How to Use Any Controller in Steam (Generic, PS, or Xbox) 😺

How to Use Any Controller in Steam (Generic, PS, or Xbox) 😺

Hello beautiful people! 👋 Yosh here. Want to use a generic, PlayStation, or Xbox controller with games in Steam? Steam can recognize and map almost any pad—you just enable generic support, create or pick a template, and in-game choose a gamepad config. Nando hasn't knocked anything off the desk yet—good sign. 😺

Step 1 – Enable Generic Controller and Define a Template

1. Open Steam and switch to Big Picture mode (view menu or icon).
2. Go to the gear (Settings) → Controller settings.
3. Check Generic Gamepad Configuration Support (or the option that matches your pad—e.g. PlayStation).
4. Connect your controller and wait until Steam recognizes it (move sticks or buttons if needed).
5. Click on your controller → Define template. Assign each button: click a slot, then press the corresponding button on the pad. Save and give the template a name.
6. Exit Big Picture (Back until you can quit).

Step 2 – In-Game: Apply a Gamepad Config

Launch the game from Steam. If the game still shows keyboard prompts or doesn't respond to the controller:

1. Press Tab twice (or the Steam overlay shortcut) to open the Steam overlay.
2. Go to Controller configuration (or Configure controller).
3. Click Browse configs → Templates. Choose Show other controller types if needed, then pick a Gamepad template. Try different ones until the layout fits.
4. Click Apply configuration → Done. Close the overlay and test in-game.

You can repeat the in-game step per game if some titles need a different template.

That's It 😺

So: Big Picture → Controller settings → generic support + define template, then in-game overlay → Controller config → Templates → Gamepad → Apply. For more controller and PC tips, see our Tutorials and PressCatToStart. Have an awesome day! MIAU. ✌

More PC gaming tips: PressCatToStart – from Yosh 😼