Can You Play Valorant With a Controller? [2025 Guide]
Controllers work well with certain game genres, but not with FPS games. Yet, many still play FPS games on consoles using controllers. This leads to a curious question: Can you play VALORANT with a controller? Let’s find out!
VALORANT is a popular first-person shooter game attracting gamers worldwide. However, the game is designed to be played with a keyboard and mouse, which isn’t everyone’s preferred setup.
Some players prefer the precision and speed of a mouse, while others find a controller more comfortable and easy to use.
Can You Play Valorant With a Controller?
Yes, you can play VALORANT with a controller. However, remember that VALORANT is designed for keyboard and mouse use, with its gameplay fine-tuned for that setup. Playing with a controller in a first-person shooter like VALORANT can be challenging and will need a lot of practice.
Console gamers might be familiar with it, but if you’ve always been a dedicated PC gamer, it will take some time to adapt. Additionally, the game doesn’t officially support any controllers other than a keyboard and mouse. This means you can’t assign a controller through the game’s settings.
How to Play VALORANT With a Controller?
Please Note – We don’t endorse using third-party apps not officially supported by the developers and won’t be liable if your account encounters any issues.
As noted, you can’t set up a controller for VALORANT through the in-game settings. To use your PS5 or Xbox controllers, you’ll need third-party apps like JoyToKey or reWASD.
Here’s how to use reWASD to play VALORANT with a controller:
Credit: reWASD
- Download and install reWASD on your computer.
- Connect your controller and open the app.
- Create a new VALORANT profile and set your keybinds as you like.
Credit: reWASD
4. Adjust the sensitivity and gyro settings.
5. You can also use configs made by the reWASD team or shared by other users.
CAUTION– Remember, you cannot use multi-key binds or combinations not available on PC. This could be seen as cheating, and Riot Games may ban your account temporarily or permanently.
Is Using a Controller for VALORANT a Good Idea?
Although software like reWASD lets you use a controller, the absence of native controller support in VALORANT means you’ll encounter challenges while playing.
First-person shooters require precision and accuracy. If you miss a headshot, you’re likely to get hit instead. Since the game is designed for mouse aiming, using a controller puts you at a disadvantage.
reWASD hasn’t been banned yet, but there’s no assurance that Riot Games won’t begin banning players who use third-party gamepad mappers in the future.
We don’t advise playing VALORANT with a controller, but the final decision is yours.
Drawbacks of Using a Controller in VALORANT
The biggest downside of using a controller is inconsistent sensitivity. Mouse users can adjust sensitivity directly in-game, but controller users lack this option. Though JoyToKey and reWASD offer sensitivity adjustments, it’s not as precise as using a mouse.
The second drawback is the lack of aim assist.
Games that officially support controllers usually provide aim assist for controller users. This is because, no matter how skilled a controller player is, they can’t achieve the same precision as a decent mouse and keyboard user.
Although it’s a debated topic in those games, aim assist helps balance the competition. However, in VALORANT, there is no aim assist, which puts controller users at a disadvantage.
Conclusion
Choosing to play VALORANT with a controller is up to you, but keep in mind it won’t give you an edge over your opponents. Additionally, there’s a risk of being banned for cheating, even though the risk is lower with reWASD.
Riot Games could introduce official controller support for VALORANT in the future, but for now, using a keyboard and mouse is your best choice!
