Best PC Games That Are Better to Play with a Controller 

Free Controller Games For PC: Using controllers, mostly gamepads, or a mouse and keyboard while playing video games can be a very subjective choice. Many gamers rely on only one type of equipment and are ardently defending their choice. Typically, PC games are played with a mouse-keyboard combo. However, they commonly and widely support controllers.

You can play video games using a gamepad, joystick, PS4, or Xbox controller. Is it worth giving them a try? Well, it depends on the type of game, its features, and the type of gameplay.

Plenty of PC games with controller support work pretty well with a gamepad or other controller, and some even are better when played with controllers than with a mouse-keyboard set.

Let’s look at what PC games – when it comes to type and genres – are better with a controller and what are the best games that are more fun when a mouse and keyboard are swapped for a gamepad, steering wheel, or even fancier equipment.

FPS/FPP versus TPS/TTP

One of the most popular types of Free Controller Games For PC is first-person and third-person perspective shooter games. In FPS or FPP, as the name suggests, the player sees the gaming world and conducts actions from a first-person perspective, seeing through the eyes of the character.

In the third-person perspective, the whole silhouette of the character is visible, and the player moves around the protagonist’s model. FPP games are easier to play with a mouse and keyboard as the player can aim better with less effort. Controllers can’t stimulate the aiming process so well. With TPP, though, the opposite is the case – numerous actions involving fighting, moving around, shooting, and others are better conducted with a gamepad or controller.

Controllers are smoother, and the player can make more elaborate moves. Also, the response is faster, which is essential in shooting or action games. So, if you have a controller compatible with PC games that are third-person perspective – try ditching a mouse-keyboard combo for a gamepad, joystick, steering wheel, or Xbox or PS4 controller (depending on the genre) and see if it suits you better.

What About Specific Genres?

Regarding games, some genres fit mouse and keyboard usage, while others work better with controllers. It all depends on how many and how complicated motions are required in the game. Generally, racing, sport, combat, and action games are perfect for controllers. Racing is much better when the player has a steering wheel or a gamepad. Moves are smoother; thus, responsiveness can be harder to achieve with a mouse and keyboard. Driving is simply more accessible with a controller.

Regarding sports games like football or basketball, shooting and aiming for a goal is much more straightforward with a controller. Also, you can make some advanced moves with the ball. There are more keys on a keyboard than buttons on a pad, but controllers are irreplaceable when a motion requires pressing a few buttons or moving a joystick together with pressing buttons.

Fighting games work fine with a keyboard-mouse set. Still, controllers offer more effortless operation as buttons are closely located – when deadly fights require complicated moves, a gamepad beats traditional PC equipment. A similar case is with games of the action genre, when many fighting motions occur.

As for RPG games, it depends on the specific title. Some RPGs are hard to play with a gamepad or other controller, as there are so many actions that there aren’t enough buttons. With a keyboard, options broaden. Regarding other RPGs – more straightforward, with a light and a limited number of features, controllers might be helpful. In some of them, a controller can simplify playing, which is not necessarily a good thing for many players—you may like the struggle in your playing experience.

What genres are bad for or can’t be played with a controller?

Strategy – turn-based or real-time, adventure, first-person shooting games. It is also worth mentioning that older games – the trend of returning to playing some retro, classic stuff is going strong – work well with a controller. Another fact that can’t be missed: some games were designed explicitly for controller support, while others were created with a mouse and keyboard in mind.

Better check beforehand if a specific game is at the peak of its abilities and offers the most features when played with a controller or a keyboard-mouse combo. If such information is unavailable, decide what equipment should be used based on the genre of the game.

Bayonetta

The action game was specifically designed for a controller. Its producers recommend using it with a controller, as this allows taking advantage of all the features of this game of extravagant fights, supernatural operations, fantastic world.

Bayonetta is the last one standing in the witch clan that comes back to life after hundreds of years, which has vast repercussions of a deadly and catastrophic character. Fighting and unleashing some cruel attacks and graceful motions works better with the use of a controller.

Grand Theft Auto V

GTA V was originally designed for consoles, which means an evident focus on making controllers work like wonder. Driving has always been much better on an analog controller, thanks to the finer speed and direction controls, and the game’s simple on-foot controls map neatly to the Gamepad. Being able to tune out the control scheme and focus on the world instead works wonders for immersion.

And there’s a lot to get immersed in. Los Santos and the surrounding area are huge and full of activities. The criminal protagonist trio of Michael, Trevor, and Franklin each have their peculiarities, and switching between them every so often lets you find them in potentially exciting situations. Where will this crime story go?