The best PC game controllers are a great alternative to using the best gaming mouse and best gaming keyboards. This is especially true if you grew up playing on consoles and made the switch to PC. These controllers will be a natural fit.
To test PC gamepads, we use Hardware Tester’s Gamepad Tester app to ensure there are no inherent issues with a controller’s sticks or buttons. We also test a variety of games on these controllers. This means you can rest easy knowing we’ve put every peripheral below through its paces.
Our current pick as the best PC game controller is the GameSir Kaleid. This awesome pad might be wired only, but that doesn’t matter since it costs less than $50 and has Hall Effect triggers that feel great to use. If you want the best budget PC pad, check out the HyperX Clutch Gladiate which offers good build quality alongside programmable back buttons.
Whether you're looking for a Pro controller or want something that's easier on your wallet, our best picks for best PC controllers will help you select your next gamepad.
The quick list
A sophisticated yet affordable pad that has rear paddles, hall effect sensors and hair triggers and ll for under 50 bucks. It looks fantastic and has a long cable to accommodate for couchplay. Its lightweight design also feels great.
The HyperX Clutch Gladiate is a wired controller that ships with a 10 foot cable. There are two programmable back buttons as well as trigger locks for pulling off faster shots in FPS games.
Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is one of the best third-party pro controllers we’ve used. It may be expensive, but it utilizes high-quality parts like Hall Effect sensors and microswitch buttons. It also comes in a handy carrying case.
The PowerA OPS V3 Pro is designed specifically for PC. In the past, PowerA made wired pro controllers that worked on both Xbox and PC. By losing Xbox support, it now offers two wireless pro controllers with the OPS v3 Pro and less expensive OPS v1.
A brilliantly modular "pro" controller that makes up for its minor shortcomings with a genuinely freeform approach to customization. Though it faces stiff competition in the PC market, it truly shines on PS4/PS5.
The GameSir T4 Kaleid is a wired controller that also packs in some pro-level features like mechanical face buttons, remappable back buttons, turbo functionality and joysticks with Hall Effect sensors.
The best PC game controllers you can buy today
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The best overall PC game controller
The wired Xbox-oriented GameSir Kaleid improves on its predecessor, the T4 Kaleid, with a sleeker design, a longer included cable and support for Xbox Series X/S. Right now, it's my pick as the best PC game controller you can buy.
It isn’t all change, though, and GameSir has rolled over the T4’s best features into the new model, namely its hall effect sensors. These magnetic sensors allow you to customize the sensitivity of both the joysticks and triggers using the GameSir Nexus app, giving you fine control over the behavior of both.
The Kaleid also features microswitch buttons (although a slightly cheaper membrane button version is available, called the Kaleid Flux), which should stand up to the test of time, even under heavy use. And no advanced controller would be complete without rear paddles, which the Kaleid duly sports. Better yet, all of this comes for just $49, making the Kaleid a fantastic choice for Xbox and/or PC users on a budget.
The Kaleid is wired-only, so you’ll need to be plugged directly into your PC or console. It’s also super lightweight, which might not be to your preference. These are minor bugbears though, and don’t do much to spoil this fantastic controller.
Read our full Gamesir Kaleid review.
The best budget PC game controller
Unlike with a console, when you're gaming at your PC, you're most likely sitting at your desk. For this reason, many PC gamers actually prefer wired controllers over wireless ones. A wired controller will have less latency and you don't have to worry about it being charged. The HyperX Clutch Gladiate is the latest PC controller from the PC accessory maker HyperX and it packs in quite a few pro-level features for just $35.
On the backside of the HyperX Clutch Gladiate, you'll find two remappable back buttons along with trigger locks. The back buttons are easy to program and you can configure what they do on the controller itself instead of having to download yet another app. The trigger locks may not have as many settings as the Elite Series 2 or other Pro-style controllers but they let you reduce how far you have to push the triggers down by half. The HyperX Clutch Gladiate is lightweight, and comfortable to hold and it also works on Xbox Series X/S.
Read our full HyperX Clutch Gladiate review.
The best pro PC game controller
The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is a pro controller you will likely use for years. This is due to its anti-drift thumbsticks, microswitch buttons and the included hard-shell case for safer charging and storage.
At $200, the Turtle Beach Steal Ultra is expensive. However, it's in a league of its own among other pro controllers as it’s the only one that can connect to the Xbox Series X/S wirelessly, albeit with a dongle. While the Command Display in its center may seem like a gimmick, you can use it to fully customize the controller’s functionality, RGB lighting and fine-tune the audio coming from your headset, unlike with the OLED screen on the Asus ROG Rakiri Pro.
Based on our experience using the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra on both Xbox and PC, we wouldn’t be surprised if its release has pushed forward Microsoft’s plans for the inevitable Elite Series 3 controller. This controller may be expensive but you get what you pay for and then some. The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra has earned its place among the best Xbox controllers as well as the best PC controllers and it will be interesting to see other controller manufacturers try to top it.
Read our full Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra review.
The best wireless PC game controller
At $100, the PowerA Ops V3 Pro is the perfect pro controller for PC gamers on a budget. It comes equipped with rubber grips, textured bumpers and triggers, tactical mechanical face buttons, six remappable buttons (four on the back, two on the top) and most importantly, Hall Effect thumbsticks and triggers to prevent stick drift and wear over time.
Like the TurtleBeach Steal Ultra which costs twice as much, the OPS V3 Pro comes with a magnetic charging stand that you can use on its own but it also has an extra USB slot for the included 2.4 GHz adapter. It also supports Bluetooth but many gamers prefer the low latency that you get when using a USB dongle instead. To keep the price down though, the OPS v3 Pro doesn’t come with a carrying case.
Another thing that PowerA is known for is its Lumectra RGB lighting. These built-in RGB lights wrap all the way around the OPS V3 Pro and just like with the back buttons and two extra remappable buttons on the top, you can configure the controller’s RGB lighting using the LED button underneath the Program one on the back, though there’s also an app for your PC to control them too. You also get a 3-way trigger lock on the back, but in our testing, we found that they didn’t work consistently when set to the highest setting. Still, you’re getting plenty of features in a slick-looking pro-style controller for just $100 with the PowerA OPS v3 Pro.
Read our full PowerA Ops V3 Pro review.
The best modular PC controller
The Victrix Pro BFG succeeds in bringing granular, hardware-based customization to both PlayStation and PC, and will especially appeal to competitive players for whom the lack of nice-albeit-superfluous haptics and rumble won't be a dealbreaker. It may lack the elegance of the DualSense Edge, but it offers more "pro" appeal than Sony's premium PS5 controller.
Despite most aspects of the Pro BFG being removable, it's not possible to buy replacement analog sticks at the time of writing, unlike the DualSense Edge. Time will tell whether the Pro BFG's analog sticks are as prone to drift as the DualSense's, but a lack of replacement parts feels like a missed opportunity.
The Victrix Pro BFG faces stiffer competition in the PC market, facing off against recent heavy hitters like the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra, which benefits from more tactile microswitches and no-drift Hall Effect analog sticks. But the Victrix Pro BFG's fightpad and the modularity may prove more useful to some players.
Overall, the appeal of the Pro BFG will differ marginally depending on the platform: for PC it's a more niche recommendation catering exclusively to its modularity. For PS5, its long battery life, paddle sticks and modularity make it a much more hearty recommendation.
Read our full PDP Victrix Pro BFG review.
The best designed PC game controller
The GameSir T4 Kaleid is an interesting controller to say the least because it gives you quite a few ‘Pro’ level features at a much more reasonable price. However, the one caveat is that this is a wired controller and can’t be used wirelessly. Still, you get two customizable back buttons, joysticks with Hall Effect sensors, mechanical face buttons, turbo functionality and even RGB for just $42.
In addition to PC, the GameSir T4 Kaleid also works on Android as well as on the Nintendo Switch and there’s even a setting for swapping the A and B buttons.
While the front face plate of the GameSir T4 Kaleid is clear, the controller’s handles are frosted and have etchings on them just like the Xbox Wireless Controller to give you a better grip. Besides being able to see the controller’s PCB, there are two customizable RGB light strips on either side of the controller.
One thing I really like about the GameSir T4 Kaleid is that you can remap the back buttons, control its RGB lighting and even enable turbo right on the controller itself. The mechanical face buttons give a nice audible click with just the right amount of travel too. The GameSir T4 Kaleid is a great choice if you want to add a little RGB to your battle station without going too overboard.
Read our full GameSir T4 Kaleid review.
Also tested
How to choose the best PC game controller for you
When it comes to picking the best PC game controller for you, a lot of factors come into play and there are a few questions you need to ask yourself first.
For starters, do you absolutely need a wireless controller or would a wired one be okay? Likewise, do you want an official first-party controller from Microsoft or are you open to trying out a third-party controller instead? Finally, are you fine with a stock controller or are you looking for a controller with ‘pro’ level features that you can customize? Whether or not you want back buttons or rear paddles is another thing to consider. And, will two be okay or do you want four so that you can remap all of the face buttons on your controller to them?
Once you’ve answered these questions and thought long and hard about which kind of controller is right for you, the next thing you’re going to want to consider is price. Controllers like the Xbox Series Elite 2 or the DualSense Edge are much more expensive than the standard Xbox Wireless Controller as well as third-party controllers from companies like 8BitDo, GameSir and HyperX.
At the same time, if stick drift has been a problem for you in the past, then you’re going to want a controller with Hall Effect joysticks like the GameSir T4 Kaleid or the 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth. Connectivity is another big concern, especially if you prefer a wireless controller. While Bluetooth may be more convenient, it introduces a bit more lag than using a controller that comes with a 2.4 Ghz USB dongle. However, if lag is something you’re really worried about, then going wired will always be your best bet.
Fortunately, there are loads of different controllers on this list for every kind of PC gamer and every type of budget. We’re also constantly reviewing new models and trying out different kinds of controllers to build out this list further, so stay tuned.
How we test the best PC game controllers
When it comes to testing the best PC game controllers, we take a two-step approach.
First off, we play with them ourselves and put them through the paces with a variety of games from different genres. This helps us determine how each controller will stand up over time and if a particular controller is likely to experience stick drift or other problems down the road. We also test out each of their different connection options and see how well they perform using a wired or wireless connection or a USB dongle if one is available.
From here, we then use Hardware Tester’s Gamepad Tester to check for errors with the joysticks and buttons. If a controller manufacturer has their own customization software, we load it onto one of the best gaming PCs and see how intuitive it is to use for button remapping and other types of customization like changing the dead zones on a controller’s joysticks. If there isn’t any customization software available, we use programs like reWASD to try and do it ourselves.
For more information, check out our how we test page for Tom’s Guide.
