6 Best Game Controllers (2019): PC, Xbox, PS4, Switch

For a certain generation, there is a vile word which conjures up an icy dread. The name of a cursed thing, a monster of cheap plastic and flimsy buttons: MadCatz. If you’re unfamiliar, these cursed objects were a kind of controller, or gamepad. Years ago, they were dirt cheap and notorious for their poor craftsmanship. Every household had one, it was reserved for kid siblings and houseguests you didn’t like all that much. Those kinds of controllers gave third party gamepads a bad name—one that persists to this day.

In recent years though, companies like Scuf and Astro have donned their armor and unfurled their banners on a quest to rebuild the reputation of “off-brand” gamepads, one controller at a time. We’ve tried a bunch of them in the last year. Here are the best gamepads, official and unofficial, for Switch, PS4, Xbox, PC, Mac, and more.

Be sure to read our guides to the best gaming headsets, best gaming mouse, best gaming laptops, and more.