DualSense is an excellent controller on PS5, and if you are wondering how to use PS5 controller on PC, you have come to the right place. In this tutorial, we’ll show you step-by-step how to play games on your PC with your PS5 DualSense controller.
You can use the PS5 controller on PC in the following way:
- Start by connecting your PS5 controller to your PC via a USB cable or Bluetooth.
- Next, use DS4Windows or Steam software to map the PS5 controller to your PC.
Table of Contents
Using the PS5 controller with a PC requires two steps, as we discussed above. The first step is to connect the controller to the PC, and then the second step is to map the controller’s buttons to the PC. It is necessary to map the DualSense because it is primarily made for the PlayStation 5 and not the PC. With the software we mentioned below, you can easily enable the PS5 controller to be used on your PC.
How To Use PS5 Controller On PC? Connect and then map the controller to PC.
The rest of the articles is divided into two sections. In the first section of the article, we discuss connecting the controller to your PC, and in the second, we discuss mapping the controller functions so that they can be used on a PC by emulating an Xbox controller.
Let’s see in detail how to go about using the PS5 controller on a PC.
Section 1: Connecting the PS5 DualSense controller to PC.
How to connect the PS5 DualSense controller to your PC?
There are two ways to connect the PS5 DualSense controller to your PC:
- Wired Connection Method
- Wireless Connection Method
Depending on your preferences, your DualSense controller may be connected to your PC using either of these methods. Let’s say you are connecting your PS5 controller to your PC for the very first time. In this case, we recommend that you connect it via USB cable first. Once the mapping is completed using the recommended software (as described in later steps), you can join it via Bluetooth and play your games wirelessly. Connecting through a USB cable first is optional, but it is recommended to eliminate the possibility of wireless connection problems.
How to connect your PS5 DualSense controller to a PC via USB cable?
The Wired Connection Method is to connect the PS5 controller to the PC via a USB cable. You can do this by the following method:
- Grab a USB Type-A to USB-C cable.
- Plug the USB Type-A end of the cable into a USB Type-A port on your computer.
- Afterward, connect your cable’s USB type C end to the USB-C port on the DualSense controller.
- Congrats! You just successfully connected the DualSense controller to the PC.
Read on if you don’t want a wired controller and want to use it wirelessly. We will connect your DualSense controller wirelessly and effortlessly.
How to connect your PS5 DualSense controller to your PC wirelessly?
You can connect the PS5 controller to your PC wirelessly via Bluetooth by following the steps below:
- Go to the Bluetooth settings on your Windows computer.
- Once that is done, click on the “Add a Device” option and choose “Bluetooth” to identify your device.
- After that, pick up your PS5 DualSense controller and hold down the PlayStation button and the ‘Create’ buttons together until the light bar starts double blinking. Pro Tip: Unplug your PS5 from the power outlet if it is nearby, so you don’t accidentally turn it on.
- Now DualSense controller should be visible on your PC. Select Wireless Controller from the list of Bluetooth devices to complete the pairing process.
- As soon as the controller has been paired successfully with your PC, you will receive a message on your computer indicating that the device is ready to use.
Congrats! The first section of the guide has been completed by successfully connecting the controller to your PC. Pairing the controller only needs to be done once. From now on, you will only need to press ‘PS’ button on your wireless controller to connect it to your PC (with Bluetooth enabled on your PC).
That’s half the battle won. In the next section, the PS5 controller will be made compatible to work on a PC.
Section 2: Mapping the PS5 controller to PC.
After connecting your PS5 controller to your computer, you must map its input controls to your PC via software because the DualSense controller is primarily made for PS5. But with the help of mentioned software, you can efficiently use the DualSense controller on your PC. You can then use a PS5 controller on a PC to play a wide variety of games. Following applications can be used to map controller inputs to PC:
- Steam
- DS4Windows
How to use DualSense controller with PC using the Steam application?
Steam is one application with the help of which you can map the DualSense controls to your PC. Please note that you will only be able to play games available on the Steam platform itself with the help of the steam client. If you want to use your PS5 controller with non-steam games, please use the DS4Windows application as described below in this guide. That being said, Steam offers a wide variety of games, so be sure to check out your favorite games at the Steam store.
You can use DualSense controller with PC using the Steam application by following the below steps:
- Download and install the Steam application.
- Run the executable and follow the on-screen instructions for Steam installation. You can also select your language from the list of languages that appear on the installer.
- You can log in with your Steam account or create an account if you don’t have one.
- Next, click on the Steam button shown on the Steam menu.
- After that, select Settings Menu from the options.
- Now, open the Controller menu.
- In that menu, choose General Controller Settings.
- Select the checkbox for PlayStation Configuration Support to enable the PS5 controller configurations in Steam.
- PlayStation 5 Controller should appear below the ‘Detected Controller’ label if you connected your controller via Bluetooth or USB cable, as was suggested earlier.
- Congrats, you can now use your PlayStation 5 controller to play games on Steam.
- You can click the ‘PlayStation 5 Controller’ button to configure the controller preferences, such as the light bar’s color.
- Note: The Steam client can be used with your DualSense controller for steam-only games. To play a non-Steam game, we recommend that you use DS4Windows as described below.
- Open Big Picture mode to start using it with Steam.
- Also, you can map different actions to the DualSense controller input in the Big Picture mode.
How to use DualSense controller with PC using DS4Windows application?
Windows do not natively support DualSense controller wirelessly, so we have to use DS4Windows application to counter this. By emulating the Xbox controller, DS4Windows allows you to use DualSense controller on your PC. This option enables you to play any games you install on your PC because Windows will treat your PS5 controller as a native Xbox controller and let you play any game you want; that’s awesome, right!
You may want to use your DualSense controller on your PC for all the games, including non-steam games. But you might be wondering how do I connect my PS5 controller to my PC without Steam. Now you know that it is possible to use your controller for non-steam games as well, using the DS4Windows application. Let us start with the setup of the DS4Windows application.
Follow these steps to use DualSense controller with PC via DS4Windows application:
- The first step is to download the latest software package from Github by clicking this download link.
- When the zip file has been downloaded, extract its contents to a folder.
- Double-Click the DS4Windows application to start the setup process.
- You may also receive a windows popup asking you to install .NET Runtime if you do not have it installed. Click the ‘Yes’ button to access Microsoft’s website, download the ‘Run Desktop Apps’ installer, and install the .NET Runtime.
- Next, select ‘Appdata’ from the installer window. This will set the standard install path for profile and setting storage.
- Click on” Install ViGEmBus Driver” to install the PlayStation controller drivers on your PC; after the installation is complete, you can proceed to the next step.
- Click the install 360 driver button if you are running Windows 7 or lower or have never used an Xbox 360 controller on your PC before.
- DualSense should appear in the list of connected controllers if you connected your controller via Bluetooth or USB cable, as was suggested earlier.
- Well done! The PS5 controller is now connected and mapped(emulated as a native controller) to the PC. It is possible to map different buttons to your liking and to save different profiles as well. Additionally, the light bar can be customized according to your preferences. All this and more can be done via the Profile tab in DS4Windows.
This concludes our guide to using your PS5 DualSense controller with your PC. Have fun playing your favorite games with your PS5 controller!
Frequently Asked Questions on how to use PS5 controller on PC.
How to put ps5 controller in pairing mode?
Is the PS5 controller compatible with PC?
Can you use the PS5 controller on a PC without third-party software?
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