PS5 controller connects to PC but the buttons do not work

If your PS5 controller connects to a PC but the buttons do not work, check whether the game supports DualSense input and whether Steam Input is handling it. Windows recognising a Bluetooth device is only the connection layer. The game still needs a supported input route, and a working USB comparison can help identify where that route breaks.

Connection, input, and game support are three different tests

A controller name in Bluetooth settings shows pairing, not successful gameplay. A controller test that reacts to buttons shows input reaching that test, not necessarily the game. Finally, a game with controller support must accept the input mode you are using. Keeping these checks separate prevents repeatedly pairing hardware when the actual issue is application compatibility.

Sony's DualSense PC guidance supports USB and Bluetooth on supported Windows versions, but it also says compatible games and applications matter. Do not assume every PC title accepts a DualSense natively just because the controller connects successfully.

Write down the specific game, launcher, and connection you are trying to use. Check that combination in the game's own support information. A result for a different controller model or another launcher does not settle DualSense compatibility in this particular setup.

Make one clean USB comparison

1. Close the game before changing the connection.
2. Connect the DualSense directly to the PC using a USB cable capable of carrying data.
3. Disconnect other controllers for the test.
4. Open your launcher's controller settings or available input test.
5. Check buttons and sticks there, then launch the same game again.

A charging light alone does not establish that the cable carries input data. If no input test responds, try a known-working data cable and another direct port before changing game files. Avoid hubs during this comparison so that you are testing fewer components.

If USB works in the same game and Bluetooth does not, record that distinction. It narrows the investigation to the wireless route or the game's connection-specific support. It does not automatically mean the controller is defective, and it does not require reinstalling Windows.

For Steam games, inspect Steam Input deliberately

Steam's controller support page includes DualSense among supported controllers and distinguishes full from partial controller support in games. Partial support may still require a keyboard or mouse for some screens. Check the title's store information and in-game controls before treating a launcher menu as a failed controller.

In Steam's controller settings, confirm the device is detected. Then inspect the game's controller settings or Properties, Controller, for its Steam Input override. Compare the supported/default configuration with Steam Input enabled when the game needs translation. If the game documents native DualSense support, compare that native route with Steam Input disabled. Restart the game between tests.

Valve's Steam Input concepts explain its native API integration and legacy input mapping. In that document, “native” means Steam Input API support, not automatically the game's own DualSense implementation. Translation can make input usable while presenting another controller's button labels. Xbox-style prompts are therefore not, by themselves, proof that the physical buttons are broken.

Avoid two translation tools competing

If you already use an external controller-mapping utility, close it temporarily while testing Steam's own route. Then test the external utility separately if the game's instructions call for it. Do not stack several mappers and change their profiles at the same time.

This is an isolation method rather than a diagnosis that a named utility is faulty. A useful test note is “Steam Input only: works; external mapper only: works; both: duplicated navigation.” That tells you which combination to avoid. By contrast, “installed three drivers and restarted” leaves no clear comparison.

Do not download replacement drivers from an unknown pop-up or a “controller repair” website. Use Sony's supported controller software and the launcher's own controls. A hardware connection problem should not require entering your PlayStation password into an unrelated utility.

When buttons work in a test but not in the game

Check whether the game has switched to a keyboard-only setting, whether a different controller is assigned to player one, and whether the affected screen actually supports controller navigation. For a non-Steam title, consult that game's controller documentation; enabling a Steam option cannot be assumed to affect a game launched independently elsewhere.

Keep basic input and advanced effects separate. Missing adaptive triggers or haptic feedback is not the same fault as every button failing. Sony notes that feature availability depends on the game and connection. First establish dependable movement and button input, then check the title's requirements for the extra features.

Firmware and the final handoff

Sony provides PlayStation Accessories for supported Windows PCs to update DualSense device software. Use the official route linked from its support page. If a clean supported connection still produces no input, follow Sony's reset or support instructions rather than repeatedly changing unrelated graphics settings.

If you also use an older controller, remember that DualShock 4 and DualSense are different models; do not apply one model's pairing or compatibility assumptions automatically to the other. When requesting help, supply the game, launcher, Windows version, USB-versus-Bluetooth results, and whether the controller responds outside that game. Those details are more diagnostic than saying only that it is “connected but broken.”