7 Steam Games Best Played on a Custom DualSense Controller

So you just ordered TCP Pro PS5 Controller, or maybe you splurged on the TCP Ultimate PS5 Controller. Congratulations! But did you know that these competitive custom PS5 controllers are also versatile and can help you enjoy certain games on Steam in a completely different, and possibly even better, way?

Make no mistake. Most PC games are still designed with the keyboard and mouse in mind. For those, the DualSense won’t do.

But for games designed primarily with controllers in mind, you’ll want to bring out your custom PS5 controller.

Fun fact: Unlike years ago , more and more big-budget games on PC now fully support the latest PlayStation controller, even though it was originally made for just the PS5. Game developers are putting in the extra work to make it work well on PC, which shows that players really want this. Not to mention, games that fully use the features of the PlayStation controller, such as vibrations and trigger effects, often get better reviews, even if you exclude obvious candidates like first-party exclusives. This shows that making the game feel more real through the controller can make the whole game seem higher quality.

With that said, we’ve rounded up a list of 7 games available to purchase and download on Steam that are best enjoyed on the couch with a controller, including reasons why:

Cyberpunk 2077

DualSense Features: Haptic Feedback & Adaptive Triggers

CD Projekt RED and Cyberpunk 2077 are like a gift that keeps on giving. After launching in late 2020 to mostly negative responses, the Polish video game company bounced back big with the Cyberpunk 2.0 update and the game hasn’t looked back since. One of the improvements that were added to the game around the same time was new DualSense supportmaking guns and driving feel way more real. The triggers push back when you shoot, and the controller reacts to things like driving and recoil.

Here are other examples of how playing Cyberpunk 2077 on a DualSense feels different:

• The controller vibrates in different areas to help you feel where things are happening—like which direction gunfire is coming from or when a car zooms by. It gives you way better feedback than an Xbox controller.
• It also plays certain sounds, like police radio chatter, through the controller’s built-in speaker, which adds an extra layer of realism without cluttering your main audio.
• The triggers try to add resistance when driving, which can take some time getting used to.

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition

DualSense Features: Haptic Feedback & Adaptive Triggers

Did you know that 4A Games’ Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition was the first PC game to fully embrace the newest PlayStation 5 controller? At the time, it was a big deal. It showed that the DualSense’s fancy controllers would work just as well on the PC, too.

In Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition, the triggers push back in a realistic way, like when you’re pumping a shotgun or pulling the heavy trigger on a homemade weapon. The controller vibrates in detailed ways to match actions like charging your flashlight or using other tools, making you feel like you’re really handling rough, worn-out gear in a post-apocalyptic world.

Basically, the controller helps make everything in the game feel more physical and real, like you’re actually in the tough world of Metro, using gear that takes effort and care to operate.

A Plague Tale: Requiem

DualSense Features: Haptic Feedback & Adaptive Triggers

Asobo Studio didn’t miss the opportunity to make players feel the struggle that the main characters, Amicia and Hugo, were going through. Playing the game on the DualSense means that you’ll feel the triggers get harder to press when using certain tools or weapons, matching how much effort Amicia would realistically be using and how she feels using it. The vibrations are also carefully designed to match sounds and the environment, so when things feel tense, dark, or dangerous in the game, which happens quite a lot, the controller makes you feel that tension in your hands too. This makes the game feel more emotional and intense because the controller physically connects you to the character’s struggle in a way that goes beyond just visuals and sound.

Dying Light 2: Stay Human

DualSense Features: Haptic Feedback & Adaptive Triggers

Released in 2022 after several delays, Dying Light 2: Stay Human took advantage of the technology available during the time of its release, and it showed. Although it wasn’t a massive graphical leap compared to the first game from 2015, it was still a next-gen title. Specifically, it used the DualSense to give the original parkour-oriented gameplay a bit of a boost.

In the sequel, the controller pushes back differently depending on what you’re doing—climbing, shooting a bow, or grabbing onto ledges. These adaptive triggers and vibrations make the physical actions in the game, such as when you’re climbing up walls or fighting hordes of the undead. Everything you do feels more real, matching the tension and effort Aiden Caldwell’s character would experience.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

DualSense Features: Haptic Feedback & Adaptive Triggers

Just like in the first game, timing is everything in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. But since it’s a next-gen title, Respawn Entertainment made sure to throw in certain niceties exclusive to the DualSense. The PlayStation controller makes lightsaber fights feel more real. The triggers push back when you block attacks or use Force powers, and the vibrations match what’s happening, like when you’re deflecting blaster bolts or using Force moves, making gameplay as Cal Kestis feel that all much more immersive.

Having a professional PS5 controller helps, too. The extra buttons on the back (ClickSticks) let you remap key actions like jump, dodge, and heal so that you can keep your thumbs on the sticks at all times. That means you can move, block, and react to enemies faster, especially when several are attacking at once.

Helldivers 2

DualSense Features: Motion Sensors, Haptic Feedback & Adaptive Triggers

With its chaotic gameplay that emphasizes teamwork (friendly fire is always enabled!), the best-selling sequel to one of PlayStation’s more underrated IPs benefits greatly from being played on a DualSense. Even on a non-native platform like Steam, Arrowhead Game Studios took its time making sure that PC gamers weren’t missing out. Although shooters generally do better on keyboard and mouse configurations, Helldivers 2 might be one of the few exceptions.

The game uses the PlayStation controller’s motion sensors to let you quickly activate special abilities. It also vibrates in different ways to match things like explosions, jetpack boosts, and heavy gun recoil, and the way the triggers push back depends on how fast or powerful your gun is, giving each weapon a unique feel.

Using a custom PS5 controller takes the immersion up a notch. Having super-fast digital triggers helps you shoot down enemy waves quicker with semi-auto guns, giving you an edge. ClickSticks are a total game-changer as well. Normally, using special abilities (called Stratagems) means taking your thumb off the movement stick to press buttons, leaving you stuck and open to attack. But with the back buttons, you can enter those commands without stopping your movement, keeping you moving, and more importantly, alive.

Hogwarts Legacy

Dualsense features: Haptic Feedback & Adaptive Triggers

While released simultaneously on all platforms, even including the Nintendo Switch early on, Hogwarts Legacy remains best enjoyed on any platform that supports the DualSense. Why? In the game, the triggers push back differently for each spell used, making magic feel more real, like when you’re charging up for a particularly powerful spell to take down Trolls and other mythical creatures. The controller also gently vibrates to match what’s happening around you, like touching magical objects, which adds to the immersion.

However, as Hogwarts Legacy focuses more on smooth, well-timed moves than fast reactions, it doesn’t need fast-tap digital triggers. Instead, the clickable sticks (when you press down on the thumbsticks) are super helpful for switching spells or using items without taking your thumbs off the controls.

Honorable Mention: Alan Wake 2

DualSense Features: Motion Sensors, Haptic Feedback & Adaptive Triggers

One of the best games to come out in 2023, Alan Wake 2 won awards for all the right reasons. The now highly regarded sequel to a once cult classic title was atmospheric and visceral. Helping it achieve this level of immersion was the implementation of certain DualSense features by Remedy Entertainment in-game.

In Alan Wake 2, Remedy used the PlayStation controller to make the horror feel more real. The controller doesn’t just rumble randomly. It’s so precise that you can actually feel raindrops tapping through tiny vibrations. This adds to the spooky mood by making the world feel more alive, almost as if you’re inside it. Every weapon feels different when you pull the trigger. A pistol feels light, a shotgun feels heavy, and a crossbow has its own unique pull. This makes you think more carefully about which weapon to use, because they feel different, too.

The only problem? Alan Wake 2 isn’t on Steam, and it probably never will be. The game’s development was funded by Epic Games, which is also its publisher. Instead of Steam, you can download the game from the Epic Games Store.