How to Remap Game Controller Buttons on Any Platform

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Video game button remapping is an important feature that can make gaming sessions more comfortable, make you a better player, and open up opportunities for new players. Unfortunately, not all games support custom controls, and some only offer a limited set of options. And even if the game offers reliable input settings, changing the settings in each game becomes tedious.

Fortunately, almost every modern gaming platform includes built-in accessibility options to remap controls for all games and apps you use on your device, even those that don’t typically support custom inputs.

Below you will find simple steps to remap button inputs to:

Before we get to the instructions, a quick note: while displaying system-level controls is convenient, it can cause confusion in the game. Some newer games automatically change in-game directions based on your system settings, but for older games, remapping controls doesn’t change any on-screen directions or guides.

For example, if you change the X button on your controller to the R1 trigger, the in-game text will still prompt you to press the X button, which can be confusing. Input changes will still apply – even if the game says “press X,” you’ll press the R1 trigger instead to perform the same action – but it’s important to keep this in mind before launching the game after changing your system controller settings.

Nintendo switch

These instructions apply to Switch Joycons, Pro Controller, and Switch Lite.

  1. Press the Home button, then select the gear-shaped settings icon from the bottom menu.
  2. Go to System Preferences> Controllers & Sensors> Change Button Assignments .
  3. Select the controller you want to reassign from the list, then select Change.
  4. Use the onscreen guide to remap the Switch controller buttons ( Note: Home, Sync, and Power and Volume buttons cannot be reassigned or disabled).
  5. When you’re happy with the new layout, select Back and then Done to confirm and save your changes.

Xbox Series X / S and Xbox One

Standard controller

  1. Press the Xbox button to bring up the Xbox Guide menu.
  2. Select Profile & System .
  3. Go to Settings> Ease of Access> Controller> Button Remap .
  4. Use the guide to remap your controller’s buttons.

Xbox Elite Controller and Xbox Adaptive Controllers

  1. Press the Xbox button to bring up the Xbox Guide menu.
  2. Go to My Games & Apps> View All> Apps.
  3. Open Xbox Accessories.
  4. Scroll down to Controller and select Configure.
  5. Select a profile or create a new one.
  6. From the profile menu, select the Mapping tab, then use the onscreen guide to remap the controls.

Playstation 5

  1. PS Button Press the DualSense controller to open the PS5 Home screen.
  2. Scroll and select Settings.
  3. Navigate to Accessibility> Controllers> Custom Button Assignments.
  4. Turn on “Enable custom button assignments”.
  5. Select “Custom Button Assignments” and re-arrange the buttons using the on-screen manual.
  6. You can also select “Toggle Left and Right Analog Sticks” to swap their game functions.

Playstation 4

  1. Press the PS button on your DualShock 4 controller, then go to Settings> Accessibility .
  2. Select Customize Button Assignments.
  3. Use the menu to remap the buttons on your controller.
  4. Select “Confirm” to save your changes.

Apple (iOS, iPadOS, Apple TV)

Apple products support a variety of Bluetooth game controllers, and the company is gradually adding useful features such as button remapping to the Settings app. Xbox controllers are the newest devices to receive full button customization in iOS, but many other gamepads can be remapped as well.

  1. Connect a supported controller to your Apple device via Bluetooth.
  2. Open the Settings app and go to General> Game Controller> Settings.
  3. Select Enable Settings.
  4. Use the menus to customize the input parameters. The available settings will depend on the controller you are using. For example, the menu will list the A, B, X, and Y buttons for Xbox controllers, and the triangle, square, circle, and cross buttons for the PlayStation controller.
  5. You can also create custom input profiles for individual games from this menu – just scroll down the controller settings menu, click Add App, then select an app or game from the list.

Android

Unfortunately, there are not many built-in controllers in Android, and there is no way to initially change the button functions in the Android Settings app. Completely remapping your Bluetooth controller to Android requires a third party app like Mantis Gamepad or 8bitDo remapping app (which can be used with its controllers).

PC

There are many ways to remap controls on a PC. To keep things simple, we’ll focus on two of the easiest methods: using the Steam controller settings and the Windows 10 Xbox Accessories app. Both options should cover most of the games and controllers you’ll be playing. That said, if these methods don’t work for you, there is probably another solution, from official (and unofficial) apps to checking in-game settings.

Reassigning controls on Steam

Note. Steam makes it easy to apply custom controls from Steam settings, but changes must be applied for every game you play.

  1. Connect a Steam supported controller to your PC via USB or Bluetooth (a list of Steam supported controllers is available here).
  2. Open Steam and turn on Big Picture Mode. If this is your first time using the device, go to Settings> Controller Settings> Add Controller and follow the instructions for using your controller on Steam.
  3. Go to the Library tab and highlight the game.
  4. Choose Game Control> Controller Configuration.
  5. Change the layout to your liking, or select Browse to import your own layout uploaded by another user.
  6. Save your changes, then repeat these steps for any other games you use a controller.

Customize the Button Layout in the Xbox Accessories app for Windows

This works for Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S, Xbox Elite, and Xbox Adaptive controllers connected to your PC.

  1. Download the Xbox Accessories app from the Microsoft Store.
  2. Connect your Xbox controller to your computer.
  3. Open the Xbox Accessories app and select your controller.
  4. Click Configure.
  5. Select a profile or create a new one.
  6. From the Configure menu, use the drop-down menus to create your preferred controller input, or select one of the predefined button assignments.
  7. When finished, select Back . Your changes will be saved.
  8. Make sure the controller profile is set to slot 1.
  9. You can now close the application and start playing.

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