VALORANT is one of the more popular FPS shooters on the market today, so it’s no surprise that players are wondering if they can play the game with a controller. Many FPS games, such as Apex Legends and Call of Duty, offer controller support despite being PC titles. You can often see professional players using a controller despite having the native option of a mouse and keyboard.

Despite being an FPS title, VALORANT is not your average shooter like Call of Duty. VALORANT is a tactical shooter, which is not your traditional run-and-gun gameplay. It requires slower, more precise movement and “spray” control with your weapon, instead of aiming down the sight. The question is, can you play VALORANT with a controller?

Does VALORANT have controller support?

The short answer is no, it doesn’t have controller support.

However, you can still use third-party programs to play VALORANT with a controller, although it is not recommended. Riot doesn’t like third-party applications, which would require you to use a controller. Specific third-party applications (like reWASD and Joy2Key) can bypass Riot’s anti-cheat system, giving you a different playing experience from the rest of the lobby. The application in use is a controller mapper. This maps the keyboard layout to a controller, allowing you to play VALORANT with a controller while the game still believes you are using a keyboard. While reWASD is not as harmful compared to other third-party applications, we recommend just sticking to a mouse and keyboard.

The negatives to using a controller in VALORANT

VALORANT doesn’t have controller support and is unlikely to have it soon. Players who use a controller are at a disadvantage rather than giving themselves a competitive edge. The native sensitivity on the mouse and keyboard can be adjusted; meanwhile, on the controller, you cannot change it, which will be a problem for most players. Also, since VALORANT does not support controllers, aim-assist is out of the question. First-person shooters heavily rely on aiming precision, so you’ll be at even greater disadvantage using controller, no matter how skilled you are using it. The other problem is that, as mentioned before, Riot could ban players from using third-party controller mappers at any point, meaning any money you have spent purchasing skins and other cosmetic items will be gone. Now that you know how you can play VALORANT with a controller, hop in some games and try it out.