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How to play Genshin Impact on Android with a controller

Design choices have made controller support somewhat confusing.
By

Published onDecember 19, 2023

Genshin Impact is one of the most popular “free-to-play” action RPGs in the world, helped by its support for mobile play on Android, iPhone, and iPad. A controller, of course, can potentially make any action game better, especially when compared with touchscreen inputs that block your view and smudge your display.

QUICK ANSWER

  1. Set up a controller mapping tool such as Mantis Gamepad Pro.
  2. Watch the opening cutscene and complete Paimon's tutorial.
  3. Tap the Paimon menu in the top-left corner of the gameplay screen, next to the mini-map.
  4. Tap the gear icon to open the Settings menu, then Controls.
  5. Put your controller into pairing mode (if it uses Bluetooth).
  6. Tap Control Type, then select Controller in the drop-down menu.

JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS

Can you play Genshin Impact on Android with a controller?

GameSir X3 controller with Genshin Impact
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority

Yes you can, although enabling controller support is a more convoluted than it needs to be. To even open up the option you need to watch the game’s opening cutscene, meet Paimon, then follow a tutorial teaching the game’s basic touchscreen controls, including a combat encounter. This is in contrast to many Android games, which let you use a USB or Bluetooth gamepad from the jump.

On top of that, you’ll need to re-pair every time, and the game doesn’t have official controller support on Android. That means using something like the Razer Kishi V2‘s Virtual Controller mode, or a third-party mapping app such as Mantis Gamepad Pro.

How to play Genshin Impact on Android with a controller

Genshin Impact best adventure games for Android

Follow these steps to enable a controller:

  • First, setup a controller mapping tool such as Mantis Gamepad Pro or Razer’s Virtual Controller. You may need to spend a little time here tailoring it for Genshin.
  • Watch the game’s opening cutscene and complete Paimon’s tutorial if you haven’t already.
  • Tap the Paimon menu, which is found in the top-left corner of the gameplay screen, next to the mini-map.
  • Tap the gear icon to open the Settings menu, then choose Controls.
  • Put your controller into pairing mode if it uses Bluetooth.
  • Tap Control Type, then select Controller in the drop-down menu.
  • Later, you can go back to the Controls menu to adjust camera sensitivity, or possibly invert the Y-axis (up-down movement) if you prefer aircraft-style controls. Don’t invert the X-axis.

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