How To Use PS5 Without a Controller? 4 easy ways.

You can undoubtedly use PS5 without a controller. In this article, we have listed four easy ways by which you can use PS5 without a controller.

In total, there are 4 ways to use your PS5 without a controller, list is as follows:

TV’s Remote with the HDMI link.
PS5 Media Remote.
SmartPhone or tablet using PS Remote Play App.
Keyboard and Mouse.

This list will prove helpful if you lost your PS5 controller and are waiting for its replacement to arrive, or even experimenting with new ways to control your PS5 console. In this article, we will explain how you can control your PlayStation 5 without a controller.

Use PS5 with your TV remote.

With the help of your TV remote, you can use PS5 without a controller. You heard it right. You can control PS5 with the remote that came with your TV. The only condition for this to work is your TV must have HDMI CEC (please check your TV manual to find info about HDMI CEC support).

If you have an HDMI CEC option on your TV, then you need to enable the HDMI Device link on your PS5, and Voila! then you could control your PS5 using the TV remote. You can enable the HDMI Device Link on your PS5 in the following way:

Go to “Settings.”
Then go to the “System” menu.
After that, Enable the “HDMI Device Link“ option.
You can also enable the “One touch Play“ option, which turns on the connected device, e.g. TV when you turn on PS5
You can enable another option called “Power off link” which puts PS5 in rest mode when you turn off your TV.

Enable the HDMI Device Link, One touch play and power off link — Enable HDMI Device Link on PS5

If you use a TV remote, then you can control some of the basic functions of your PS5 console, such as navigating through the PlayStation 5 menu, watching movies, waking up the PS5 console from rest mode, etc.

Use PS5 with the PS5 Media remote.

Another option to use PS5 without a controller is the PS5 Media Remote. The PS5 Media Remote is specifically made for video watching purposes on PS5. But you can also control the PlayStation 5 console with the PS5 Media Remote. For example, you can control the following things on PS5 with the help of a remote:

Turn on/off your PS5 using the PlayStation Button (same as on the wireless controller).
Display the option on the screen using the options button (same as on the wireless controller).
Navigate the PlayStation system with directional buttons.
Turn on/off your TV using the power button.
Control volume.
Mute the audio.
Select the menu option using the enter button.
Ability to go back using the back button.
Fast Forward, reverse, and play/pause videos playing on the PlayStation 5.
Dedicated buttons to launch apps such as YouTube, Netflix, etc.

You can easily pair or add PS5 Media remote to your PlayStation 5 console. As suggested by Sony, be sure to connect your PS5 and TV directly to use the PS5 media remote. You can add a PS5 media remote to your PS5 in the following ways:

Go to PS5 “Settings” by selecting the gear icon on the home screen.
Then go to “Accessories”.
After that, select “Media Remote”.
Then choose “Set up media remote”.
On your PS5 media remote, hold the options and PlayStation Button simultaneously for a few seconds on your PS5 Media to put it in pairing mode.
Once the PS5 Media remote starts blinking white light, press the next button on your wireless controller.

You have now successfully added the PS5 media remote to your PS5 and use PS5 without a controller.

Use PS5 with the help of the PS Remote Play App.

PS Remote Play app is mainly used to stream and play PS5 games on other devices, such as smartphones, tablets, or laptops. You can even wake up your PS5 console from rest mode using the PS Remote Play app.

Install the PS Remote Play app on your smartphone or tablet, such as an iOS or Android device, and with the on-screen buttons, use your phone as a controller for PS5.

You can configure the PS Remote Play to use PS5 without a controller in the following ways:

Go to “Settings”, select “System” then “Remote Play”, and then turn the option on for “Enable Remote Play”.

PS5 Enable Remote Play — Enable Remote Play on PS5

(Optional Step) Set your PS5 as the primary console. Go back to “Settings” and then “Users and Accounts” then “others” and enable the option “Console Sharing and Offline Play” .

The PS5 console can be turned on remotely, even if it is in rest mode. For this setting go to “System“ and “Power Saving“ and select “Features Available in Rest Mode“. Turn on “Enable Turning on PS5 from Network“ and “Stay Connected to the Internet.”

PS5 Features Available in Rest Mode — Enable Turning on PS5 from Network

Next, download the PS Remote Play app for your mobile device from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
On your phone, open the PS Remote Play application and select “Sign In to PSN”.
In the PS remote play app, select the PS5 option after signing in with the same account you used on your PS5 console.

Congratulations! Now you can freely control and use PS5 without a wireless controller using the PS Remote Play app on your mobile phone. Please note that a High-Speed connection is required to play games at optimum quality with the PS Remote Play app.

We recommend you use Wi-Fi to use PS Remote Play, as data usage is high for the app because of the streaming function. Nonetheless, you can also enable mobile data for the app and use PS Remote from anywhere in the following ways:

Launch the PS Remote Play application on your phone and select Sign In to PSN.
Select “Settings”, and enable the option “Mobile Data“ > “Using Mobile Data“.
Use “Video Quality for Streaming“ to select the image quality for the app when on mobile data.

In this way, you can fully use PS5 without a controller with the help of the PS Remote Play App. If you want to venture further into the world of PlayStation Remote Play, then we have some more info for you. You can also use PS Remote Play to control PlayStation 5 from other devices such as Windows PC, Mac, other PS5, and PS4 consoles.

Use PS5 with a keyboard and mouse.

You can use a keyboard and mouse to use PS5 without a controller. You can navigate the PS5 with keyboard keys, for example, press the enter button to enter a menu or press the escape key to go back to the home screen.

You can plug your wired keyboard and mouse into one of the available USB ports on the PlayStation 5 console using the USB cable.

If you have a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, then you can first connect those to your PS5 in the following way:

Put your keyboard and mouse in pairing mode.
Go to PS5’s “Settings”.
Open the “Accessories“ menu.
Now go to the “General” tab.
Chose the “Bluetooth Accessories” option.
Finally, select the keyboard and mouse that appears on the screen.

If your keyboard and mouse came with their separate wireless adapters, then plug that adapter into the free USB ports available on your PlayStation 5 and you will be good to go.

Your Bluetooth keyboard and mouse are now set up and you can use them to use PS5 without a controller.

But can you also play PS5 games with a mouse and keyboard? Well, the answer is not all the games are compatible with a keyboard and mouse on PS5. Some games do support mouse and keyboard on PlayStation 5. Here is the list of games that are compatible with the keyboard and mouse on PS5:

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla,
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Call of Duty: Warzone
DayZ
DC Universe Online
Final Fantasy XIV
Fortnite
Minecraft (Bedrock)
Neverwinter
Planet Coaster
The Riftbreaker
They Are Billions
The Elder Scrolls Online
The Sims 4
Warframe
War Thunder

Please note that some games may require you to press a button on a PS5 controller to start.

You can also connect your PS5 to your monitor. If you want to use PS5 on a monitor, we have prepared a complete on how you can connect your PS5 to a monitor using HDMI or a display port.