Playing FIFA with a controller gives you much better control over your players. But the game may sometimes fail to recognize your controller.
Well, if FIFA won’t recognize your controller, pursue the troubleshooting steps below to fix the problem.
How do I force FIFA to recognize my controller?
Unplug your controller and check your ports
Unplug your controller, and restart your computer. Then plug the controller into a different port and check if you notice any improvements. Maybe the port you’re currently using is faulty.
Restart FIFA after plugging the controller into a different port and check the results.
Disconnect additional peripherals
Disconnect all the other peripherals that you don’t need during your FIFA gaming session. They might be interfering with your controller.
Unplug all your peripherals except the controller before launching FIFA. That way the only input detected is your controller.
Unplug additional controllers, joysticks, your mouse and keyboard, everything. Disable Bluetooth as well.
Use your controller to get into the game
When FIFA prompts to you press Start or Spacebar to enter the game, it also says that whatever you press will be your default controller device.
So, try not to use your keyboard to get into the game. Use your controller instead.
Update your controller drivers to the latest version
- Launch the Device Manager
- Locate your controller and right-click on it
- Select Update driver
- Restart your computer and check if updating your controller driver solved the problem
If the issue persists, right-click again on your controller but this time select Uninstall device.
Keep your controller plugged in and restart your computer to automatically install a fresh copy of the latest controller driver.
Launch FIFA from EA Desktop
Instead of launching FIFA from Steam, add EA Desktop and launch that instead. Start FIFA as usual from EA Desktop. Check if your controller works as intended.
If this solution didn’t work, go to the next step.
Hide DS4 windows
If you’re using a PS4 or PS5 controller and have to use DS4Windows, select “Hide DS4Windows” and check if this workaround does the trick.
Many users confirmed this quick solution worked for them.
Change controller configuration settings
If you’re playing on Steam, try changing your controller configuration settings.
- Launch Steam and go to Settings
- Then select Controller
- Click on Global Settings for Controller
- Select the controller configuration you want to use depending on your controller:
- Xbox Configuration Support
- PlayStation Configuration Support
- Generic Gamepad Configuration Support
- Then open Big picture mode
- Go to Library
- Select FIFA, go to Settings
- Select Controller Settings
- Disable both checkboxes
- Set Steam input settings to Force on
- Apply the changes, close Steam, and restart your computer
Launch FIFA and check if your controller works properly.
Change Steam input per FIFA settings
- Launch Steam, click on View
- Select Big Picture Mode
- Navigate to Library, and click on Games
- Select FIFA and go to Manage Games
- Then expand the list of Controller Options
- Go to Change the Steam Input Per-Game Settings
- Select Forced On and save the changes
Restart Steam, launch FIFA, and check if your controller works now.
Get a new controller
Check if you can play FIFA with a different controller. If it works, this may indicate your controller is either faulty or incompatible with your FIFA version.
If you’re using a really old controller, you may need to buy a new one.
Also, many FIFA players that had the same problem using a PS4 or PS5 controller and bought a wired Xbox controller said the problem went away.
Did you manage to fix your FIFA controller issues? Which of the solutions above worked for you? Comment down below.
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