How to set up the Steam Controller for Game Pass and Epic Games on PC

¿How to configure the Steam Controller for Game Pass and Epic Games on PC? Configuring a controller on a PC still has its tricks, especially when we mix Steam Controller, Microsoft Game Pass, and Epic Games gamesEach platform fights its own battles, and that translates into limitations, drivers that are conspicuously absent, and tricks that the community has had to refine over time to be able to play without going crazy.

If you're here, it's because you want to know. How to use the Steam Controller with Game Pass and Epic Games titlesWe'll cover what you can officially do, what you'll have to "fix" with third-party solutions, and how to avoid common problems like the game insisting on keyboard controls even when you're using a controller. Let's take a step-by-step look at everything you need to know to prevent your controller from becoming a €99 paperweight.

Real limitations of the Steam Controller with Game Pass on PC

The first thing is to understand why the Steam Controller does not work natively with Game Pass, while a Xbox controller The PlayStation 5 controller does so without issue. The key lies in how Valve has designed its controller and, above all, what it depends on to function on Windows.

Unlike an Xbox controller, which brings specific drivers integrated into WindowsThe new Steam Controller does not include native drivers for Microsoft's operating system. Its operation depends almost entirely on Steam Input, the translation layer that the Steam client incorporates so that the controller "pretends" to be another type of controller compatible with games.

This means that, for the Steam Controller to work in a PC game, Steam needs to be able to connect to that executable.It applies its own input layer and translates the controller's actions into something the game understands. If Steam can't access the game, the controller is left out.

And that's where Game Pass comes in. Windows 11 (and also in Windows 10, although with some nuances), the games installed with the Xbox app and Game Pass subscription They are stored within system folders with restricted permissions. These folders are heavily protected; the user can barely access them, and other external applications, such as the Steam client itself, also lack direct and clean access to these executables.

Because of those permit restrictions, Steam fails to interact directly with many Game Pass executables.As a result, it cannot apply Steam Input to them, and the Steam Controller is unable to send its inputs correctly. The practical result is that the controller doesn't respond as it should, or it may not even be usable.

If we compare this situation with other stores, the difference becomes clearer: games installed from GOG, Epic Games Store or other platforms They are usually stored in much more open directories, where Steam can connect its tools, add the game as an external title, and activate Steam Input support without too many problems.

Why it works with GOG and Epic, but clashes with Game Pass

In stores like GOG or Epic, games are usually installed in paths like "C:\\Games" or "C:\\Program Files"where the user and other applications have fairly standard read and execute permissions. This allows the Steam client to locate the game's executable and add it without issue as a "non-Steam game".

Once added, simply activate the Steam Input support for that specific title And the Steam Controller starts functioning like a standard gamepad. In these circumstances, the controller can emulate an Xbox controller, a PlayStation controller, or even a keyboard and mouse, depending on the profile you configure.

The problem with Game Pass isn't that the game itself is incompatible with controllers, but that the Xbox app and the Windows 11 permissions system This makes it very difficult for Steam to "see" the game as something it can get hooked on. This causes the problem: without Steam Input, the Steam Controller can do practically nothing because there are no native drivers to support it.

Some users have tried tricks to Add games from the Microsoft Store or Game Pass to Steam as external titles, but in many cases these methods break: access to the executable fails, the game doesn't launch, or the Xbox app opens without Steam being able to maintain control of the window. In those scenarios, the Steam Controller ceases to be useful for that particular game.

This behavior has led more than one person to think that the The new Steam Controller is designed as a product focused on the Valve ecosystem.The maneuver is reminiscent of what happened with the first model of the controller: in practice, if you wanted to use it comfortably, you were "forced" to go through Steam, and any alternative was left to third-party solutions and the community.

The community solution: GlosSI (Global SteamInput)

When Valve launched its first Steam Controller, many users ran into the same problem: Outside of Steam, the controller was virtually unusable.Instead of resigning themselves to it, the PC enthusiast community rolled up their sleeves and created an open-source tool called GlosSI (Global SteamInput).

GlosSI acts as a kind of bridge between the system, Steam Input and the games that were not purchased on Steam. It can be obtained on GitHub and its philosophy is quite simple: to allow Steam Input to also work with software that, in principle, would be beyond its reach, such as games from the Microsoft Store or Game Pass.

In the context of the new Steam Controller, everything points to the fact that GlosSI will once again play a key roleGiven that Valve has essentially repeated the same move in terms of architecture—a controller without its own drivers, total dependence on Steam Input—it is highly likely that the developers of GlosSI will update the tool to be compatible with the new hardware.

It is striking that The solution to such an obvious compatibility problem does not come from the manufacturer.but rather from independent developers who, in many cases, work in their spare time. For the end user, this means that if you want to use the Steam Controller with Game Pass under decent conditions, you'll have to rely on external software and unofficial instructions.

If you already have Game Pass and the Steam Controller catches your eye because of its price or specifications, it's wise to consider whether you're willing to pull GlosSI or other similar tools to bypass the limitations imposed by Valve and the Microsoft ecosystem. If you prefer everything to work plug and play, this controller might not be the ideal choice for your specific use case.

Steam Controller and its commercial approach versus compatibility

The way Valve has chosen to approach the Steam Controller is not just a technical matter, but also a clearly commercial decisionThe fact that the controller relies entirely on Steam Input and that there are no native drivers for Windows pushes, more or less directly, the user to play primarily through Steam.

If you think about it rationally, what happens is that Any game outside the Steam ecosystem becomes secondaryIf it can be "rescued" from the client by adding it as an external game, perfect. If not—as is the case with many Game Pass titles—the controller ceases to be a convenient option and becomes a very limited peripheral.

Many players interpret this as a strategy by Valve to to prevent users from buying from other stores like the Microsoft StoreUltimately, if the flagship controller only works well with your own platform, people are more likely to stick with where everything works right out of the box and don't have to install community patches.

This approach contrasts with the attitude of other manufacturers, such as Microsoft or Sony, who have More open drivers for your controllers on WindowsThis allows them to be used with a wide variety of stores and services without too much hassle. In the case of the Steam Controller, the feeling is that the priority has been for it to shine within Steam, even if that means sacrificing convenience in other environments.

Despite these drawbacks, it is undeniable that, if we look solely at its use within Steam, The new Steam Controller offers interesting features at a good price.Full integration with Steam Input, advanced customization, profiles for almost any type of controller, and options like gyroscope support (when the game and settings allow it). The problem is that all of that fades away as soon as you leave Valve's walled garden.

Configure the Steam Controller for Epic Games on PC

In the Epic Games Store sphere, the story is very different from Game Pass, because Epic doesn't lock its games inside such secure foldersThis opens the door for you to use the Steam Controller quite effectively, provided you understand the key trick: you have to rely on Steam and the appropriate Steam Input profiles.

A very practical option is to start from the “Desktop Layout” settings within SteamThis is a general profile that defines how the Steam Controller behaves when you are not inside a Steam game, but using the operating system or any other external application.

To adjust this profile, you usually go to the controller settings section in the Steam client, enter the desktop layout, click on edit, and select the option to “Official design for…”From there, you can switch to standard "gamepad" mode and use it as a base for your games from Epic and other stores other than Steam.

Once that gamepad design has been selected as a base, it is important assign each button, trigger, and stick on the Steam Controller to the controls of a traditional gamepad. This way, when you launch an Epic game outside of Steam, the system will interpret your actions as if they were coming from a generic gamepad compatible with most modern games.

It is also advisable export that desktop design profile to save it, so you can easily retrieve or duplicate it whenever you need to adapt it to a new title. Many users create specific variations for certain games and then switch profiles depending on what they're playing at any given time.

One detail to keep in mind is that, for this type of use, You don't need to open Epic games through SteamThe desktop profile works at the operating system level, so any game running on your PC—including Epic games—will receive input from the Steam Controller as if it were a conventional controller. The catch is that advanced features like the gyroscope may not behave the same as when launching the game from Steam with full Steam Input support.

Using the gyroscope and advanced features with non-Steam games

The Steam Controller's gyroscope is one of those features that, on paper, sounds fantastic for aiming precisely in shooters or for fine movementsHowever, its functionality depends heavily on integration with Steam Input and how the game receives input.

When playing within Steam and the title has adequate support, the gyroscope can be configured to emulate mouse movements, analog stick axes, or other more advanced schemesThis allows, for example, using the gyroscope only when a specific button is held down, or mixing it with the right stick input for fairly fine hybrid control.

In the case of Game Pass games or games from platforms where Steam doesn't quite catch on, several users have found that The gyroscope simply doesn't respond or doesn't behave as it should.Without the fully operational Steam Input layer, that functionality is crippled and ends up being impractical or simply unusable.

For games from Epic or other stores that can be launched with some Steam control—either as external games added to the client or using highly customized desktop profiles—the gyroscope's behavior can vary considerably. In some cases, acceptable mouse emulation is achieved; in others, The result is inconsistent and requires a lot of trial and error. in the Steam Input settings.

Therefore, if the gyroscope is a key feature for you, it's important to consider that, Outside of the pure Steam ecosystem, its reliability is low.It might work in some titles, break in others, or you might simply never find a comfortable setting that doesn't interfere with the rest of the control scheme.

Common problems with controllers in Epic Games (God of War, Uncharted)

Beyond the Steam Controller, the Epic Games Store is also experiencing curious issues even with controllers that are theoretically fully compatible, such as the Xbox Series X. Some players have reported specific problems with titles like God of War and Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves.

In these cases, the game detects the controller, recognizes the buttons and responds when they are pressed, but the The interface continues to display the on-screen keyboard keys. instead of the controller icons. Furthermore, in certain scenarios, situations have been described where the left analog stick—the one used to move the character—doesn't work correctly because the game gets "stuck" on the keyboard control scheme.

The most annoying symptom is that every time a button is pressed or a stick is moved, The interface switches erratically between keyboard and controller mappingIn practice, this makes playing uncomfortable or even impossible, because some actions are not assigned correctly and the character's movement is affected.

Among the possible causes being considered are mapping conflicts between the game's native input layer and other utilities that manage controllersThis can be due to factors such as Steam Input, additional drivers, or third-party software. It can also be influenced by the game expecting a specific type of controller (for example, an Xbox controller) and receiving signals that don't correctly identify the device.

In situations like this, a basic recommendation is to check if there are any active ones. two mapping layers at the same timeFor example, the Epic Games or game's own credentials, plus another from Steam or another tool. Disabling redundant credentials, testing with only one input method, and restarting the game from scratch usually helps clarify the source of the problem.

If the game still recognizes the controller but insists on using the keyboard as the primary input, sometimes you have to go into the game control optionsTo force the command scheme and restart the session, in modern titles like God of War or Uncharted, these options are usually available in the settings menu, although actual behavior may vary depending on the version and installed patches.

Steam Controller as your primary controller if you use Game Pass

Given all of the above, the big question is: Does it make sense to buy a Steam Controller if you regularly use Game Pass on PC? The answer largely depends on your priorities. If you spend most of your gaming time on Steam, a controller can be a very attractive option. But if you primarily use Game Pass, things get more complicated.

As we have seen, the lack of native drivers for Windows This makes the controller entirely dependent on Steam Input. As soon as you try to move outside of that environment, the experience becomes unreliable. And with Game Pass, due to the blocking of installation paths and system folder permissions, this dependency becomes a significant barrier.

If you already pay for Game Pass and want a controller that works as soon as you plug it in with the Xbox app gamesIt's much more practical to opt for an Xbox controller or even for a PlayStation controller with the right software. Both have more direct support on Windows, without needing to go through complex intermediate layers like Steam Input.

Only if you are willing to use third-party tools like GlosSI, tinkering with advanced settings And while accepting that some Game Pass games will be resistant, the Steam Controller can fit into an environment where Game Pass is the main focus. Otherwise, you run the risk of paying for a very capable controller that you'll only fully utilize in a portion of your library.

However, if your main library is on Steam and you only use Game Pass occasionally, the impact is much smaller. In that scenario, the Steam Controller is best enjoyed on Valve's platform, and for the few Game Pass titles that don't quite fit, you can always... Use another secondary controller that is better integrated with Windows.

The current situation makes it clear that, although technically it would be possible to offer a native driver so that the Steam Controller would work without SteamValve doesn't seem to have it among its priorities. Until that changes, the controller will remain heavily tied to use within the company's client, with its integration into other ecosystems hanging by a thread.

Looking at the big picture—limitations with Game Pass, better compatibility with GOG and Epic, reliance on Steam Input, and community workarounds like Glossi—it's pretty clear that the Steam Controller shines when you play on Steam and loses steam as soon as you step outside that comfort zone. If you value maximum cross-platform flexibility, a controller with Broad official support on Windows and less dependence on a single ecosystemConversely, if your gaming heart is on Steam and you only occasionally visit other stores, Valve's controller remains a powerful option, provided you keep in mind its technical and commercial limitations.