Keyboard and Mouse vs Controller Usage on PC Statistics 2026

Valve’s latest session split, from June 2024, puts controllers in up to 15% of daily Steam game sessions. Logitech’s April to June 2026 quarter showed Pointing Devices sales up 16%. This breakdown of keyboard and mouse vs controller usage on PC covers Valve’s session data, controller use by genre, Logitech peripheral sales, 2025’s most-played controller games and demand for the 2026 Steam Controller.

Keyboard and Mouse vs Controller Usage on PC Statistics

How Many PC Gaming Sessions Use a Controller vs Keyboard and Mouse?

Controllers appeared in up to 15% of daily Steam game sessions as of June 2024, according to Valve. The company put the 2018 level at about 5%, so daily controller use tripled in six years.

About 42% of those controller sessions ran through Steam Input. Valve’s remapping layer supports over 300 controllers and custom button bindings.

The chart plots Valve’s three published readings, including about 10% from a February 2021 Steamworks post. Valve has not published a keyboard-and-mouse share, and no newer session split from Valve was found as of September 2026.

These shares count game sessions, not accounts. Steam’s platform-wide user figures are tracked on a different basis.

Source: Valve, Steam News, June 2024; Valve Steamworks announcement, February 2021

Controller vs Keyboard and Mouse Usage by Game Genre

Valve’s genre breakdown dates from February 2021, and it is the most recent genre split from Valve found for this article. Many RTS games saw controller use below 1%, while first-person shooters sat at 7-8%.

Third-person action games ran at 40-50% of players on a controller. Many sports and fighting games passed 70% of sessions.

Racing and skating games could top 90% of players using a controller.

Valve described some genres by share of sessions and others by share of players, so the figures are not directly comparable. They work as a dated 2021 snapshot.

Source: Valve Steamworks announcement, February 2021, as reported by PC Gamer

Logitech Mouse Sales Rose 16% in the April to June 2026 Quarter

Keyboard-and-mouse demand shows up in peripheral revenue rather than session counts. Logitech’s latest 10-Q, for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, reported Pointing Devices sales up 16%.

April to June 2026 quarter

Source: Logitech Form 10-Q, three months ended June 30, 2026

Logitech tied the 12% Gaming rise mainly to PC gaming mice, particularly the PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE launched in fiscal Q4 2026, plus steering wheels.

Pointing Devices covers PC and Mac mice, trackballs and presentation tools. Office products sit inside that figure.

Fiscal 2026 full year

For the year ended March 31, 2026, Pointing Devices grew 9%, while Keyboards & Combos and Gaming each grew 6%. Total company sales also rose 6%.

Gaming growth came mainly from PC gaming mice and steering wheels, Logitech said. Gaming sales declined in the Americas while Asia Pacific and EMEA grew.

Logitech defines Gaming as PC gaming mice, headsets and keyboards, steering wheels, console gaming headsets, microphones and Streamlabs services. Broader PC gaming hardware spending is measured separately.

Source: Logitech Form 10-K, fiscal year ended March 31, 2026

Which Controllers Do PC Players Use on Steam?

Xbox controllers accounted for 59% of Steam controller sessions in June 2024. PlayStation controllers took 26%, and Steam Deck’s built-in controls 10%.

These shares describe controller sessions only, not all Steam sessions. Sony’s retail side appears in these DualSense sales figures.

Hardware volume for Valve’s handheld is covered by separate Steam Deck shipment estimates.

Source: Valve, Steam News, June 2024; related: https://commandlinux.com/statistics/steam-deck-linux-usage-growth-statistics/

Most-Played Controller Games on Steam in 2025

Valve’s Best of 2025 charts rank games by unique players who launched them with a controller during calendar 2025. Six of the top 10 released that year.

Source: Valve, Steam Best of 2025 charts, calendar year 2025

FromSoftware holds the first two spots. Hazelight’s co-op titles It Takes Two and Split Fiction both make the top 10.

The ranking counts players, not shares. It does not show what portion of each game’s audience used a controller.

For catalog-wide context, see these Steam game release and revenue figures.

Steam Controller 2026: Launch Sellout and a Queue Into 2027

Valve’s second-generation Steam Controller went on sale May 4, 2026, priced at $99 in the US. Tom’s Guide reported that launch stock sold out within 30 minutes.

Buyers then moved to a reservation queue. On June 18, 2026, Valve said initial demand had exceeded its expectations.

That update split reservations into three estimated order windows: by September 2026, by December 2026 and 2027. New reservations from that date showed a 2027 estimate.

Invited buyers get 72 hours to complete an order. Valve said it has no plans to stop making the controller.

Reservations are not sales, and Valve has not published Steam Controller unit sales.

Source: Valve, Steam Hardware announcement, June 18, 2026; Tom’s Guide launch coverage, May 2026

FAQs

Do most PC gamers use a controller or keyboard and mouse?

Controllers remain the minority on Steam. Valve’s June 2024 data put controllers in up to 15% of daily Steam game sessions. Valve has not published a separate keyboard-and-mouse share.

What percentage of PC gamers use a controller?

Valve measures sessions, not people. Up to 15% of daily Steam game sessions used a controller in June 2024, up from about 5% in 2018.

What is the most used controller on PC?

Xbox controllers lead, with 59% of Steam controller sessions in Valve’s June 2024 data. PlayStation controllers held 26% and Steam Deck 10%.

How many PC players use a controller for shooters?

First-person shooters sat at 7-8% controller use in Valve’s February 2021 Steamworks figures. RTS games were often below 1%, while racing and skating games could exceed 90%.

Why does Reddit say most PC gamers use keyboard and mouse?

Valve’s numbers back that view. Controllers appeared in up to 15% of daily Steam game sessions in June 2024, and first-person shooters showed 7-8% controller use in February 2021.

Sources