The PS5 DualSense controller is one of the console’s spiffiest features. So why not take advantage of it on PC?

As Sony has started releasing more of its games on PC, support for the DualSense gamepad’s fancy haptic feedback and adaptive triggers has found its way into more and more games. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Returnal, Alan Wake 2, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora are just a few 2023 games that can make full use of the PS5 controller. (You can see a full list of games that work with the DualSense here.) Thanks to those special features we think the PS5 controller is one of the best PC controllers. It’s also very easy to use on PC, via a USB-C cable or Bluetooth.

Thanks to Steam, turning the DualSense controller into your everyday gamepad is really simple. Plug, play, press buttons. No complex setup here: it just works, and games will recognize the controller. If you want to play non-Steam games with the DualSense, though, we can help you make that happen with a bit more setup.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to using the PS5 DualSense controller on PC, via either wired USB or a wireless Bluetooth connection.

Connecting: Wired or Bluetooth

The DualSense will now be accessible in Windows with its DirectInput driver, which some games will recognize and let you rebind controls out of the box. But many PC games today are built around Microsoft’s newer XInput driver for the Xbox controllers, so the DualSense will be a bit limited without some help.

That’s where we use Steam.

Steam setup

One important tip here: make sure PlayStation Configuration Support is checked under “General Controller Settings” if you want to customize your DualSense controller’s layout or gyro controls. With this button checked, you can press the PlayStation logo button on the controller in any Steam game to pull up Steam’s controller configuration screen.

From the Desktop Configuration screen you can swap button bindings, change how the touchpad works (it can do separate left- and right-clicks) and also configure the gyroscope, if you want to use gyro aiming. You can also configure Action Sets and Action Layers to enable totally different button bindings and then switch to them on the fly in-game. For example, if you only wanted to use gyro controls while in a plane in GTA, you could create an Action Set for that and trigger it by pressing a specific key anytime you hop in a plane.

If you just want your DualSense to work like any ol’ gamepad, though, you can leave this screen alone, no tweaking required.

Non-Steam games

DS4Windows is another option

If you prefer to configure the DualSense for non-Steam games without adding those games to your Steam library, wonderful community tool DS4Windows added DualSense support. (Shouldn’t it be DS5Windows? Hm, that doesn’t sound quite as good).

To use it, connect your controller to PC via USB or Bluetooth as explained above with DS4Windows open, and you should then be able to customize your keybinds, change the LED and monitor the controller’s battery level. DS4Windows will let you use the DualSense in any PC game with Xbox controller support.

PC game support

Star Wars Jedi: SurvivorAvatar: Frontiers of PandoraAlan Wake 2The Last of Us Part 1F1 23ReturnalThe Witcher 3Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves CollectionOverwatch 2Final Fantasy 7 Remake: IntergradeMarvel’s Spider-ManMetro Exodus Enhanced EditionDeathloopFinal Fantasy 7 RemakeAssassin’s Creed ValhallaGenshin ImpactDeath Stranding: Director’s CutGhostwire: TokyoA Plague Tale: Requiem