How to Get Xbox Controllers Working With Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) PC

Baldur’s Gate 3 may have hit the PC first, but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck to using a keyboard and mouse. This fantasy RPG works with a joypad, and even goes so far as to change the on-screen display when you switch. But if you’ve been trying to use an Xbox controller with the game you might have run into difficulties. So if you’re wondering how to get Xbox controllers working with Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) PC, here’s the answer.

Problems With Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) Not Recognizing Your Xbox Controller? Here’s What To Do

If you’re having problems getting your Xbox controller to work with Baldur’s Gate 3 in Steam, you’re not alone. I’ve not heard of anyone having difficulties with the GOG version of the game but plenty of folks, myself included, had Steam problems.

The first thing to check is whether your Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S controller works with other games. If it doesn’t, you’ve not connected your controller problem and you need to sort that out first. Some older Xbox One controllers, for example, don’t have Bluetooth support and need a dongle plugged in.

But I’ll assume that, as was the case with me, other Steam games work fine with your controller. However, when you fire up Baldur’s Gate 3, you soon discover that no matter which buttons you press, the game doesn’t recognize your controller.

Here’s what to do. Firstly, exit the game and go back to Steam.

Then, on the Steam drop-down menu (it’s best if you’re not in big picture mode) go to Settings.

Now, go to Controller.

Next, go down to Xbox Extended Feature Support Driver and click on the Install button.

The driver will install. You’ll be prompted to reboot, which you can do, but I didn’t and it still worked fine from that moment on.

Now, run Baldur’s Gate 3 again and you’ll have Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S controller support. So on the subject of how to get Xbox controllers working with Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) PC, that’s what you need to know.

For more info on the game, check out our guide to getting BG3 up and running on Steam Deck, as well as a list of all of the voice actors and the characters they play.