What should I check first if I see symptoms of the gamepad not being recognized?

First, proceed with the ‘Test with a wired connection first’ step. You can quickly distinguish between a Bluetooth issue and a problem with the controller itself. We recommend that you avoid changing multiple settings at once and check to see if your symptoms change after each step.

How do I check the possible cause ‘Game Input Mode Settings’?

If there is no change in the first step, compare the steps in order, up to ‘Remove Bluetooth device and pair again’. If symptoms disappear immediately after certain actions or the conditions for their occurrence change, this can be an important clue in narrowing down the cause.

Gamepad/Controller Not Recognized by the Game: When Do I Need Professional Inspection?

Even if you follow the above solution steps in order, if the gamepad is not recognized repeatedly, or hardware abnormality signals such as a burning smell, abnormal noise, overheating, or failure to recognize parts appear together, we recommend backing up important data and having a professional inspection.

PC FIX

Computer Troubleshooting Guide

Gaming

Problem with gamepad/controller not being recognized in game

If you see the “Gamepad not recognized” symptom, possible causes include game input mode settings, USB/Bluetooth connection, etc. Check the wired/wireless connection, in-game input method, and driver to find the cause of the conflict.

Solving Order
We've organized the methods starting with the simplest and least expensive ones. Please check the solutions one by one, starting from the top.

Do you have these symptoms?

Gamepad not recognized
Doesn't work on Xbox Pad games
No controller input

main causes

Game input mode settings
USB/Bluetooth connection
Redundant virtual controllers

How to solve

Please check them in order from the top. If the issue is resolved, you do not need to proceed to the next step.

Test with a wired connection first

You can quickly distinguish between a Bluetooth issue and a problem with the controller itself.

Difficulty Easy time 5 minutes cost 0 won

1If possible, connect directly with a USB cable that supports data transfer.
2Connect to PC port without hub.
3Verify that your device appears in Windows.

confirmation point

After these steps, see if the “Gamepad not recognized” symptom decreases or disappears. If there is no change, also check the possibility of setting the game input mode in the next step.

Remove your Bluetooth device and pair it again

Reset wireless pairing information error.

Difficulty Easy time 5-10 minutes cost 0 won

1Remove existing controller pairing.
2Put the controller into pairing mode.
3Windows connects to the new device.

Check game input settings and Steam Input

Your game may handle XInput·DirectInput or virtual input differently.

Difficulty Moderate time 10-20 minutes cost 0 won

1Verify that the Windows game controller test is picking up input.
2Check Steam Input or the game's own controller settings.
3Temporarily terminates the redundant virtual controller program.

Update or reinstall controller/Bluetooth drivers

Outdated or corrupted controller/Bluetooth drivers may be causing the symptom.

Difficulty Moderate time 10~30 minutes cost 0 won

1Check the device in Device Manager.
2Check your PC or component manufacturer's site for controller/Bluetooth drivers for your current model.
3If the problem started immediately after an update, consider rolling back to the previous stable version.
4After installing the driver, restart your PC.

Test your controller on another PC or console

You can check whether the device itself is broken.

Difficulty Moderate time 10-20 minutes cost 0 won

1Connect to other supported devices.
2If the same is not recognized, review the controller firmware/repair.

Frequently Asked Questions

We've put together a list of things we frequently check regarding this issue.

Related issues

If the symptoms do not match exactly, please check the issue below.

Peripherals

Gamepad not recognized in Windows

If “Gamepad PC not recognized” repeats, it is better to narrow the scope to USB/Bluetooth connection and controller driver rather than changing several settings at once. Check the wired/wireless connection, in-game input method, and driver to find the cause of the conflict.

View solutions →

Gaming

Problem with game FPS being low compared to computer specifications

If the current symptom is close to “low fps”, first check the power mode, use of built-in graphics, or driver settings. Distinguish between bottlenecks and throttling by performing comparison tests with lowered game settings and checking CPU and GPU usage.

View solutions →

Gaming

Game freezes in unresponsive state

If the current symptom is close to “game unresponsive”, first check for resource shortages or game file/mode conflicts. Check error messages, game files, graphics drivers, overlays and hardware stability in that order.

View solutions →

Gaming

Problem with Out of Video Memory error in game

Among gaming issues, “out of video memory” symptoms may be related to excessive VRAM usage or excessive texture settings. Distinguish between bottlenecks and throttling by performing comparison tests with lowered game settings and checking CPU and GPU usage.

View solutions →

Look for other symptoms too

If you enter the symptoms you are currently seeing in the PC FIX search box, we will find the related problem.

Search for other issues →