Years ago, a third party gaming controllers are cheap and notoriously poorly crafted — especially eggshell plastic MadCatz clones. Every household has one. It is reserved for children, siblings and house sitters that you may not like very much. Those kinds of controllers gave third-party gamepads a bad name — a name that still stands today.
In recent years, however, companies like Scuf and Astro have decked out their armor and banners in a quest to rebuild the reputation of “unbranded” gamepads, one at a time. control. We’ve tried a bunch of them over the past few years and these are our favorites. Here are the best gaming controllers, official and unofficial, for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox (One and Series X/S) and PC.
Be sure to read our guide to The best gaming headset, Best gaming mouseand Best gaming laptop for more recommendations.
Update February 2022: We’ve adjusted prices throughout this guide, added Scuf Reflex and Scuf Instinct, and removed the Hori V. Kai arcade controller.
Special Offer for Gear Readers: Get One 1 year subscription for WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you will). Sign up to help fund the work we do every day.
If you buy something using the links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. looking for more information. Please also consider sign up for WIRED
