Every current console controller, ranked from worst to best

If you're gonna spend hours with a controller in hand, it better be a good one

Microsoft

If you’re a PC gamer, you’re probably right at home with a mouse and keyboard, only picking up a controller every now and then — and you probably don’t care what that controller is. Us console gamers, though, spend hundreds and thousands of hours with a controller in hand, so it’s very important that that controller is fit for purpose. 

Not every controller is built equally, though. Some are much better than others, and while none of the first-party controllers are particularly bad, every console at least has some options that are better than others. With so many hours put into console gaming, we’ve got a pretty good handle on which controllers are excellent and which… aren’t so much. That’s why we’ve ranked every single first-party console controller from worst to best. 

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Xbox Elite 

The Xbox Elite controller has plenty of options and some neat features, but none of them make up for its biggest shortcoming: the lack of a share button. Microsoft has had plenty of opportunities to make up for this, but it still lacks arguably one of the most important features a console can have in the modern era. How am I gonna take a screenshot of a cool moment or a clip of a sick trick I just pulled off if my controller doesn’t have a screenshot button? It’s unforgivable, especially for the price.

PS5 DualSense Edge 

Sony

The DualSense Edge does have a share button, at least, but it’s more expensive than the Xbox Elite controller and comes with too many compromises to be worth that. Being able to swap out the thumbstick modules is a nice idea in theory, but in practice it’s not particularly useful, and it comes with a hit to battery life. The DualSense already wasn’t great for battery life, so that’s not a compromise worth making. 

Nintendo Switch Joy-Con 

Nintendo’s Joy-Con have their shortcomings, without doubt. The drift issue, while present on all controllers, seems to be more present here, and their tiny analog stick stems make precision aiming and moving difficult. Still, there are some things worth celebrating — the ability to turn a Joy-Con sideways and use it in a pinch is amazing for impromptu rooftop parties and family gatherings. 

PS5 DualSense 

The flagship controller for the PS5 and included with every console, the DualSense is very comfortable in the hand, and it has a lot of features. Those features feel a little bit like bloat, though — adaptive triggers are a neat idea, but in execution it’s often more frustrating than fun, and having a built-in mic is only really useful for kids to yell at me in GTA 5. Still, it’s a nice controller, and when those features are used well, they can be very effective. The short battery life is a bummer, though. 

PS4 DualShock 4 

Sony

The PS4’s DualShock 4 controller has all of the good stuff that the DualSense has but without any of the gimmicks. In my personal opinion, though, it’s a little bit more comfortable, and its buttons feel quite a lot nicer. There’s not much to say about this one, it’s just a good, solid controller. The short battery life is a bummer, though. 

Xbox Series X|S controller

The primary Xbox controller might be a bit on the plain side, but that’s not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination. The aesthetics and ergonomics are fantastic, tied for the top spot on this list, and it does everything a controller should. Sure, it doesn’t have linear rumble motors, or gyroscopic aiming and pointing, but you know what it does have? Replaceable batteries. The battery life on these things is already great, but when it does run out, you don’t need to tether it to a USB port for the next few hours — just open up your drawer, slap a couple of AAs in that bad boy, and keep on gaming. Out of batteries? No problem, you can plug it in just like any other controller, too.

Nintendo Switch Pro Controller 

Nintendo

What are the two most important features on a controller? Ergonomics, and battery life, and the Switch Pro Controller has both in spades. The ProCon feels incredible in the hand, and its battery lasts seemingly forever. Nintendo quotes the battery life at 40 hours, but it’s not difficult to squeeze 60 hours out before you have to put it on charge. It might be lacking analog triggers, but it’s a small price to pay for a genuinely incredible controller that you can comfortably play on for days at a time.