Best phone controllers 2024

The GameSir G8 Galileo represents the best gaming phone controller, offering a bulkier build that feels much more comfortable to use for long play sessions. While that may be frustrating for those who travel frequently and need a smaller controller, for everyone else, it’s absolutely brilliant.

With excellent Hall Effect sticks, great buttons, and the option to use with either Android or iPhone 15 or above, the only thing more impressive about the GameSir G8 Galileo is the price. The fact it’s cheaper than rivals like the Razer Kishi Ultra or Backbone One is surprising.

However, it’s not all good news. If you enjoy the idea of having a great bit of software with your phone controller, look elsewhere. The GameSir app is broken, and at times, outdated (especially on iPhone), but for the controller itself, the G8 Galileo is absolutely incredible.

Read our GameSir G8 Galileo review for more.

We reckon the GameSir X2 is going to tick all the right boxes for most of our readers. There are models for both Android and iOS devices, and its Switch-like controller set-up is both stylish and comfortable to hold. It accommodates gamers with passthrough holes which make it easy for you to have your charger plugged in while you play, although we do wish that it had the same for earphone jacks.

If you enjoy taking screenshots of your games (and as games journalists, we do it all the time), you’ll be pleased to hear that it comes with a simple screen capture button that you can press anytime. Ideal for sharing your in-game creations with friends, or remembering your favorite moments in the best mobile games.

Admittedly, when we started using it, we thought that the buttons seemed a little stiff, which took some getting used to. But it is something you can get used to quite easily with a little time. Ultimately, we think it gets a lot of things right, and not many things wrong, so we reckon that it’s going to be the best option for most mobile gamers.

Read our GameSir X2 Type-C review to find out more.

The Razer Kishi Ultra has all of the components to be the best phone controller available on the market, and it’s very close. While the price may be the most defeating aspect, this Razer Kishi Ultra is still a must-have, especially for those with 8″ tablets.

Using the company’s mecha-tactile buttons, which offer excellent performance and feel, the Razer Kishi Ultra is a true gaming-first peripheral. It’s also extremely comfortable to hole, which is a very important aspect of gaming on your phone.

The Razer Nexus app also stores all of your games in one great place, making it a central spot for switching out to a different title in your library. Unfortunately, it’s a bit finicky – especially on iPhone – but it’s much better than competitors.

Read our Razer Kishi Ultra review for more.

Nothing hits the quote of “so close, yet so far” more than the SCUF Nomad. For all intents and purposes, it’s the best phone controller on the market, but a couple of issues hold it back from greatness. However, if you own an iPhone, it’s easily the perfect choice.

Not only is it supremely comfortable to hold, with incredible ergonomics, but it also has brilliant software support and great anti-drift sticks. It’s a wireless model, which means it does need to be charged – but it offers up to 16 hours with a handy USB-C cable included in the box.

It falls short with a lack of support for Android (which is something planned in the future, mind you), and the fact it’s wireless means there’s no support for passthrough charging, a great feature for long mobile gaming sessions. There’s also no touchscreen mapping, so no controller support in a game means you’re out of luck.

Read our SCUF Nomad review for more.

If you’re a lifelong Nintendo fan, the chances are that there’s a certain type of controller that you’ll feel more comfortable with. Of course, Nintendo controllers have varied quite a lot over the years, but this follows the same sort of general design philosophy and we reckon it’ll feel familiar to Nintendo fans.

It’s a little on the pricey side, but it does more than enough to earn that bigger price tag. It’s broadly compatible with most platforms (hence why it’s also on our best Nintendo Switch controller list) so while you may buy it for your phone, you might find other uses for it to (e.g. for PC gaming). Meanwhile, it also comes packed with its own charging station, which is especially nice when compared to those which don’t even give you a charging cable.

Notably, this controller offers users loads of customization options. You can essentially re-map every button on the thing, so you can tailor it to meet your needs exactly. You can even save multiple profiles and change them with just the flick of a switch, which is handy if you plan on using it for a range of games in different genres.

Read our 8Bitdo Ultimate Controller review.

If the controllers of Sony’s PlayStation are the ones you’re most familiar with, then you’ll want to look at the Backbone PlayStation Edition. It clamps to either side of your phone and gives you the same sort of button layout as you’d get on Sony’s family of consoles. It’s perfect for anyone who likes to use their phone to play Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, or indeed anything on the PS Plush subscription service that can be streamed.

Though this is one of the most expensive controllers on this list, we definitely think it’s worth it. Aside from its dazzling aesthetics, we found this to be very comfortable to hold, even during extended play sessions. It’s the product of an official collaboration with Sony too, so you know it’s going to be a reliable product.

This controller also has a fantastic companion app. Essentially, it acts as a hub for all your mobile gaming needs, giving you a central point to find new games. Whether a game is free and just waiting to be downloaded, or locked behind a subscription service, the Backbone app will tell you exactly where it is and how to play it. It’s super convenient, and just part of the reason we love it so much.

Read our Backbone PlayStation Edition review for more information.

We’ve given an option for the Nintendo and PlayStation fans – now here’s something for the Xbox fans. If you like to take advantage of the streaming aspect of Game Pass Ultimate, you can keep playing many of your favorite Xbox games on your phone, and with the Turtle Beach Recon Cloud Hybrid controller, it’ll feel pretty much just the same as it does when you play on the console directly.

Even more excitingly, this could give you an easy way to experience Xbox games without even having the console. If you look at our list of all Xbox Game Pass games on Xbox Cloud Gaming you’ll get an idea of what’s on there (and it’s a lot). With Forza, Banjo-Kazooie, Halo, Sea of Thieves, Psychonauts, and much more, you could turn your phone into a real gaming hub, with the Turtle Beach Recon Cloud Hybrid poised to be the perfect controller for it.

Of course, there’s no reason that you can’t use it for all your other favorite mobile games too. The only real problem with it is that, as it is just like a regular Xbox controller, it’s not the easiest thing to transport (even with the mount detachable). It’s not like it’s impossible, but there are other mobile controllers that are easier to bring out and about with you.

Read our Turtle Beach Recon Cloud Hybrid review for more information.

Aw. Look at this cute little baby controller. If you want something that you can really easily slip into your pocket, or maybe even your wallet or purse, look no further than the 8Bitdo Zero 2. This thing is so tiny, it’s actually pretty impressive that 8Bitdo managed to make a functional gaming controller as small as this.

If you think you have an idea of how small this is, you’re probably wrong. Have you ever played a Nintendo Switch using just one Joy-Con? If you thought that was small, this is much smaller. In some respects, that’s really cool, but in other ways, it’s a little inconvenient, especially if you’re somebody who has large hands.

This is also a great option for anybody shopping on a budget because it’s pretty darn cheap. We feel bad criticizing it for being so small, because that’s kind of the whole point of it, and aside from that, it’s a fantastic controller that could do everything you want it to.