What are the Best PC Games to Play With Controller? Here\'s Our Guide! (2024)

Want to know the best PC games to play with a controller? You've come to the right place!

It's the classic age-old debate: keyboard and mouse, or controller? Fortunately for fans of the controller, with technology advancements and developers' conscious decisions to accommodate more playstyle preferences, a surfeit of potential-filled PC games now respond ideally to controller gameplay. Welcome to our guide on the best PC games to play with controller —your ultimate roadmap charted across enthralling universes and epic battles, every milestone promising an unequalled gaming experience.

Best PC Games to Play With Controller

All PC gamers have their own distinct tastes when it comes to their favourite genres, whether that's battlefields, adventures, sports games, or racing games – it's like choosing your favorite ice cream flavor: everyone has their own! The following list honours this diversity - boasting a range from role-playing numbers and gripping action series to heart-racing strategy concoctions perfect for joystick games for PC lovers.

Playing games on a PC doesn't always mean that you need to stick with the traditional keyboard and mouse setup. Nowadays, numerous PC titles provide full gamepad support, offering an experience comparable to or sometimes even superior to console gaming. Whether your preference is joystick games for PC or other types of controller games, PC has plenty to offer, and that's what the following list perfectly illustrates.

Elden Ring

Elden Ring, currently one of the most critically acclaimed action RPGs in recent times, works wonderfully with controllers. Highly anticipated by FromSoftware fans, Elden Ring maintains a similar control scheme to its predecessors like Dark Souls and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Playing it with a high-quality gamepad enhances the player's connection with characters in this beautifully crafted open-world fantasy setting.

Persona 5 Royal

For something less physically intense but strategically engaging, Persona 5 Royal is a fantastic choice among PC controllers for gaming. This Japanese RPG boasts intricate turn-based combat mechanics where thoughtfulness often eclipses speed-precision dexterity demands you find in many real-time combat systems. Thus making it excellently suitable for gamepad play.

Overcooked: All You Can Eat!

Overcooked takes the cooking games genre to a new dimension entirely! It's fast-paced, chaotic kitchen madness that perfectly captures cooperative multiplayer elements bringing friends together for spontaneous bursts of entertaining gameplay sessions—particularly heightened when employing a cozy couch co-op setup facilitated by controller usage.

Yakuza 0

Yakuza 0 provides players with a rich narrative-driven world steeped in the contemporary yet surrealistic depiction of Tokyo's underworld situations. The tight combat system feels incredibly satisfying when performing flashy moves using shoulder buttons and thumbsticks on your gamepads — translating virtual yakuza brawls into an adrenaline-injecting joyride packed inside your palms.

Monster Hunter: World

In Monster Hunter: World, players take on massive beasts in epic battles that require patience and strategic depth. The fast-paced gameplay and diverse creature designs make it a prime candidate for PC gaming with a gamepad, offering an immersive hunting experience that feels fluid and intuitive when wielding your virtual weaponry via analog sticks.

Devil May Cry 5

Devil May Cry 5 proves to be another action-packed spectacle where gamepad involvement allows players to pull off outlandishly stylish combos easily. The intricate control layout perfectly aligns with console controllers, giving those reactive dodge-and-attack moments the kind of tactile feedback the keyboard-mouse combo often lacks.

Batman Arkham series

No caped crusaders' depiction in video games universe has been quite as successful as Batman's Arkham series from Rocksteady Studios. Gliding over Gotham city using grappling hooks or trading blows with henchmen using responsive counter-strike systems is made especially cinematic when played via controllers amplifying immersion like no other medium.

Bayonetta

Bayonetta's eponymous femme fatale charms her way into being insanely addictive to play through dazzlingly fabulous combat sequences orchestrated by PlatinumGames. This high-octane hack-and-slash adventure greatly benefits from responsive analog stick maneuvers, making every enemy encounter a visually stunning ballet of bullets and magic.

Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto V presents methodical heists requiring precision driving skills which vastly benefit from nuanced trigger button sensitivity on most gaming controllers—an aspect keyboards can't zingfully emulate. GTA V not only ranks highly among controller games PC enthusiasts favor but stays engaging due to its bustling sandbox world begging for exploratory sessions facilitated comfortably through joysticks.

Dark Souls III

In keeping up with the FromSoftware tradition, Dark Souls III also commands reverence among players who seek challenging yet rewarding RPG experiences able to tangle their nerves in excitement best served through an all-encompassing grip on quality gamepads.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Parkour-ing around ancient Greece in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey becomes a grand exploration joyride when handled through analog sticks providing finely-tuned agility and precision control, much-needed while stealthily navigating hostile territories in this history-drenched beauty.

Mortal Kombat 1

Lastly, for fans of high-octane competitive fighting games, Mortal Kombat remains an ideal pick showcasing fast-paced combat where quick reflexes trigger bone-crushing finishing moves justifiably relished with tactile button mashing on your reliable controllers—concluding our exciting list of best PC games to play with a controller!

Benefits of Using a Controller with PC Games

There's an ongoing debate in the gaming community about whether it's better to use a keyboard and mouse or a controller for gaming. While both have their strengths and weaknesses, there's no denying that there are some serious benefits to using a joystick for your favorite PC games.

A More Immersive Gaming Experience

Firstly, one advantage is that controllers can offer you a more immersive gaming experience. With vibration feedback features commonly found in most PC controllers for gaming, you can feel every hit, crash or explosion right in your hands. This sort of tactile interaction adds another sensory element to the gameplay which simply cannot be replicated on conventional peripherals like a mouse and keyboard.

Ergonomic Comfort Over Prolonged Gaming Periods

Secondly, controllers are typically designed with ergonomics in mind. This results in comfort during marathon gaming sessions when using a gamepad. Controllers fit naturally into your hands enabling you to play comfortably for hours reducing chances of developing carpal tunnel syndromes associated with excessive mouse usage.

Greater Accessibility for Rookie Gamers

Furthermore, one notable benefit of utilizing joystick games for PC is how accessible they make gameplay for beginners. Simple control layouts promote this ease as they correspond directly to the action being performed on screen.

Enhanced Control Precision

Lastly, depending on the type of game you're playing, sometimes precision is key and getting the perfect joystick tilt can provide an edge over traditional mouse pointing techniques. For example, driving games or flight simulators often benefit from range motion inputs achievable by analog sticks on controllers."

Tips for Playing PC Games with a Controller

Entering the realm of controller games on PC can be a transformative experience. Despite this, using a joystick instead of mouse and keyboard may seem intimidating to some. Here are some handy tips that will help you ease your transition.

Tip 1: Finding the Right Controller

Your choice of controller highly influences your experience, whether it's for racing genres or action-adventure games like Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Some players swear by Xbox controllers due to their ergonomic design; others prefer PlayStation-style gamepads for their intuitive button layout. Test different PC controllers for gaming until you find one that suits you best.

Tip 2: Managing Sensitivity Settings

One overlooked aspect when transitioning to gamepad play is managing sensitivity settings. A higher sensitivity setting means faster character movement but at the cost of precision control. For slower-paced games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, lower sensitivity might be better. Remember to adjust these according to the type of game you’re playing.

Tip 3: Practice Regularly

As with anything else, practice is key when it comes to controller games on PC. Challenge yourself in various genres—fighting titles such as Mortal Kombat XL could improve your button-combination speed while strategic titles like Overcooked promote coordination and teamwork.

Tip 4: Learn Button Mapping

Button mapping allows customization of your controller layout, which can lead to more efficient gameplay in Devil May Cry 5 or any other combat-intensive title. Button layouts aren't one-size-fits-all in PC gaming with gamepad, so don’t feel obliged to stick with default setups if they’re not working for you.

Conclusion

I trust you’ve found this guide illuminating as we've navigated through the realm of controller games PC, picking out some truly shining gems. In our explorations, we have seen how gamepads can significantly boost our gaming experience, offering an alternative level of control many gamers swear by!