bosses, meet loveable NPCs, and get stronger with every run, until eventually you manage to escape. It’s an exceptional game, with distinct art style and satisfying gameplay. Go get it.

Hades

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Dragon Age: Inquisition

Dragon Age: Inquisition features a lot (a lot) of real time with pause combat, which, honestly, just doesn’t work too well with a KBM combo. It does, however, work like a wonder with a gamepad, and switching to a controller makes controlling your team much, much more comfortable and intuitive. Even manipulating the camera is easier. Just play the game with a gamepad, it’s worth it.

Image credit: BioWare

DAI is a solid, epic-scale fantasy RPG in a setting introduced in DA: Origins. Your protagonist happens to be in possession of a magical… talent which can save the continent from a mystical disaster. As usual in a BioWare RPG, there are memorable companions, exciting sequences, and a chance to prove your character is the coolest person in the room. Just don’t get stuck in Hinterlands.

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Bayonetta

Bayonetta shares it lineage with Devil May Cry, so it’s absolutely no surprise that it benefits from using the controller in the same way DMC does. Bayo’s moves are infinitely easier to execute using a gamepad, and it’s easier to keep up with the hectic pace if you use a device designed specifically for gaming. In the words of the prophet “it just works”.

Image credit: Nex Entertainment

As for the story, you play as a newly reawakened Bayonetta, an Umbral Witch, who literally woke up one day and chose violence, because many powerful people and creatures in her world decided to be huge holy jerks about a lot of stuff. Thankfully, she finds some reliable allies, including some who supply her with stiletto guns, because if you have to kill angels, then do it with style.

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Grand Theft Auto V

GTA V was originally designed for consoles, which means an obvious focus on making controllers work like wonder. Driving has always been much better on an analogue controller thanks to finer speed and direction controls, and the game’s simple on-foot controls map neatly to the gamepad. Being able to tune out the control scheme to focus on the world works wonders for immersion.

Image credit: Rockstar North

And there’s a lot to get immersed in. Los Santos and the surrounding area is huge and full of activities. The criminal protagonist trio of Michael, Trevor, and Franklin each have their peculiarities, and switching between them every so often lets you find them in potentially interesting situations. GTA offers hours of great gameplay, no matter the control scheme you go for.

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Tomb Raider (2013)

The Tomb Raider games can go either way, but there definitely is a strong argument to be made about them working better with a gamepad, ever since the first in the series. Once Quick Time Events came it, ditching the KBM mix became an obvious direction, and as of the latest installments, gamepad is the best choice, especially if you’re determined to go melee, rather than ranged.

Image credit: Crystal Dynamics

The 2013 reboot is a three-part Lara origin story, taking her from a frightened young woman trying to survive, to a determined adventurer trying to raid some tombs and prevent evil mercs from accomplishing their objectives. Great graphics, polished gameplay, and interesting stories are what you’re in for if you choose to give the new TRs a shot.

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Middle Earth: Shadow of War

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War (and its predecessor, Shadow of Mordor) are based on the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien, but present it in a way closer to Peter Jackson’s adaptations, and carve their own little slice of alternative history. As Talion, an accidentally immortal ranger, you’ll face many dangers mundane and magical alike on a quest for vengeance for the death of his family.

Image credit: Monolith Productions

Shadow of War is much like Assassin’s Creed and Batman Arkham, with third-person movement, omnidirectional combat, and parkour-ish traversal. As a result, gamepad is advisable, especially if you really want to get good at using various tricks in your arsenal while fighting buffed-up orcs. You could use KBM, but it won’t be as intuitive.

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Dark Souls III

As an action RPG franchise, the whole series, not only its third installment, works best with a controller. FromSoftware’s games are notorious for their difficulty levels. Death comes easily in all the Soulsborne (and the later Sekiro, which doesn’t have a syllable in the portmanteau) games, but let’s make an example of Dark Souls III.

Image credit: FromSoftware

You will find it takes much less effort to control your motions in this dark fantasy world, when you will have a controller in your hands. In a game where making a mistake at a bad time can send you back to the last bonfire, bereft of your souls, it’s important to have comfortable controls, so you can focus on analyzing your enemy’s attack pattern and exploiting any openings.

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Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

The Assassin’s Creed games, with their reliance on parkour and melee combat with several enemies at once sure benefit from a gamepad. Having several buttons pressed at the same time in addition to free control of camera and direction make the game much easier, and this remain true in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, one of the latest main chapters in the series.

Image credit: Ubisoft Québec

This time, the story takes you to the Ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian war. As the Misthios, a mercenary with a complicated family history, you’ll uncover your own legacy, deal with the remnants left behind a forgotten civilization, and rub elbows with a few famous historical figures from the period. So pretty much the gold standard experience for an AC game.

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Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

A perfect example of a rogue-like game that works better with a controller which makes it easier to move in one direction, and shoot in another. Sometimes this kind of manoeuvre is awkward on keyboard and mouse setups.The storyline follows a protagonist who must get through a gruesome dungeon he escaped into to run away from his mother following a mysterious and murderous voice.

Image credit: Nicalis, Inc.

On top of that, the Binding of Isaac has a very distinctive aesthetic, which makes some of the utterly horrible, nightmare-inducing things happening to the protagonist a little more bearable. It’s a great game over all, and if you’re struggling on a keyboard mouse combo, give a gamepad a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.

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The Witcher 3

This RPG filled with action, combat and drama is a wildly acclaimed game with millions of fans worldwide. The Witcher 3 (with expansions) is the final chapter in the story of Geralt of Rivia, a professional solver of monstrous and magical problems. The unlatched TPP camera means that moving the protagonist around and steering him during fights with monsters is much handier with a controller.

Image credit: CD PROJEKT RED

In addition to the mechanics of movement and perspective, The Witcher 3’s control scheme is simple enough to be easily mappable to a gamepad with no loss of fucntion. Changing and using signs, for instance, is quite simple and convenient. Sustained abilities, like the Igni sign are much easier to manage on a gamepad, but if you want to go wild with a crossbow, keep a mouse handy.

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Rocket League

This car-sport game offers players quick matches in various modes like hockey-styled one, basketball-alike, football-themed etc. Matches are really fast-paced and lasting mere minutes. Before you realize, your opponent can grab the ball and score. The high-level play of Rocket League relies to a large degree on aerial evolutions, which are much easier to manage using a gamepad’s twin sticks.

Image credit: Psyonix

The game has a very high skill ceiling, limited only by the moderately high actual ceiling placed over the stadium. You can move completely independently from the direction the camera is pointing, and the eight directions available on a keyboard are woefully insufficient for a game about cars which move in 360° in every axis.

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