Best PC controller 2023: the Digital Foundry buyer's guide to gamepads

While it may be the case that PC gamers usually opt for a trusty mouse and keyboard, grabbing a controller makes sense for a range of genres, from Soulsborne action games to racing titles and platformers. Running a quick search for the term 'PC controller' will bring up a shedload of options, but which ones are any good, let alone the best PC controller you could buy?

To help you out, we've tested dozens of the best gamepads on the market for weeks on end, sorted the wheat from the chaff and picked out the best options - for a range of budgets and gaming genres.

Best PC controller: Xbox Wireless Controller

The best PC controller for most people is the £49/$44 Xbox Wireless Controller. This Xbox Series-era controller works well out of the box with the widest range of PC titles, offers wired, Bluetooth or 2.4GHz wireless connectivity and is available in a range of colours at a reasonable price. The Microsoft controller is also well-made, with responsive triggers and a large, comfortable shape.

However, the controller does have its downsides. Rather than charging via a USB cable, the Xbox Series controller takes AA batteries, requiring a £20/$25 Play and Charge Kit to support USB recharging. In addition, most PCs don't support Microsoft's low-latency 2.4GHz wireless out of the box, requiring a £62 adapter + controller bundle or $27 adapter.

Pros

• Unparalleled support in PC games, without requiring third-party software
• Low-latency 2.4GHz wireless connection plus Bluetooth
• Available in a range of colours and styles

Cons

• Eats AA batteries by default, with a rechargeable battery sold separately
• Xbox Wireless Adapter has become hard to find at cost

Alternatively: For a cheaper Xbox-oriented alternative that's wired only, consider the £50/$60 Turtle Beach Recon. It works well across a wide version of PC games and boasts a surprising number of features for a £50 controller, including a pair of remappable rear buttons, multiple modes and textured grips. You also get convenient audio controls for anything you plug into the 3.5mm port, making it a savvy way of making a basic headset feel a lot more premium. If that mix of features sounds worthwhile, we'd recommend it over the standard Xbox controller - although giving up wireless is still tough!

Runner-up: Sony DualSense (PS5) Controller

While the Xbox Wireless Controller is our top choice, the £57/$69 Sony DualSense PS5 controller is another worthy option. It has great triggers, its longer-than-DualShock design fits all but the smallest hands and of course it has that symmetric design some folks prefer. It's cheaper to run than the Xbox controller too, as it can be recharged via USB-C - so no need to invest in rechargeable batteries or keep buying non-rechargeable ones. There's even a gyroscope, which is useful for playing some emulated games, and first-party Sony games on PC offer the correct button prompts - even if most games will show the Xbox ones instead.

The only minor inconvenience is that you need to install third-party software to get the controller working on Windows. Thankfully, software including DualSenseX and DS4Windows are free, easy to use and offer options not found on Xbox Accessories app. You can also use Steam's Big Picture mode, which supports the DualSense natively, for both Steam and non-Steam games.

Pros

• Comfortable, high-quality controller with incredible triggers
• Doesn't require batteries or a dongle to work wirelessly
• Trackpad is convenient if your mouse isn't nearby

Cons

• Requires third-party driver installation to work well
• Button prompts often conflict with controller layout

Alternatively: Custom PS5 controllers are also available. The £219/$219 Scuf Reflex Pro is our top pick here, offering full customisation, remappable rear paddles and upgrades to triggers, thumbsticks and grip with extremely good build quality throughout. We also tested a ~$200 MegaModz DualSense with a custom shell, mechanical buttons and interchangeable thumbsticks. The controller feels fantastic to use, thanks to those mechanical upgrades, and it's nice to see a PS5 controller that looks so different from the standard colour options too.

Best premium PC controller: Xbox Elite Series 2 / Elite Series 2 Core

If you're willing to spend more on your controller, Microsoft's £139/$151 Elite Series 2 is the best controller we've tested thus far. Its controls are tight and responsive, with clicky face buttons and a generous grippy coating that ensures a great in-hand feel. There are plenty of customisation options too - you can add four paddles to the rear, swap out the sticks for four alternative options, adjust stick sensitivity and opt for a circular eight-way d-pad. The ability to toggle between three levels of trigger sensitivity with the flip of a switch is also impressive. There's even software like ReWASD that lets you rebind the paddles to keyboard commands.

The Series 2 also improves on its predecessor with a more modern design equivalent to the most recent standard Xbox One controller, including Bluetooth connectivity, a headphone jack and USB-C charging via the included stand or a USB-C cable. The rechargeable battery used here is arguably more convenient than the previous system that used AA batteries, but it's also not user replaceable. In total though, the generational changes here are overwhelmingly positive - and you can read more in our Elite Controller Series 2 review.

The £106/$108 Elite Series 2 Core is a distillation of the Elite Series 2, offering the exact same core features but leaving out the extras such as the charging dock and replacement sticks. This genius move means that you get an extremely responsive and well-built controller for a lower price and you can pick up the accessories later (£39/$39). For someone that used the default loadout on the Elite Series 2 99 percent of the time, this release makes a ton of sense.

Pros

• Incredible levels of hardware and software customisation
• Comfortable, precise feel with excellent tactile feedback
• Includes creature comforts like Bluetooth and USB-C charging

Cons

• Rechargeable battery isn't user replaceable

Best cheap PC controller: HyperX Clutch Gladiate

At $35/£35, the HyperX Clutch Gladiate is one of the few name-brand controllers that comes in below the Xbox Series Wireless Controller or Sony DualSense PS5 Controller in terms of price. For that, you do get a surprising amount of functionality, including programmable rear buttons and trigger locks ideal for speeding up digital inputs (like firing a weapon in an FPS). These work well enough, and are joined by nice tactile face buttons and good build quality throughout despite the plastic design.

However, there are some restrictions here too. The Clutch Gladiate is wired-only, which does at least make it lighter and removes the need to recharge or swap batteries. The responsiveness of the controls and the strength of the rumble are noticeably worse than either the Series or PS5 controllers, making it more difficult to use in games that require precise inputs and detailed force feedback, such as more sim-oriented racing games. Still, for other genres these limitations are less of an issue and the Clutch Gladiate could make a lot of sense.

Pros

• Reasonable price for a brand-name controller, given its good build quality and useful features
• Wired-only, so light design with no recharging or battery swapping required
• Looks much better than your average generic cheap-o controller

Cons

• No wireless connectivity, obviously
• Buttons and joysticks lack a touch of precision, while force feedback is also less detailed

Best third-party PC controller: Razer Wolverine V2

While Microsoft and Sony's long expertise with games consoles means that their controllers are the default option for many, there are also some great third-party alternatives worth considering. The £80/$51 Razer Wolverine V2 is one of the best options, thanks to its use of clicky and satisfying mechanical switches for face button, optional hair triggers and two extra buttons on the rear. It doesn't offer additional paddles, like the earlier Wolverine Tournament Edition, but it does offer a more comfortable shape. We played games like Tetris Effect for hours on this pad without issue - the only problem was that going back to a standard controller afterwards that lacked that tactile feedback is tough once you know what you're missing!

The controller can be customised in the Razer Controller Setup for Xbox app, available on Xbox and PC, where you can rebind the buttons and dial in the Wolverine's sensitivity. While the Wolverine V2 costs more than a standard first-party controller, it is still a significant upgrade that's well worth considering if you play a lot of gamepad-friendly PC games.

Pros

• Best software for remapping and customisation
• Well-constructed with tight, tactile and often clicky controls

Cons

• Wired-only

Most customisable PC controller: Scuf Instinct / Instinct Pro

The £170/$170 Scuf Instinct and Scuf Instinct Pro are deeply customisable controllers for Xbox consoles and PC. I opted for a controller with an interesting topographical map theme in blue and gold, matching this with mono-colour face buttons, black sticks, and grey d-pad, shoulder buttons and triggers. There are tons of options here, with eleven elements you can tweak - including less cosmetic changes like ripping out the rumble motors for a lighter gamepad or opting for different shape sticks. (Scuf's earlier Xbox One era Prestige controller has even more colour options - the firm assured me that the Instinct series will have a similar number of options eventually). The Pro adds rubber grips and four rear buttons - fittingly, features that may prove handy for high-level play but are easily dispensed with to save some money on what is already an expensive proposition.

The Instinct series use the same circuit board as Microsoft's controllers and pair in the same way, so on PC you can use them wired via USB-C, via Bluetooth or via lower-latency Xbox Wireless with an Xbox Wireless Adapter dongle. It also means they benefit to Microsoft's latency improvements and can even be upgraded with new firmware as it's released. Both Instinct gamepads also feature three profiles, allowing you to customise the controller on a per-game basis by tapping a button, and a button for muting the headset.

Compared to the similarly expensive Xbox Elite Series 2 controller, it's hard to pick a favourite. The Elite Series 2 feels more substantial in the hand, with clickier buttons and more conveniently placed triggers, but the Instinct Pro is lighter, with even shorter-throw triggers and a smoother chassis. I think I would normally come down for the Elite Series 2, but that controller's reliability woes would give me some pause - and the Instinct Pro's customisable look makes it a distinct option in its own right.

Pros

• Can be customised for a look and feel entirely your own
• Instinct Pro variant offers hair triggers and extra grip
• Works just like the official Xbox Series X/S controller

Cons

• Extremely expensive once fully customised
• Face buttons and d-pad aren't quite as good as the best controllers from Microsoft or Razer

Runner-up customisable controller: Victrix Gambit

The £89/$90 Victrix Gambit is another nice option if you prefer a controller you can make your own, with some novel post-purchase customisation ideas. There's a choice of top plates, including a rubbery option for silent play, and circular or octagonal rings for each thumb stick. More standard are the offered d-pads (eight-way or four-way), thumb sticks (short or long), rear paddles (two or four) and the provided carry case. Each change I made had an obvious effect, and I was particularly impressed with the rubber top plate. The build quality here is excellent too, with satisfyingly smooth triggers and slightly tactile face buttons, although the placement of the start and select buttons takes a little getting used to.

This is a wired controller only, which is in my view totally fine for PC play but less suitable for gaming on the sofa. The cable is at least relatively soft and flexible, unlike some other controllers I've tried recently. Finally, Victrix boasts of a dual-core design that delegates input and audio to separate cores, reducing input latency, but I don't have the means to test this and the controller didn't feel noticeably better or worse than alternative options. I think there's enough here to justify the asking price!

Pros

• Excellent range of customisation options included
• Good build quality makes the controller a pleasure to use
• Works just like the official Xbox Series X/S controller

Cons

• Layout of some less-used buttons is unorthodox
• Cool transparent body is hidden by the top plates
• No wireless connectivity

Best of the rest: other controllers we tested

To keep our recommendations manageable, we've opted for six controller suggestions in the main article above. Here are some brief thoughts on the other controllers we've tested, including a few options that nearly made it into the top six.

Thrustmaster eSwap XR Pro Controller Forza Horizon 5 Edition: This is another strong controller when it comes to customisation, with hot-swappable components - you can freely swap the position of each stick and the d-pad, and the Forza Horizon 5 special edition even comes with a tiny, self-centring wheel that can replace the d-pad. (Cleverly, the missing d-pad controls are then mapped to the rear buttons.) This doesn't feel significantly more accurate than a thumbstick - or at least, nothing close to what's possible with a full-size wheel - but it's still a fun feature and a clever extension of the controller's other Forza Horizon branding.

While I didn't continue using the wheel long-term as I played through the Donut Media addition to FH5, I was struck by the build quality and responsiveness of the eSwap XR Pro. If you're happy with a wired pad and want something with a ton of extra features, including back buttons, this is a reasonable choice that'll be worth picking up once it drops down a bit from its £180/$180 launch price.

PowerA Spectra Infinity Enhanced Wired Controller: At £35/$34, this gamepad is about £15 cheaper than the official Microsoft Xbox One controller. You lose out on wireless connectivity and a tiny bit of build quality, but you gain edge and button lighting in seven colours, two programmable rear buttons and three-tier trigger locks. The trigger locks didn't work perfectly in our testing, with the most restrictive setting on both triggers resulting in different amounts of movement, but otherwise the controller delivers a reasonable gaming experience and looks good doing it. If the extra features are worthwhile for you and you're not interested in wireless connectivity, then this is a decent choice.

Nintendo Switch Pro Controller: This £49/$69 controller is a good first-party option with excellent battery life, but it is more expensive than many competitors, lacks analogue triggers and doesn't offer any compelling unique features beyond Switch compatibility and a cool see-through design.

Razer Raiju Mobile: While the $36 Raiju Mobile sports clicky buttons, good ergonomics and a built-in smartphone clip, its unusual default bindings on PC require manual remapping in each game. By contrast, the SteelSeries Stratus Duo works well on PC out of the box.

Microsoft Elite Controller (Series 1): The first-gen Elite was a great controller, but the Elite Series 2 and Series 2 Core offer more features and a better tactile feel at the same price. Only consider this one if you can find it in working order at a good price, or if the lack of a user-replaceable battery in the Series 2 is a deal-breaker for you.

Nacon Pro Controller 3: The design and build quality of this £72/$74 controller is subpar, with flabby shoulder buttons and lethargic sticks, but the real issue is the placement of the extra buttons. Rather than paddles, Nacon has opted for a quartet of small buttons built into the lower grips. This is convenient, in that you can reach these buttons comfortably, but they're all-too-easy to set off accidentally and hard to differentiate. That makes the NPC3 a hard sell in a competitive premium controller market.

So, there you have it. We will continue to evaluate new gamepads and controllers to keep our recommendations up to date, and we welcome your feedback in the comments below.