Battlefield 2042 – Controller Doesn’t Work? Try These!

Here are some steps to take when troubleshooting controller support for the PC.

The Fix

All credit goes to NETRVNNER !

Background

Battlefield 2042 uses a lightweight install of Origin. Unfortunately, Origin games have always had issues with working with Steam’s controller configurations. Sometimes it works fine other times you have to tweaks some settings.

I ran into some forum posts regarding controllers not working in Battlefield 2042, most of them point to the fact that if the game can reach an input device, for example, a footswitch, or HOTAS, or anything else, it’ll use that device first.

Hardware

As mentioned above, additional hardware plugged into the computer will overtake the controller input for Battlefield 2042. These devices can be anything that would use XInput. Simply unplug the devices, and make sure your controller is connected.

Don’t worry about unplugging webcams, headsets, or your main peripherals (keyboard and mouse). It’s important to first check if any other controllers or joysticks such as a racing wheel or a Hands-On-Throttle-And-Stick (HOTAS) system are connected and to disconnect them.

Software

There are a variety of ways to achieve controller support with and without Steam’s aide. However, some games have a very well built native support for controllers. For example, The Witcher 3 and No Man’s Sky can use Steam’s controller support for a Dualshock 4, but the inputs will show up as Xbox buttons and the controller’s settings will be tied to Steam’s configuration. However, if you just plug the controller in, disable steam’s configuration settings, the native support kicks in and it’s generally better implemented, with the correct button placement, and very rarely lightbar support (specifically with the DS4).

Disable Third Party Software

Software such as DS4Windows and other Xinput apps will need to be disabled for BF2042 controller support.

Disable Steam’s Controller Configuration

This can be done in either settings in the main steam UI or in Big Picture Mode.

Below are the steps outlined to disable controller support on the main Steam UI:

Do note that this does turn off your controller support for all games and will need to be turned back on.

1. At the top-right hand corner of the main window, click Steam then Settings
2. In the Controller tab, click GENERAL CONTROLLER SETTINGS
3. Turn off “Generic Gamepad Configuration Support“
4. Turn off the “Configuration Support” or “extended features” of the controller you’re using

For Big Picture Mode:

1. Go to Battlefield 2042
2. Go to Manage Game and click Controller Configuration
3. Turn off the “Configuration Support” (Rumble can be left on)
4. Headback and start the game

(The Big Picture Mode steps are game specific, so no other game’s controller support will be disabled).

Conclusion

I’ve personally done the Big Picture mode way and that worked best for me. However, I don’t have my wheel or other controllers such as a HOTAS plugged in.

I’ve tested this out with a Xbox One controller on Bluetooth. DS4’s generally have awful Bluetooth support and will need to be plugged in for native support generally (this has been the case for The Witcher 3 and No Man’s Sky).

I’ve not tested Xbox Series Controllers, the Dualshock 4, Dual Sense or Switch Pro controllers so if there are any amendments I should make to this guide feel free to comment below.