The Best Phone Controllers for Mobile Gaming in 2025

Following the occurrence of the archetypal Backbone One, the all-new Backbone Pro refines and expands connected everything that made the archetypal mentation truthful special. In my review, I recovered that it adds meaningful upgrades similar customizable backmost buttons and built-in Bluetooth connectivity, pushing mobile gaming adjacent person to a console-quality experience.

The Backbone Pro is noticeably much comfy than its predecessor. Its thumbsticks are larger and present diagnostic a textured grip ringing for amended power portion playing. The grips person besides been redesigned to beryllium much ergonomic with a laser-etched aboveground that some makes it much comfy and reduces slippage, adjacent during agelong gaming sessions.

Arguably the biggest caller diagnostic connected the Backbone Pro is the summation of built-in Bluetooth. Dubbed FlowState, this wirelessly connects the controller to outer devices similar an iPad, PC, Mac, and definite astute TVs to play oregon watercourse games remotely without an other controller. You tin adjacent make customized profiles that saves your unsocial settings crossed platforms.

To enactment its caller wireless functionality, the Backbone Pro includes dual rechargeable batteries housed successful each grip. This adds invited heft and provides up to 40 hours of artillery beingness connected a azygous charge. The pass-through USB-C charging lets you recharge your telephone portion besides topping disconnected the controller.

The Backbone app remains 1 of the champion available, combining mobile crippled and streaming services similar Xbox Cloud Gaming, PS Remote Play, and Steam Link into 1 user-friendly interface. With the merchandise of the Pro, the app besides introduces a built-in retro crippled emulator and expanded customization options, making the acquisition much versatile than ever.

The Razer Kishi V2 walked truthful the Razer Kishi Ultra could run. With a plan that's akin to the Razer Wolverine V2 controller, the Razer Kishi Ultra offers console-quality gaming connected the go. It features an expandable mediate conception for slotting smartphones oregon smaller tablets and iPads into the USB-C port. You tin besides usage the gamepad arsenic a PC controller via a wired USB-C connection. Since it connects straight to your device, there's zero latency portion playing, making this an perfect enactment for competitory games and casual games alike.

Razer packed the Kishi Ultra afloat of large features, including full-size analog sticks and triggers. Its Mecha-Tactile buttons are ace responsive and precise satisfying, clicking similar a rodent erstwhile pressed. In lieu of customizable backmost buttons, the Kishi Ultra has 2 tiny L4 and R4 buttons nestled successful betwixt the enarthrosis buttons and triggers connected apical of the controller. These buttons tin relation similar immoderate different fastener connected the controller, oregon beryllium utilized arsenic a macro for aggregate inputs.

The Razer Nexus app ties each of your mobile games and services unneurotic successful a unified hub. You tin easy motorboat Xbox Cloud Gaming oregon PlayStation Remote Play, oregon leap consecutive into 1 of your favourite mobile games without having to permission the app. Additionally, it has plentifulness of settings to tinker with, specified arsenic customizable RGB strips connected the sides of the controller, remapping buttons, adjusting dormant zones, and more. However, immoderate cardinal features are constricted to Android devices, similar Razer’s immersive Sensa HD Haptics and Virtual Controller Mode, which lets you representation carnal buttons for games that diagnostic on-screen interaction controls.

Scuf brings its pro-caliber controls and customization to the mobile gaming abstraction for the archetypal clip with its Nomad controller. It's got a sturdy physique with immoderate much-needed heft that makes it consciousness similar much than a elemental portion of integrative with buttons attached. It pairs to your iPhone via Bluetooth and features its ain built-in battery, preserving your phone's artillery a spot longer portion playing.

For the archetypal clip crossed Scuf's full controller merchandise line, the Nomad features Hall Effect sensors successful the joysticks truthful you won't ever acquisition instrumentality drift, nary substance however unsmooth you are connected the controller. Similar to Scuf's full-size controller options, the Nomad besides includes a acceptable of interchangeable thumbstick caps that tin beryllium hot-swapped based connected your preference.

The fastener layout is surely an unusual decision, fixed Scuf's past with competitive-grade controllers. Instead of a accepted Xbox oregon PlayStation-style layout, the Nomad features thing much akin to the Steam Deck, with some thumbsticks aligned symetrically crossed the apical and the D-pad and look buttons beneath each one. Customizable backmost buttons connected the rear of the controller tin beryllium remapped to immoderate of the look buttons.

The accompanying Scuf app features plentifulness much under-the-hood customization, specified arsenic adjusting trigger effect curves and dormant zones, arsenic good arsenic creating 3 profiles that you tin easy swap betwixt connected the alert depending connected the game.

However, the Scuf Nomad is presently an iPhone-only controller with nary definitive timeline for Android support. Additionally, the deficiency of pass-through charging connected the controller means you'll request to support a adjacent oculus connected your phone's artillery to guarantee it doesn't tally retired portion playing.

The Backbone One was 1 of the archetypal telephone controllers to diagnostic the expandable plan seen crossed truthful galore modern telephone controllers, and it's inactive arguably 1 of the champion options disposable today. While the elemental plan and deficiency of full-size thumbsticks and triggers whitethorn dissuade some, it's inactive a large enactment for casual mobile gamers who aren't looking for the astir competitory experience.

It features either a Lightning connector to link with bequest iOS devices, oregon a USB-C connector for current-generation iPhones and modern Android phones (just beryllium definite to bargain the mentation compatible with your phone). The bottommost of the controller besides includes a passthrough charging port, allowing you to complaint your telephone portion playing, arsenic good arsenic a 3.5mm auxiliary larboard if you similar to usage wired headphones.

The Backbone One app is astatine the halfway of the acquisition and is portion of what makes this controller truthful special. By pressing the orangish fastener connected the controller, it instantly launches the app and provides you with a console-like experience, implicit with a location surface featuring each of your mobile games and connected services. You tin rapidly bounce betwixt immoderate crippled connected your telephone astatine the propulsion of a button, oregon leap into fashionable streaming services similar Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation Remote Play, GeForce Now, Steam Link, and more.

Backbone One's 2nd procreation update made immoderate tiny but meaningful improvements to the controller including an improved D-pad arsenic good arsenic adding magnetic adapters that drawback into the sides of the controller to accomodate a wider scope of phones – adjacent with cases attached.

Backbone One besides features an officially licensed PlayStation variation that comes successful a striking off-white colour inspired by the PS5's DualSense controller and includes the PlayStation's ineffable symbols crossed the 4 look buttons.

The Asus ROG Tessen is 1 of the champion mobile telephone controllers connected the market, with its biggest drawback being that it lone works with Android devices, making this a no-go for iPhone users. What truly sets it isolated from different controllers is its unsocial foldable design, perfect for on-the-go gaming without sacrificing durability.

The look buttons and D-pad diagnostic mechanical switches, giving them a near-instant tactile feeling erstwhile pressed that's akin to an optical mouse. The analog sticks are connected par with console-grade controllers and are buttery creaseless to rotate. The backmost of the controller besides features 2 aluminum backmost paddles that tin easy beryllium mapped connected the alert oregon done the Armoury Crate app.

You tin remap astir each fastener connected the ROG Tessen, including look buttons, bumpers, triggers, and the rear paddles done the aforementioned Armoury Crate app. However, speech from the constricted customization, the app doesn't connection overmuch other and feels alternatively primitive compared to galore alternatives.

Since the ROG Tessen features a nonstop USB-C transportation to your Android device, it offers zero latency gaming. It besides includes an 18W passthrough USB-C charger connected the bottommost of the instrumentality to link further devices oregon to complaint your telephone portion you play.

The GameSir X2s takes overmuch of what made the X2 Pro large and improves upon galore of its halfway features – and astatine a budget-friendly price. The plan is mostly the aforesaid – it's inactive fundamentally a rounded rectangle – making it somewhat uncomfortable for those with larger hands since it lacks immoderate meaningful grips. It inactive suffers from the aforesaid flimsy, integrative physique prime too.

What has improved, however, is the summation of Hall Effect sensors to the joysticks. This is simply a fantastic upgrade arsenic it efficaciously eliminates instrumentality drift, which is large for a instrumentality that's apt to beryllium tossed into a container with nary extortion portion youre connected the go. The X2s besides features analog triggers for much precision during gameplay. You tin adjacent rapidly toggle betwixt a hairsbreadth trigger mode for shooters that allows you to occurrence much quickly.

Originally designed for Android devices with its built-in USB-C connector, the X2s besides works with the iPhone 15 bid and newer. However, astir of the GameSir app's features are inactive constricted to Android devices, meaning iPhone users won't beryllium capable to remap buttons oregon customize settings connected the device.

The X2s besides features a passthrough USB-C larboard for charging your instrumentality portion playing. For those who don't privation to interest astir draining their phone's battery, there's besides Bluetooth enactment disposable that works crossed each iOS and Android devices.