It might seem counterintuitive, but these PC games are much better if you use a controller instead of the old mouse and keyboard.
A keyboard and mouse configuration is suited for many PC games, yet it is intuitive to use a controller with specific genres such as sports games, racing titles, and fighters. There are pros and cons to both control schemes, depending on what style of game is being played at a given time.
While first-person shooters and real-time strategy are nearly always superior when played with a keyboard and mouse, other genres can be a bit more unpredictable. Generally speaking, computer owners can get by without a gamepad, but some titles might suffer because of it. What are the best controller games for PC?
Updated on April 6, 2023 by Mark Sammut: Generally, if a game comes out on PC, it will work well with a keyboard and mouse. However, the industry will continue to produce exceptions. Consequently, some PC releases are simply controller games.
3D fighting games and controllers go hand-in-hand, something that WWE 2K22 showcases. Compared to a few of its predecessors, the 2022 wrestling game uses a simplified control scheme that provides an experience that slots somewhere in the middle between arcade and simulation.
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All the game’s inputs are perfectly designed for an Xbox controller, while the freedom afforded by a thumbstick allows for improved mobility during matches. Keyboard and mouse users will almost definitely need to swap out WWE 2K22’s default bindings.
Most racing games generally play better with a controller than a keyboard or mouse. For racing sims, a quality wheel is the way to go, but the same doesn’t always hold true for arcade racers. When driving the fastest cars in Forza Horizon 5, players might find themselves most comfortable with a controller as the vehicles tend to be easier to direct.
Forza Horizon 5 is a relaxing game with quite a bit of downtime as players will spend a significant amount of time driving through Mexico while admiring the vistas. A controller fits the tone and pacing of the game well since it allows users to sit back and chill more readily.
Launching in a poorly optimized state, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty’s PC version rightfully garnered a fair amount of criticism. The game’s keyboard and mouse setup was especially bad, to the point that it was nearly unusable. Soon after its debut, Team Ninja released patches that improved the base experience, and Wo Long is now at least playable without a controller. That said, the latter is still the superior way to experience this 2023 Souls-like.
When using the keyboard and mouse, Wo Long’s camera can get rather unwieldy, adding an element of frustration to what is already a challenging game. A gamepad is also a more natural fit for Wo Long’s combat system, which was almost definitely tailor-made for the peripheral.
Persona 5 Royal is available on PC, and while not necessarily superior with a keyboard and mouse, the turn-based JRPG is fine without a controller. The same cannot be said for that game’s spin-off, Persona 5 Strikers. The hack and slash title’s K+M setup leaves something to be desired, and users might need to play around with the bindings to find a system that works for them.
With a controller, Persona 5 Strikers is ready to go right out of the box. The battle system requires quick reflexes but not necessarily pinpoint precision, making it a perfect fit for a gamepad.
Yakuza 0 doesn’t hide the fact that it is meant to be experienced with a controller as one of the first things the game does is throw out a disclaimer suggesting as much. A keyboard and mouse set-up should work fine for exploration and most of the mini-games, but controllers are better suited to the beat-’em-up combat.
Yakuza 0 is a delightfully quirky open-world game with a gripping storyline that serves as a strong introduction to this long-running series. So, pick up a controller and step into Kiryu and Majima’s shoes.
Psychonauts 2 can be seen as a stand-in for platformers in general, particularly 3D ones. For the most part, these games benefit from the more precise movement provided by an analog stick, while they are usually designed to utilize a controller’s buttons as intuitively as possible.
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Psychonauts 2 goes one step further by including a combat system that requires quick reflexes and the incorporation of a Psi-Powers wheel, both things that feel better through a controller.
