Best Gaming Controllers For PC, Console, & Mobile

Even if you play games on PC, sometimes you just want to use gaming controllers instead of the trusty old keyboard and mouse combo, as they can provide the best experience. Sure, it might depend on the type of game you’re playing, or the game specifically.

But, chances are many players out there will have at least one game on PC that is simply better suited for gaming controllers. And if you’re playing on console, well then that’s almost always your best option. For mobile, it’s either a controller or touch controls. We’ve put together this list of some of the best gaming controllers out there. So you can do less digging and get to playing your favorite games. With that new controller no less.

There are a lot of options out there for this type of peripheral. So by narrowing things down to what we think are the best gaming controllers, it should save you some time.

Sony PS5 DualSense

Sony really knocked it out of the park with the DualSense controller. You’ll naturally get most of the benefits when using this with the PS5 itself. But it is also compatible with PC and mobile. So you can use it there too.

At the moment, there aren’t really any official third-party DualSense options like there are with the DualShock 4 for the PS4. So for PS5 purposes, this is really your only controller if you want the DualSense features.

As a controller for PC and mobile, it just feels great in the hands. And should have longer battery life than that of the DualShock 4. Even if only by a little bit. For use with PS5, it has the adaptive triggers, and the improved haptics. You just can’t beat it.

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Xbox Series X|S Wireless

The new wireless controller for Xbox from Microsoft is essentially the same controller as before. But with a few minor upgrades. First, it feels lighter than the older ones. But it also comes with textured surfaces on the backs of the controller grips. So it should help prevent slipping from sweaty hands.

It also now has a share button for easy screenshot captures. It’s compatible with Windows 10 PCs, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and mobile devices. And it comes in tons of colors. So you can more or less personalize it. This is likely to be one of the best controllers for most people partly because of its cost. It’s often on sale for under $50 and it’s hard to beat that when you have a really solid controller for that price.

The fact that it works for Xbox, PC, and mobile is also a big bonus. The downside to using this with mobile, like all other regular full-sized controllers designed for PC and consoles, is that you need to mount to attach the phone to it. Your other option is just to prop the phone up or slip it into a kickstand. Both of those options are perfectly fine, of course, they’re just not as convenient. Overall the buttons have a good tactile feel to them and if you’re familiar with the Xbox layout, this controller will suit you just fine.

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Razer Wolverine V2 Pro

Razer’s Wolverine V2 Pro is one of the latest pro-style controllers to come out for the PS5, and it has a lot to offer those looking for a premium controller with more features. For starters, it has an 8-way microswitch d-pad that feels click and hyper-responsive. The four action buttons also use Razer’s mecha tactile switches. Making them super clicky as well. Both of these are high points for the Wolverine V2 Pro. But it only gets better.

Like the Reflex, Victrix PDP Pro, Hex Gaming Phantom Pro, and others, the Wolverine V2 Pro has instant triggers. Although Razer calls them HyperTriggers. The result is the same though. A trigger with a faster pull akin to a mouse click. Unlike that of the Reflex FPS though, the Wolverine V2 Pro lets you swap between the HyperTriggers and a normal trigger pull. Additionally, the controller features a high-performance grip and a low-latency connection. Or you can plug it in via USB-C and play wired.

There are some downsides of course. The controller is regularly $250 so it’s not cheap. Plus, you give up the adaptive triggers and the haptic feedback of the DualSense. All-in-all though, a really solid PS5 controller if you want something versatile for regular and more competitive gameplay.

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Xbox Elite Series 2

One of the big boys of the controller world is the Elite Series 2. Which gives you, the player, nearly full customization of the controller. Right down to the height of the thumbsticks and the weight of the controller itself. You can also swap the thumbsticks out, adjust trigger height, and it comes with textured grips for less slippage, as well as paddle buttons on the back for extra controls in your favorite high-stakes games.

There are a lot of features on this one. So it’s naturally a little more expensive. But most people who have used it will tell you it’s worth it for the advantage you’ll have in games. Microsoft packages everything you need with the controller so you can customize it how you like. All of the little accessories like the different thumbsticks, paddles, and d-pads come in a nice hard shell case. You can keep the controller in this during travel to protect it too.

While this is a wireless controller, you can obviously use it wired if you need to conserve battery life or charge the controller back up. So even if the battery dies, you can still continue playing.

Buy at Best Buy

Razer Kishi V2 Pro

The Razer Kishi V2 Pro improves on everything that was great about the original controller. Though it does have to give some things up. For starters, the Kishi V2 Pro now has a more rigid and sturdy bridge that your phone sits against. But this means that Razer had to give up the collapsible design of the original Kishi.

Still, the Kishi V2 Pro gains much more than it loses. It now has an open design where parts of the controller that touch your phone are flat instead of enclosed. This means it can be used with phones that have an off-center USB-C port, like the ROG Phone series devices or the Zenfone 12 Ultra.

The Kishi V2 Pro also now adds micro switches for some of the buttons which gives them more of a clicky tactile feel. And it offers two new programmable macro buttons which the original Kishi didn’t have. All around this is a refined design of one of the best mobile controllers to ever hit the market.

This model of the controller also has a headphone jack and a USB-C port for passthrough charging. So you can play longer sessions without having to worry about draining your phone’s battery life. And that’s a huge bonus. it comes in Black and White colors as well, just in case you have a preference.

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HexGaming Phantom Pro

Similar to the SCUF Reflex series, the HEX Gaming Phantom Pro is a modded DualSense. It adds things like hair triggers for mouse click-like trigger pulls, grips on the back, remappable rear paddles, and swappable thumbsticks with different heights and ergonomic thumb grip designs.

You can also get this controller without the hair triggers so you keep the adaptive trigger feature that Sony designed. And you can customize it with different colors and styles to make it more unique.

We’ve used this one in quite a few gaming sessions for games like Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6, Call of Duty: Warzone, Warframe, and Black Myth: Wukong. And it’s awesome in those types of games. What’s nice is that you can still get the adaptive triggers with this controller. The little switch on the back lets you swap between the adaptive triggers for games that make use of the feature, or the short-trip digital triggers for FPS games and such.

The controller also comes with 8 interchangeable analog stick options. Which is quite a lot and one of the things that adds a lot of value to this controller over the others. You can store up to 6 different profiles as well. This is great if you play a lot of different games and have different controls mapped to the buttons on the back for each of those games. What really helps set this controller apart from most options is that it comes with Hall Effect thumbsticks.

These are going to help prevent stick drift which can be a major pain in any game type. It’ll also help you avoid costly repairs or full controller replacements.

 Buy at Amazon

SCUF Instinct Pro

Continuing with SCUF, if you also play on PC and Xbox, then you probably want to at least consider the Instinct Pro. It offers a lot of what you’ll get from other SCUF controllers but with quite a few improvements. For example, it can store up to three different profiles on the onboard memory for a customized control setup for different games. And you can swap between them on the fly with a button right on the front.

It also has customizable, adjustable triggers, back paddle buttons, a wide array of customization options for the design, wireless and wired connectivity options, plus instant triggers. The instant triggers are a real game changer as they can go from feeling like a regular trigger press to the quick and precise click of a mouse.

There’s also a high-performance grip on the back. SCUF isn’t playing around when it comes to its controllers. And you shouldn’t be either. Unless it’s when you’re actually playing games.

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Sony DualSense Edge

Sony’s DualSense Edge has become our favorite PS5 controller to date for several reasons. First and foremost, it’s made by Sony and still features not only the adaptive triggers and advanced haptics but also the trigger locks. The trigger locks are a must-have feature if you’re playing games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Rainbow Six Siege, and other shooters.

With this engaged, they feel more like a mouse click because they have a faster response time. To put it another way, you don’t have to press on the trigger as much to press it to its lowest point. You also have easily removable back paddles with this controller. They connect with magnets too. Which makes it even simpler to slip them in or remove them when you want.

This is probably one of the best parts of this controller. How easy it is to take these paddles off if you don’t want them. You’re not forced to use them and quite honestly, you might not want them for every single game anyway. Sony packages two sets of these buttons with the controller as well. Giving you an option to use whichever ones suit you best.

Another really great feature is the cable lock. This is a small housing that fits around the USB-C connection of the cable. This is the side you plug into the controller itself. You lock the housing around the cable, plug the cable into the controller, and then you can push a little switch on the housing to lock the cable into the controller. Sony added this so the cable can’t be yanked out. And it’s perfect for things like tournaments.

The best reason to buy one of these, however, is the replaceable thumbsticks. Most PS5 controllers aren’t going to have Hall Effect thumbsticks, so there’s a chance of stick drift happening. If you happen to get stick drift on the DualSense Edge, you can just replace the entire thumbstick module. It pops right out and you don’t even have to take the controller completely apart. And to top things off, you get a really nice hardshell case with the controller. This is so you have a safe place to store everything during travel.

Buy at Amazon

SCUF Reflex

Ready to ramp things up for your favorite FPS games on PS5? Then you need the SCUF Reflex FPS. This is the DualSense modded with some extras that heighten your shooter game to new levels. With the FPS model of the Reflex, you lose the adaptive triggers and the haptics. In place of the adaptive triggers, SCUF has implemented the Instant Triggers that feel like a short mouse click for quicker firing time.

And with the haptics, SCUF has removed these so vibrations don’t mess with your accuracy. You also get the performance grip and the four removable rear paddles that can be remapped. It’s pricey, but well worth it if you play shooters on PS5. The Reflex FPS model also has back paddle buttons that you can remove. These are easy enough to take off and put back on when you want. That said, they’re a little more finicky to work with than the DualSense Edge back paddles.

Either way, you can still remove them and that’s a good thing. SCUF also gives you four total back paddles, and you’ll only get two with the DualSense Edge. So there’s another benefit to this controller. Even if it does cost more.

Another really neat detail is that you can customize this controller with various designs. Like the one you see on the model I have. SCUF has plenty of these available so be sure to go through all the options. You can also swap out the faceplates, although there are only a handful of color options for this, unlike the wide variety of designs for the main part of the controller. The faceplate is the part that surrounds the thumbsticks.

One feature that I don’t feel is appreciated enough is the thumbstick height. With the SCUF Reflex, you can swap out the thumbstick caps. You get options for different heights and you get domed and concaved options.

Buy at SCUF

Razer Kishi Ultra

Razer’s Kishi Ultra is perhaps one of the best mobile controllers out there. If not the best. Why do we love it so much? Because it’s a full-size controller that your phone can slot into. Just like the Razer Kishi V2 Pro, the phone sits in the middle of the two side of the controller. So you get to play your phone games like you would play a Nintendo Switch. The display is right in the middle and closer to your face. So it’s easier to see everything when it’s a little more up close.

The Kishi Ultra also has another big advantage. It can hold devices that have up to an 8-inch display. That means you can actually use it with certain tablets too. So if you play on an iPad Mini, for instance, this controller works perfectly fine. It has Chroma RGB which is a nice visual touch, but it’s not necessary to have and doesn’t add any functional uses. It sure is nice to look at, however.

You can use this with PC too by plugging it in with a USB-A to USB-C cable, making this controller versatile and useful for more than just mobile games. Plus, it has Sensa HD Haptics, Hall Effect triggers, Razer’s Mecha Tactile action buttons, and some remappable macro buttons. It’s essentially a bigger, more improved version of the Kishi V2 Pro. It’s not as compact, but that’s the trade-off for having something that’s designed to be full-sized and more ergonomic.

Buy at Amazon