Long gone are the days when Tetris clones, Farmville knockoffs, and Pac-Man look-alikes populated much of Android's burgeoning Google Play Store. Now, Google's operating system boasts a diverse games library that rivals that of some home consoles. Call of Duty: Mobile, Diablo Immortal, and Genshin Impact are the cream of the current mix's crop — a list that seems to grow longer every day. But if you game on your phone, you may need one of the best Android game controllers.
Not all titles work equally well with touchscreens. Few triple-A Android games actually require third-party peripherals, but there are plenty of remastered titles designed with a controller in mind that respond much better to physical buttons. As anyone who has roamed the streets of Vice City or the hallways of Croft Manor can tell you, analog joysticks, D-pads, buttons, and triggers deliver infinitely more precision than big, meaty fingers on greasy smartphone glass.
Luckily, there is no shortage of third-party Android gaming peripherals to choose from. Depending on your price range and preferences, you can pick up a model that will serve you well for years to come or one that you will feel perfectly fine stuffing into a backpack or shoulder bag. It's worth noting, though, that there are some compatibility issues you might encounter — more on that in our frequently asked questions section at the end of this article.
Here is our list of the best controllers for Android tablets and smartphones. While you're at it, check out our favorite gaming phones, too.
Razer Kishi V2
- Extendable bridge
- Microswitch buttons and D-pad
- Reprogrammable buttons
- Minimal latency
- Sturdily built
- Indistinguishable from Backbone
- Awkward button placement
The first Razer Kishi was a solid controller, but the Razer Kishi V2 has taken the original's good design and pushed it up to a whole new level. The Razer Kishi V2 sports a new extendable bridge to hold your phone, combined with a familiar button layout and a sturdy design.
The second Kishi controller improves over the original by removing the stretchy and flopped support band and replacing it with a solid extendable bridge. This new design makes inserting your phone much easier, and that ease means you're much more likely to reach for your controller when you boot up Diablo Immortal or Call of Duty. It's certainly not flimsy, and the strong materials should mean it can withstand a fair amount of transportation and punishment — an important attribute if you want to take a controller on your travels.
The button layout is familiar, but we do have some issues with the button that launches you into the Razer Nexus app. The app itself is useful enough, but the button's placement above the start button means you're likely to hit it by mistake a lot. Which can be a real buzzkill when you're in the midst of the action. It's also quite similar to other stretching controllers, so you can find the same design in other places. However, the Razer Kishi V2's low latency really does elevate it above the pack.
GameSir T4 Pro Wireless Controller
- Adjustable colored LED-backlist action buttons and right joystick
- Configurable M1 to M4 buttons
- Six-axis gyroscope
- Five-speed adjustable vibration
- Up to 30 hours of gaming time
- Directional pad can be a bit unreliable at times
If you’re the kind of gamer who’s used to backlit keyboards, this controller from GameSir is a great choice with its semi-transparent cover, matte finish, and adjustable colored LED-backlit action buttons and right joystick — although it does look a little strange having just one side of the controller lit up. There are lots of features we love about this controller, from the configurable M1 to M4 buttons on the base, to the six-axis gyroscope that accurately captures movements and reflects these in your game — not to mention the five-speed adjustable dual vibration.
The GameSir T4 Pro Wireless Controller boasts a 600mAh rechargeable USB-C battery. Some gamers have claimed this provides up to 30 hours of gaming time, which is a decent amount of time. Either way, its battery life is impressive, and you can choose from Bluetooth or wired connectivity. The only negative thing we have to say on this one is that the directional pad can sometimes be a little unreliable. Nevertheless, for $36, this is something we’re prepared to overlook.
MSI Force GC30 Controller
- Works with Android, Windows, and PS4
- Up to eight hours of gaming time
- Dual vibration motors for haptic feedback
- Construction quality doesn't feel very durable
The Force GC30 controller from MSI is the perfect controller for all your Android games — for under $40. Reminiscent of an Xbox controller, this controller features advanced analog sticks, four action buttons, and two different D-pad covers with a magnetic design. The dual vibration motors let the controller use haptic feedback for an immersive gaming experience, and you can connect this controller to your PlayStation 4 or Windows computer as well as your Android phone or tablet, either wirelessly or with the included cable. Enjoy up to eight hours of gaming time thanks to the 600mAh lithium battery.
8Bitdo SN30 Pro Bluetooth Gamepad
- Up to 18 hours of gaming
- Works with Android, Nintendo Switch, Windows, and Mac
- Cool retro design
- Not especially comfortable for longer gaming sessions
8Bitdo’s controllers have a retro vibe that’s highly sought after, and its SN30 Pro Bluetooth Gamepad comes with a heavy hit of nostalgia. With its two analog sticks, directional pad, select and start buttons, and four action buttons, you have everything you need for retro games or the latest titles. There’s an integrated 480mAh battery for up to 18 hours of gaming, and you get a USB cable in the box too, so you can use Bluetooth or a wire connection with a variety of devices including your Android phone and Nintendo Switch. Add in a USB-C port, rumble vibrations, motion controls, and player indicator LED, and this controller’s starting to look like more than just a cool retro choice.
One negative: It’s smaller and less ergonomic than modern controllers, so you may have issues using it over long gameplay sessions. If you love the retro look, then it’s probably worth the money.
PowerA Moga Hero
- Bluetooth or wired connection
- Power bank charges your phone while gaming/between sessions
- Detachable, adjustable phone clip
- Not compatible with all games
The Moga Hero Power controller from PowerA is one of the best controllers out there. Its familiar ergonomic design features injected rubber grips and feels super comfortable in your hands. Choose between a Bluetooth or wired USB connection, great for gaming at home or on the go, and charge your controller with the included Micro USB cable. It’s powered by a 3,000mAh Power Bank which, as an added bonus, charges your phone while you’re gaming or between sessions, and features a detachable, adjustable phone clip that fits devices up to 3.12 inches wide.
With two precision analog sticks, a directional pad, menu button, and four action buttons, you’re pretty well covered whatever game you’re playing. One of this controller’s best features is its two mappable Advanced Gaming buttons on the base, which are great for changing button assignments on the fly. The Moga Hero Power also has a battery level indicator, wireless/wired switch, and power bank switch. We also love the retractable kickstand, which makes it easy to take a break between sessions. This is definitely worth the money.
Rotor Riot USB-C Controller
- Adjustable phone bracket
- Comfortable design
- USB-C port
- No Bluetooth connection, only wired
- Can't charge your device while gaming
- Doesn't work with all games
Another controller with a very familiar design, Rotor Riot’s gamepad is a great choice if you’re looking for a wired controller with an optional phone bracket. There’s no Bluetooth connection, as it connects to devices with its USB-C connection. That obviously means there’s no internal battery, a bonus if you don’t want to keep multiple devices charged — but it does mean the controller pulls power from your phone to function, which can impair your battery life. Since it uses the USB-C port, you can’t charge your device while gaming, and if your device lacks a headphone jack, it means you can’t attach headphones either.
Those minor negatives aside, this is a great controller. There's support for over 400 apps, though you can't play PUBG or Call of Duty: Mobile, so make sure you check the controller's compatibility with the games you want to play before purchasing. The plastic build is solid and feels good in the hand, and it isn’t uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time. It also worked instantly when plugged into our Red Magic Phone, and didn’t require any remapping in the games we tested.
iPega PG-9083S Controller
- Cool wraparound gamepad
- Works well with tablets
- Up to 20 hours of gameplay
- Affordably priced
- Doesn't work with every Android game
- May need to download an app to remap key functionality
Something of a unique design where game controllers are concerned, the iPega PG-9083S gamepad stretches around your Android smartphone or tablet, giving a Nintendo Switch-like experience for your gaming time. As such, it’s compatible with a wide variety of devices and is one of the few controllers to work well with tablet gaming. It connects through Bluetooth, and iPega claims the internal 380mAh battery can last for up to 20 hours of gameplay. At $40, you’re getting a lot of controller for your buck, but keep in mind that it might not work with every Android game, and you may need to download a specific app to remap key functionality.
SteelSeries Stratus Duo Controller
- Works with Android, Chromebook, Windows, Steam, and various VR devices
- Over 20 hours of gaming time
- Bluetooth or wired connection
- No built-in stand
The SteelSeries Stratus boasts a plethora of buttons and features. Here, you find twin joysticks with textured surfaces, a four-way directional pad, four action buttons, a four-LED array, triggers and shoulder buttons, and three front-facing buttons that can be mapped to Android’s home and back buttons.
But it’s not perfect. The Stratus doesn’t have a built-in stand — you will have to find a wall to prop your phone against. But it does support Bluetooth pairing (or wired connectivity), and the built-in rechargeable battery offers over 20 hours of gaming time, plus you can carry on playing while charging. It's also Steam-enabled, so you can play any controller-enabled Steam game without any additional drivers or software. As well as Android devices and Steam, this controller works with Windows, Chromebooks, Oculus Go, and Samsung Gear VR.
This controller is excellent value for money, in our opinion.
Blindspares Wireless Controller
- Cool wraparound design
- All the buttons you need for gaming
- Up to 15 hours of gaming time
- Build quality could be better
- Shoulder and trigger buttons not as responsive as they could be
This wireless controller design will make you feel like you’re gaming on an old-school handheld console like Sega’s Game Gear. The build quality isn’t exactly flawless, but it’s easy to use. A joystick and directional pad take up the left side, and a secondary joystick and four action buttons sit on the right. The addition of dual shoulder and trigger buttons mean it has everything you really need.
The directional pad, action buttons, and joystick are all highly responsive, but the shoulder and trigger buttons were less impressive. They’re somewhat sticky and over-complicated to navigate when playing in vertical orientations.
Throw in a 350mAh rechargeable battery offering up to 15 hours of gaming time and a $40 price, and it's easy to see why the Blindspares Wireless Controller is a decent choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Android devices running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (or Android 3.2 Honeycomb) or newer support game controllers natively — which is likely to be pretty much every single Android device out there now.
You aren’t necessarily out of luck if you’re stuck on older software — most controllers will pair to older Android devices — but you can expect them to work unpredictably, unreliably, and sometimes not at all. Besides which, if you're using a device that's so old it's running a version of Android that's well over a decade old, it's strongly likely that it's going to struggle with any game that'll benefit from a controller anyway.
As mentioned above, most controllers should work with Android devices running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (or Android 3.2 Honeycomb) or newer. It’s always worth checking out the reviews on sites like Amazon — if others have encountered compatibility issues, you’re likely to see this mentioned there. Alternatively, if it's a big name like Razer, you may be able to find professional reviews for the controller, which will mention any compatibility issues the reviewer encountered.
Before you choose a controller to use with your Android smartphone or tablet, it is important to know about the compatibility issues you might encounter. Even if your device runs a newer version of Android, it’s not always smooth sailing — some games don’t take advantage of Android’s controller API, and so they don’t respond properly to gamepads. But luckily, there is a workaround in the form of Mantis Gamepad Pro Beta, a third-party app that lets you remap the functions of keys, buttons, and more.
Note: You may need a rooted device to take full advantage of that software.
If you’re mostly playing casual puzzle or platformer games on your Android phone, most of the controllers on this list will suit your needs just fine. However, if you play a lot of FPS games like Call of Duty: Mobile, we recommend investing in a controller like the Razer Kishi V2 that has additional features suited to shooters, like hair-trigger mode (for quick-firing) and options to decrease the thumbstick sensitivity for more accurate shots.
You’ll also want to think about whether the controller has an internal battery or pulls power from your phone. If your Android phone has a smaller battery, it's best to choose a controller with its own battery. Other features to look out for include mappable buttons, the ability to connect with a wide variety of devices (not just your smartphone), and a built-in stand.
With so many Android games out there to choose from, finding the best ones to play can be challenging. Save yourself some time and check out our roundup of the best Android games to play right now, updated monthly.
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