You can connect Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers to your PC


The Nintendo Switch is a hybrid console that allows you to play games wherever you are: at home or on the go! But that’s not all, you can also use your Joy-Con controllers to quietly play games on your PC.

Arguably one of the reasons so many gamers love the Nintendo Switch is its versatility. The nomadic console can take different forms depending on the place and according to your desires. But this is not its one and only asset: it also connects very easily to PCs.

Pair of gray left and right Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers // Source: Nintendo

Joy-Con gamepads can be connected to almost any PC or Mac that supports Bluetooth, making them a great option for retro games or multiplayer titles that require another controller.

If you’re looking to add a Nintendo touch to your favorite PC games, or just don’t have the proper controllers, we’ll explain it all in this article.

How to Connect Joy-Con to PC

  • First, open your PC’s settings menu;
  • Select “Bluetooth and other devices”. On Mac, select System Preferences > Bluetooth.
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  • Select “Add Bluetooth or other device”;
  • Click Bluetooth.
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  • In the next step, you have to hold down the sync button on your Joy-Con, which is the little black dot between the SL and SR buttons.
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A Joy-Con controller placed against a laptop ventilation grille, with its synchronization light on in the orange circle // Source: Rayan Assad
  • Select Joy-Con from the menu. Your controller will now be paired. For some reason the sync lights on the Joy-Con keep flashing even when the controller is paired, but as long as you follow these steps you will stay connected.
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Finally, it is important to specify this since the Joy-Con controllers consist of two units: be aware that your PC will recognize the Joy-Con as separate controllers. If you want to play multiplayer games, this is a great option. However, if you want to play complex games solo, you’ll need to take extra steps to use Joy-Cons as a single unit.

How to Connect the Joy-Cons as One Unit

If you want to connect Joy-Con as a single unit, there are several programs and apps that can help you do that. Unfortunately, this method only works with Windows, so it’s not available if you have a Mac device.

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Joy-Con in a single unit // Source: Nintendo
  • Connect your Joy-Con controllers to your computer.
  • Download BetterJoy from BetterJoy.
  • Extract the files to a folder of your choice.
  • Open subfolders and run ViGEmBUS_Setup as administrator.
  • Install the drivers.
  • After installing the drivers, navigate to the main folder.
  • Run BetterJoyForCemu as administrator.
  • The program will now recognize your controllers as a single unit.

What PC games work with Joy-Cons?

As you can imagine, Joy-Cons are not a perfect solution for some PC games. The controller works great with games like Tekken 7. But, some titles such asElden Ring Where god of war are not at all made to be played with the Joy-Con of the Switch. It’s also worth noting that it’s necessary to change the buttons in each game’s settings menu – which makes sense, given that the Joy-Cons have a different button layout than a standard PC controller.

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Fight Akuma against Jin Kazama // Source: Tekken 7

Here is a list of some easily playable PC games with Joy-Cons:

  • Dragon Ball FighterZ : a 2.5D fighting video game based on the franchise dragonball developed by Arc System Works and published by Bandai Namco Games.
  • Journey : explore the ancient and mysterious world of Journey flying over ruins and gliding across sandy lands to uncover its secrets.
  • Hades : Challenge the god of the dead and fight your way out of the Underworld in this game from the creators of Bastion, Transistor and Pyre.
  • Tekken 7: a fighting video game from the series tekken developed and published by Bandai Namco Games.



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