Should you use a controller or a keyboard and mouse? The PC master race has been having this argument for as long as computers and game consoles have been around. And by extension, this argument has trickled down to their different default input styles.

Today, you can pretty much use both on any device you please one way or the other. However, there is still a question of which one is superior. There seems to be no straight answer, but we must look at all the arguments in various contexts to see which one is truly better for gaming.

Ergonomics and Precision

NES controller on a black background

Nintendo has pioneered controller hardware design for as long as it has been around and introduced the famous box-shaped NES controller in the mid-1980s. While it was successful, it was hardly ergonomic, with sharp edges and a joystick-less design. Its build made it uncomfortable for many people to use for extended periods.

But since then, Microsoft and Sony have refined Nintendo’s craft, running where Nintendo crawled, and they have made one of the most comfortable pieces of input hardware known to the public.

Modern controllers boast grip, button placement, and thumbstick arrangements that a conventional keyboard cannot match. The only competition with modern controller ergonomics are gaming mice, and they have limited functionality.

The keyboard and mouse pair’s greatest setback is that it needs a surface for it to work effectively. Therefore, controllers are easier to use in different positions for longer.

However, controllers, by design, cannot replace the precision that a keyboard and mouse offer. With a mouse, you can be more accurate with your targeting, and some gaming mice even have advanced polling rates for superior accuracy.

And we all know what it is like, fumbling about, trying to type something with a controller. Any game that requires you to type in things often will have to yield to the accurate typing a keyboard lends.

Compatibility and Versatility

A black controller held in front of a laptop

You can use a controller with anything. For example, you can connect a controller to an Android tablet, you can connect the DualSense PS5 controller to a Mac, and many more combinations. New-generation controllers can work on pretty much anything.

What’s better, game devs know this, and they will often release the games to also be accessible for people who prefer controllers (even though it’s not a console game). This compatibility trumps the keyboard and mouse pairing, which often don’t have a place in smaller devices like phones and tablets.

Granted, you can connect your keyboard and mouse to the last two generations of Xbox and PlayStation, but their support in multiple console games is very limited. And while you can connect a keyboard and mouse to a Nintendo Switch, you can’t use it to play games.

Where the keyboard and mouse shines is in their versatility. This input pair is what you need to play pretty much any game out there. It’s impossible to point at a game and say, “Hey, you can only use a controller to play this.” Once a PC version of the game is released, you can play it with a keyboard and a mouse. The keyboard and mouse pair simply has a wider umbrella of games.

Which Is Better for Different Types of Games?

You might begin to wonder what types of games are better suited for which input method. What is better with a controller? Will a keyboard and mouse do it better? Don’t worry; here’s a list of game genres and the game input method best for them.

Games for Controllers

A man playing Super Mario Bros

Games that don’t require multiple real-time actions are good for controllers. Here are common examples:

  • Platformers: They have limited movements and actions. Typically the character only needs to move in a two-dimensional path and will have a limited range of abilities that can easily be triggered with one or two buttons. That’s why Super Mario is great on Nintendo consoles.
  • Fighting games: Like Tekken and Mortal Kombat are based on quick, accurate button-pressing and good reaction time. They won’t benefit from a keyboard and mouse in any way. The opponent is already targeted, and there’s no need for the precision a mouse will provide.
  • Driving games: While driving games might be better, overall, with a racing simulator rig, a controller can help to simulate the feeling of pressing on a pedal (thanks, especially to the adaptive trigger feature). The thumbstick can also give you the feel of moving a wheel while giving you room to specify the intensity of your turns.
  • Sports games: General mainstream sports games like FIFA, NBA 2K, and NHL are better on a controller. And that’s because, just like fighting games, they require accurate button-pressing and well-timed reactions.

Games for Keyboard and Mouse

FPS game on screen in a dark room with a glowing pair of a keyboard and a mouse

Anything that requires realistic and real-time precision and accuracy might be better with a keyboard and mouse. Here are some popular examples:

  • First-person shooter games: In any FPS game, the most important thing is reaction time and accuracy. Without some kind of aim-assist, there’s no way a player with a controller is on the same level as one with a mouse. So, you should use a keyboard and mouse for Fortnite and Warzone.
  • Real-time strategy games: Imagine playing Age of Empires with a controller. It’s a game that requires selecting and moving units, moving the camera across the map, and building structures—and doing all of these quickly. Only a mouse can pan the camera and click units at a comfortable enough speed.
  • MOBA games: Multiplayer online battle arena games like Dota 2 and League of Legends require the player to be precise when aiming and to use abilities assigned to keyboard hotkeys. Using a controller is possible, but it will put you at a disadvantage.

Single-Player RPG

Single-player role-playing games are the perfect example of how evenly matched the controller and the keyboard and mouse pairing are. You can use either one for both, depending on your preference.

Because single-player RPGs don’t have competition with other human beings, you can play on your own terms. Controller players will have aim-assist, and players using mice can enjoy its precision if they want to.

For example, you can have fun with either input method if you’re playing games like Horizon: Forbidden West, The Witcher 3, or Hogwarts Legacy.

Controller vs. Keyboard and Mouse: Which One Wins?

From a pure gaming perspective, there’s no winner; it’s only a choice of whether to sacrifice precision or comfort.

However, once you add in other non-gaming elements, the keyboard and mouse take the prize. The controller doesn’t hold a candle to what you can do on a computer with a keyboard and mouse. It makes typing and navigation much easier.

And because the keyboard and mouse pairing works with pretty much any game at all, if you have to be stuck with anyone, it’s better to be stuck with that. You might not be able to play all your games as comfortably as you’d like, but you can play them all competently.

A Question of Preference and Personalization

In the end, it all comes down to you, the player. The keyboard and mouse pairing is for power players, while the controller is for casual players. But both of them are good.

There’s no reason to limit yourself to one style of gaming. Use both as they work for you, and choose which one gives you the best experience. There’s no wrong way to play video games.