Elden Ring debuted for Xbox One, Xbox Series, PS4, PS5, and Windows PC. The latter platform is perhaps the one with the most issues. In particular, the controller not working error is something you would face on Steam. It’s easier to fix, though, as it mostly relates to wrong configurations or incompatibility issues. Other errors, such as the dreaded black screen or network errors, are less friendly.
Elden Ring Controller Not Working Causes
Elden Ring has no issues, controller-wise, on consoles. On PC, you may find that playing the game with a controller may render the peripheral useless. That happens regardless of which controller you’re using. You should know these errors are affecting the game and that other players are experiencing something similar. In other words, there’s probably nothing wrong with your PC. We’re facing a newer error, so we don’t fully understand the causes yet. The users also don’t understand the causes yet.
How to Fix Elden Ring Controller Not Working?
We’re going through a series of quick and easy fixes. You can try them one by one until you find a working solution.
The game files are corrupted on Steam.The Steam Overlay is preventing the controller from working.You have not enabled controller support on Steam, or you have wrong configurations on the launcher. You’re using third-party software that’s causing issues. Your Windows or your GPU drivers are not up to date. This may be causing incompatibility issues and bugs.
Remember that we’re dealing with Elden Ring for Steam on Windows 10 or 11 PCs. Also, we’re working under the consideration that other games work fine on your PC; it’s Elden Ring, the one with issues. If not, you may want to check additional fixes for using controllers on Steam.
Update Windows
Because Elden Ring is a new game, perhaps Windows needs to download drivers to make it work without issues. So, we’re updating Windows 10 or 11: Windows will do it in the background if you select to download an update. Once it finishes, you will need to restart the system to install the new files.
Update the GPU Drivers
Similarly, you can update the GPU drivers to solve potential incompatibility issues. The first method is through the Device Manager. Here’re the steps: The second method to update the graphics drivers is through the proprietary software of your graphic card:
AMD Adrenalin for AMD GPUsNVIDIA GeForce for NVIDIA GPUs
Enable Controller Support on Steam
The next step is enabling controller support on Steam and selecting the proper settings so your peripheral works. This option is in case you use a controller rather than your keyboard and mouse. Here are the steps to follow: Some users suggest enabling Generic Gamepad Configuration on top of the type of controller you’re using. We recommend you do that as well. Afterward, Steam will download and install the driver and reset it. Additionally, you should disable the Steam Input Per-Game Setting. It could be shutting off your controller and forcing you to play with the keyboard.
Disconnect the Keyboard and Mouse
If you’re playing on a controller, it’s best to disconnect the keyboard and mouse while you play with the controller. If you’re using a keypad with the controller, disconnect the keypad as well. We’ve seen keeping both types of peripherals connected is causing issues for Elden Ring.
Verify the Files on Steam
Before closing Steam, you should verify Elden Ring with its tools. That will check for corruption and fix damaged files.
Disable the Steam Overlay
Back on Steam, another way to fix Elden Ring controllers not working is by disabling the Steam overlay.
Uninstall the Vjoy Software
The next recommendation is to delete the “Vjoy software.” Vjoy is a program that allows you to create a virtual joystick but causes problems with Elden Ring. You’d be better off playing with a mouse and keyboard or playing via Steam’s native support for Xbox or PS4/PS5 controllers. So, if you have Vjoy on your PC, uninstall it.
Disable Third-party Controller Software
Similarly, you should disable any third-party software you might be using to customize or configure a controller PS4, PS5, or Xbox controller. That includes DS4Windows, you don’t need it for Steam.
Disconnect Other Bluetooth Devices
Lastly, it would help to disconnect other Bluetooth devices while playing Elden Ring. In fact, you should turn off Bluetooth altogether. If you’re Bluetooth devices, connect them to your PC via USB cables instead. Otherwise, skip this step. That said,
