It doesn't matter if you're playing the best Xbox Series X game or the worst if you've got a bad controller. A gamer is only as good as their controller, after all, and the Xbox Series X has plenty of options to choose from when it comes to ways to interact with the best exclusives. However, a recent update to the system has made all unofficial controllers no longer compatible, leading to confusion about which accessories one should invest in. That's why we made your search easy by listing not only controllers guaranteed to work on the system but the best ones across the board for any upcoming game.
The Elite Controller was a marvel in its time, with customizable back paddles, high-quality triggers, and special thumbsticks to enable even the twitchiest gameplay, and options to sub out various parts with different pieces to get just the feel you wanted. The Series 2 returns with a Series X compatible model that sports even more customization options, plus an amazing 40-hour battery life. It’s also taken steps to fix some of the problems of the original model (like the notoriously flimsy shoulder buttons) with a more durable design, making this controller more worth picking up than ever before — particularly for pro gameplay.
The ESWAP X Pro is specifically designed for Series X compatibility, so it’s a great pick if you want to ensure that there won’t be any compatibility issues. It also includes a ton of tech to help you personalize your gameplay and give you a competitive edge — like swapping between different preset configurations during a game, physical locking for triggers, and lots of re-mapping options for the extra buttons in the back. It’s also highly modular, with interchangeable mini-stick, grips, triggers, D-pads, and thumbstick caps … ideal for gamers who like to tinker with both setup and feel. However, keep in mind that is a corded option, not wireless.
Razer also has a highly competitive controller ready for the Series X: The Wolverine V2 comes with six different remappable buttons and interchangeable thumbsticks that allow you to alter the height and grip of the sticks to match your gameplay, plus a similar option to swap between different D-pads. It supports Razer Synapse on Xbox, too, which makes it easy to remap buttons and experiment quickly to find the loadout that’s best for the game.
And, of course, there are some RGB lighting effects packed into the controller too, which you can customize to whatever you find the most stylish (or least distracting). Like the Thrustmaster model, this control is also wired.
The GameSir is an all-purpose competitive gaming controller that, as the Xbox Logo gives away, is designed foremost for the Series X. The wired controller is made with competitive play in mind thanks to responsive triggers and durable thumbsticks.
In addition to being able to map your buttons and adjust stick sensitivity (including setting trigger dead zones to avoid costly mistakes), you can also choose or create up to four different gaming profiles for different players or games. And since environmental awareness is important in competitive gaming, GameSir made sure to include a 3.5mm audio jack for whatever headset you're rocking.
Jesse Lennox covers all things gaming but has a specific interest in all things PlayStation, JRPGs, and experimental indies. Jesse has been writing about games for over 10 years, starting off as a volunteer and eventually finding his way into doing it full-time. He is constantly striving to push his boundaries in what he covers and finds thought-provoking and important angles to highlight within the games industry.
Originally double-majoring in English and Education, Jesse came into games media as a profession by accident. After an unfortunate layoff, he took his passion for writing about games seriously and was lucky enough to find Digital Trends and other outlets such as Pocket-Lint, Classic Nerd, and Gamepur to write for. He has held numerous writing positions, as well as several editing roles, and is always on the hunt for new opportunities to grow his skillset.
Based in Colorado, Jesse spends at least two hours every morning training in the gym to set his mind straight before a full day of writing and gaming.
Imagine tapping a Zelda icon on your iPhone and jumping straight into Hyrule. A new open-source project called nxnative makes that possible by repackaging Switch games you’ve bought into apps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with no emulator in the middle.
Why does this run so well on Apple devices?
The Call of Duty franchise has held a special place in my heart ever since I played my first Black Ops game back in 2010. That game's campaign was something else, with twists and turns that culminated in a mind-blowing finale. We can all admit that compared to those older campaigns, the recent CODs have been lackluster at best, and a complete and utter disappointment at worst. The reboot of Modern Warfare did give me some hope, as the first two installments were actually quite good, but the third game left such a bad taste in my mouth that I wasn’t exactly expecting much from Modern Warfare 4.
After recently finishing the campaign, I can say that this installment is nothing like the recent releases and instead feels closer to the franchise’s roots. For the first time in a long while, the campaign comes across as well-crafted rather than rushed to hit a release date. It arrives three years after MW3, and you can see exactly where all that time went. It seems the studio finally made listening to player feedback a priority.
Epic Games has just announced the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam, which is looking to see how much game development can be squeezed into a very short window. This is running from November 12 through November 15.
Participants can work alone or in teams of up to five people, build in Unreal Engine or Unreal Editor for Fortnite, and bring along “as many AI agents as you want.” Epic explicitly encourages coding agents, AI-generated assets, audio tools, writing tools, and other AI systems. The official event page literally says "Vibe your way to $50k.”