How Many Controllers Can Connect to PS5?

When it comes to multiplayer gaming, particularly when it comes to local multiplayer, a very common question to ask is how many controllers can connect to PS5?

The short and simple answer to the query is 4. PS5 can support up to four DualSense controllers simultaneously.

This is similar to what PS4 offered with its DualShock controllers.

In all honesty, the notion of local multiplayer isn’t as popular as it used to be with the older consoles. Online multiplayer is generally what everyone likes these days.

Local multiplayer, particularly with split screen, can hinder the performance of the gamer particularly in highly competitive and fast-paced FPS games.

And the fact that you cannot connect multiple monitors to a single PS5 (so that you may have a separate monitor for each player) further adds to the fact that you would not need more than 4 controllers at all.

Only a Handful of Games Support Local Co-Op

Having multiple controllers on PS5 ONLY makes sense if you play games that support local coop in the first place. 

There are actually only a handful of PS5 games that support Local Co-Op and many of those actually only supports 2 players.

As such, having more than 2 controllers may not be feasible for many coop games out there.

The following table shows the popular Local Coop games on PS5 and the number of players the game supports:

You may notice that sports titles such as FIFA, MLA, etc readily support up to 4 players.

Other games that are more FPS or action-related support up to 2 players only. Some may find it disappointing to have only 2 players’ support for popular FPS games like COD or Fortnite on PS5.

Also Read: Where is R3 and L3 on PS5 Controller?

So How Many Controllers Can Connect to PS5?

As discussed, PS5 supports up to 4 controllers. This limitation actually stems from the games themselves.

None of the games support more than 4 players. And in all honesty, it wouldn’t make sense to have your TV split into four split screens.

That would be too restrictive for the player and would certainly hinder their performance.

It only makes sense to have 4 or more players when everyone is playing on the same screen such as with beat-em-up games

Comparison to the Older Consoles

PS5 follows the same number of controller connectivity as PS4. PS4 also supported up to 4 DualShock controllers simultaneously.

This in turn drastically different from the older consoles like the PS3, PS2, and PS1 which supported 7, 8, and 8 controllers respectively.

Compared this to the arch-rival of the PS5, the Xbox Series X/S, which support 8 controllers.

Also Read: How Many Controllers Come with PS5?