10 Games That Feel Better On Controller

Summary

• Though a keyboard and mouse are usually preferred ways to play, some games play better with controllers.
• Whether it's due to quick movements, tight controls, or passing the controller, games like the Lego titles feel like they're made with a controller in mind.
• Notoriously difficult games like Cuphead and Elden Ring can benefit from the flexibility provided by a controller.

Controllers are often the first control scheme you get accustomed to as a gamer. Since the first consoles were released, controllers have been the go-to method for raiding dungeons, platforming, and exploring the games you love most.

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PC allows you to experience games, both old and new, with higher graphical settings, mods, and customizable control schemes. Yet, despite this, some games just feel better on a controller. In some cases, the layout is just perfect, while other times, it makes it easier to deal with a game’s challenge. Here are ten games that just feel right at home on a controller.

10 Celeste

Perfect Your Timing

Celeste follows the journey of Madeline, who travels up Mount Celeste in an attempt to reach the top and deal with a series of internal conflicts. During this journey, Madeline encounters a colorful cast of characters, including ghosts, doppelgangers, and other climbers.

Completing levels takes plenty of precision and platforming skills with plenty of hidden collectibles scattered throughout the stages. B Side Levels also offer additional challenges that are best played with a controller. Celeste also has a spinoff game titled Celeste 64.

9 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

A Classic Arcade Experience

Beat-em-ups are a fantastic experience when you have more than one player fighting alongside you. While playing on a keyboard and mouse is a valid option, nothing beats sitting back, mashing buttons, and watching your enemies go flying across the screen.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge includes both a story mode and an arcade mode. This allows you to play at your own pace or go all in like the good old days at the arcade. This means you only have a limited amount of lives as you try to beat the game in one sitting.

8 Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Return To Midgar

Despite not being a PlayStation 5 exclusive, Final Fantasy 7 Remake was built with a controller in mind. So, everything from combat to exploration feels extremely fluid on a PlayStation 5 controller.

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Being able to remap keys is one of the main reasons many choose to use a keyboard and mouse setup over a controller. However, Final Fantasy 7 remake just has that perfect button layout, so you can enjoy the game just like the good old days of the PlayStation 1.

7 Resident Evil HD Remake

Bypass Tank Controls

The original Resident Evil kick-started an entire franchise that redefined the survival horror genre. In the classic gameplay, tank controls were heavily used, making movement somewhat difficult for unsuspecting players. The HD remake of Resident Evil adds the ability to play using modern controls.

Playing with a thumbstick is easier when you need to maneuver around enemies in tight spaces. This also means having that quick reaction time when faster enemies appear, and you only have seconds to respond, heal, or switch weapons.

6 Lego Games

There Are So Many Of Them

Lego games are some of the best casual games to play with friends and keep couch co-op alive. Lego gameplay has always been simple enough that customizing your keybinds does very little to enhance the experience.

These games are just easy to pick up and enjoy as you choose from hundreds of iconic characters and use their abilities to reach the end of each level. On the other hand, being able to jump right into your friend’s game at any point is a perfect incentive, especially on a Nintendo Switch Console where you can simply hand the other half of the controller to your player 2.

5 Elden Ring

Try Not To Die

The entire soulslike catalog is known for being punishing yet rewarding to master. Elden Ring takes everything you love from Dark Souls and expands on it. Luckily, combat is still simple to learn with heavy swings and quicker hits that can be done in succession.

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However, the real skill is learning your enemy’s attack patterns and weaknesses. The game was specifically made with a controller in mind, and many of the bosses will require you to be fast with your fingers. With fewer keys to worry about, you can focus entirely on dealing deadly blows.

4 Cuphead

The Greatest Rubber Hose Game

Cuphead is best played when you have perfect accuracy over your controls. You'll need to time jumps, dodge attacks, and swap weapons quickly if you want to make it to the end of the boss fight.

With so many keys on a keyboard, one slip-up could mean losing the boss fight right toward the end, which can be frustrating if you’re fighting the same enemy for an extended period of time. With bosses having various forms, being able to switch up your movement is a necessity.

3 The Dark Pictures

Hope You Have Popcorn

The Dark Pictures anthology takes the choose your own adventure genre to a whole new level. From ghosts on a ship to haunted ruins, Dark Pictures explores every corner of the horror. It’s the perfect game to play in a group, as your choices determine who lives and who dies.

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Selecting choices and dealing with quick-time events is easier when you have a controller setup, especially when those choices have consequences that may prevent you from getting the best ending. It’s a completionist’s nightmare.

2 Hollow Knight

Creepy Crawlies Are Not So Creepy

Hollow Knight takes you deep underground in an insect-sized metroidvania that is anything but small. It has a beautiful 2D art style and a stunning soundtrack that complements the world around it. You start off frail, but as you upgrade your weapons, abilities, and equipment, you can open up new paths and dispatch enemy bugs.

Like many other platformers, Hollow Knight is best experienced on a controller. You can time your hits more easily, make more accurate jumps, and evade your enemies when things get too close for comfort.

1 Rocket League

Test Out Your Driving Skills

Rocket League is essentially car soccer with simple rules that make it easy to get into. Hop into a match with your team and try to ram the ball towards the other side of the arena.

One of the best competitive games out there, you will need to bring your best driving skills if you want to get the ball into the goalpost. Driving is made easier on a controller and can feel a bit stiff on a keyboard and mouse.

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