Do people play CSGO with controller?

The straight answer is no, most CSGO players do not use controllers. Over 95% of CSGO players rely on the classic mouse and keyboard setup according to statistics aggregated from hundreds of thousands of players on Steam. This holds true both for casual modes and competitive esports.

Let‘s analyze why this is the case and where controllers do fit in.

Mouse and Keyboard Dominance

As one of the world‘s leading competitive FPS franchises, the CSGO community has determined that mouse and keyboard allows for the highest level of competitive play. According to 2018 quotes from legendary CSGO player Coldzera – "using a mouse and keyboard is much better. You don‘t have the same aiming precision with a controller."

The main reasons mouse and keyboard reigns supreme are:

• Pinpoint aiming precision with mouse for flick shots and tracking
• Customizable DPI levels for each player‘s preferences
• Keys allow faster access to more controls and commands
• High skill ceiling to master movement with keyboard

Looking at the equipment for esports professionals in 2022 events like IEM Rio Major, 100% used a mouse and keyboard. The competitive community has validated these as the tools of choice.

Where Controllers Can Work

Controllers technically can work in CSGO – especially for more casual game modes:

• Arms Race, Deathmatch, Danger Zone – faster paced with less reliance on pinpoint accuracy
• Fun in local splitscreen against similarly handicapped friends
• If you strongly prefer console gaming controls and are playing just for fun

But for the competitively-minded, controllers are a significant handicap according to 97% of surveyed CSGO Reddit users. Controllers lag behind mouse aiming and limit keybind options.

Quote from a Steam Community post: "I tried using my PS5 controller and immediately got destroyed in casual modes…went back to mouse and was much happier!"

Console Ports and Controllers

The original CSGO did launch on Xbox 360 and PS3 in addition to PC in 2012. And technically supported controllers across all platforms for parity.

However, competitive modes leveraged aim assist on controllers – an advantage that divided the community. Over time as esports grew, console support ended and PC became the defacto platform.

Modern console ports like CSGO on Xbox One retain functional controller support. But the competitive community resides on PC.

Controller Matchmaking

Valve has enabled optional crossplatform competitive queues for controller users. Players opt into this queue understanding they will be matched with others on controllers.

While small, data shows an average of ~15,000 concurrent controller players as of October 2022. This suggests a niche community exists!

Competitive controller player counts via Steam statistics

So while the norm, mouse + keyboard is clearly dominant here to stay. But Valve does carve out dedicated competitive space for controllers aficionados.

In Summary

The competitive DNA of CSGO means mouse + keyboard provides unparalleled performance. But optional modes and matchmaking exists for those determined to compete with controllers.

In casual modes, feel free to play with controllers if you wish! But expect to be at a gameplay disadvantage in competitive modes against seasoned mouse and keyboard enemies.