All that’s left is to set up on Steam, so skip the following section to see how that’s done. To connect, you literally just need to plug in the cable at both ends, and that’s the physical side sorted.

If you bought an entire PS5, a suitable USB-C to USB-A cable will have come in the box, but if you bought the controller by itself, you’ll need to acquire a cable separately as well.

The other end of the cable can be full-size USB-A or USB-C it doesn’t matter which, as long as your desktop or laptop has the appropriate port going spare. How to connect a PS5 controller to a PC (wired)įor this, you’ll need a USB-C cable to plug into the controller’s data/charging port. You can do this with a wired connection, or over Bluetooth. Speaking of which, you’ll first need to get the PS5 controller hooked up to your PC. It’s basically emulating an Xbox controller, which is why some games will keep showing Xbox button prompts when you have a PlayStation controller connected. You can even connect a pad with no official Windows drivers – like the PS5 DualSense – and Steam will translate inputs so that games can understand them. Unless a game recognises both driver types, your PS5 controller won’t work – unless, that is, Steam steps in to bridge the gap.Īs hard as the Steam Controller flopped, it has left a legacy of some very extensive controller support across Valve’s platform. They may instead use the newer XInput driver, which was created by Microsoft with Xbox controllers in mind. Sony hasn’t produced official PC drivers themselves, and although the DualSense can interface with Windows’ DirectInput driver, a lot of modern games don’t recognise this. It’s all doable, though, and this here guide will walk you through the setup process as well as how to get the most out of different games.Īs is so often the case with hardware worries, the underlying reason for the PS5 controller’s lack of natural PC affinity is driver software. Without the Microsoft-masterminded, plug-and-play sensibilities of Xbox controllers, the PS5 controller often needs some help to get working on a Windows machine. Sony’s DualSense pad is a lovely bit of peripheral design it’s a shame, then, that figuring out how to use the PS5 controller on PC is a right old pain in the thumbstick.

Beamng drive ps5