Controller vs mouse and keyboard setup – Which is better for competitive first-person shooters?

The age-old debate of keyboard versus controller is not easily solved for the video game industry as a whole. Still, the FPS genre does have fairly clear preferences regarding the best control type for competitive play.

There are many ways to experience a first-person shooter, so we’ve created this guide to help you navigate which control setup is better, especially if you want to compete in ranked play or tournaments.

For casual play, controllers are by far the more popular way to experience video games, including first-person shooters, but only on consoles. Gaming consoles come equipped with a controller, and many players don’t even realise that a mouse and keyboard can be connected to their system.

On the flip side, competitive gamers and esports athletes tend to favour a mouse and keyboard because this setup comes with various advantages that boost performance. Some companies, such as Nintendo, are beginning to design controllers with functionalities similar to those of a mouse and keyboard.

The new Joy-Cons for the Nintendo Switch 2 can essentially transform into a mouse on flat surfaces, which offers a way to introduce casual gamers to a more competitive setup. As consoles such as Xbox become further linked with PC gaming, we could see more innovations like the mouse mode for the Switch 2 Joy-Cons, which might shift the popularity of different control types over time.

For decades, the mouse and keyboard setup has been the gold standard for competitive gaming. As more consoles have added mouse and keyboard support, an influx of gamers has made the shift.

A mouse offers quicker aim and turn speed compared to that of a controller, regardless of the console. Players can choose where to hover a mouse, as opposed to using a joystick to slowly adjust their point of view.

Keyboards also come equipped with a plethora of keys and buttons, so you can more easily adjust your setup. Overall, a keyboard and mouse offer speed and are more customisable than a controller, but the lack of aim assist does hold this setup back in some competitive first-person shooters, such as Apex Legends.

Controllers are simple to understand, and most popular gaming consoles have one inside the original packaging. Ease of access isn’t the only advantage controllers have, as aim assist is often incredibly powerful in video games like Call of Duty or Apex Legends. Aim assist is a major advantage in many games and more than enough for many players to make the switch.

There are even some options, like the Xbox Elite Controller, that have extra customisation via adjustable buttons or joysticks. In the esports scene, there are plenty of examples of pro FPS athletes who prefer a controller. One such player is ImperialHal, an Apex Legends athlete who recently won the ALGS Open in New Orleans.

Though accuracy and speed are often inhibited by using a controller in FPS games, a controller can still be useful due to its easy-to-learn setup and aim assist advantage. Mouse and keyboard are generally better gameplay-wise. However, many FPS developers implement aim assist to help controller players thrive, so it’s arguably better for games like Apex Legends.

Though mouse and keyboard have been the standard setup for competitive first-person shooters for decades, the introduction of controller-mouse hybrids may be the innovation gamers need to try new ways to play.

Esports Insider predicts that while mouse and keyboard will always have a major place in the FPS genre, new controller players will emerge as more gamers enter into esports tournaments, and the Switch 2 could help drive this shift. Many of the best esports athletes in history favour a controller, so every setup is viable in 2025.