title: "League of Legends players just realised Riot added controller support with" the WASD update excerpt: "LoL now accepts controller input when WASD mode is enabled, but Riot says" the feature is mainly there for accessibility, not full official controller play. category: esports date: '2026-04-18T08:00:46+08:00' author: Aimirul tags:
- league of legends
- riot games
- accessibility
- pc gaming featured: false coverImage: /images/esports/league-of-legends-players-just-realised-riot-added-controller-support-with-the-wasd-update.jpg
League of Legends players are only now clocking that Riot has quietly added controller support to the game, even though the feature was already mentioned earlier in the dev blog for the new WASD input system.
The detail did not land with much noise at first, which is why a lot of the community treated it like a hidden discovery. But Riot did not exactly hide it on purpose either. It was simply buried inside the wider write-up for the recent release of WASD movement in Ranked, so most players missed it until clips and posts started spreading online.
Here is the key part: once players turn on WASD input mode, controller input also becomes available. Riot has enabled a default button mapping with that setup, and one confirmed mapping is the left analog stick controlling the mouse cursor.
That might sound super weird for a game that has always been built around mouse-and-keyboard, but it is still a pretty big change. For years, controller play in LoL mostly lived in the realm of community workarounds, third-party remapping software, or content creator experiments. This is the first time the feature has been added natively inside the game itself.
A lot of players first noticed the update after it was highlighted by SkinSpotlights on X, which helped push the news into the wider LoL community. Older fans will also remember BoxBox messing around with gamepad controls before and still pulling off impressive plays, so the idea is not completely new. What is new is Riot officially allowing it through the game's own input system.
Still, Riot is being very careful about how it frames this. The company says controller and joystick access was added mainly as an accessibility feature, not as the start of broad, official controller support for everyone. According to Riot, the goal is to let more players enjoy LoL through alternative hardware, especially for people with mobility limitations. The studio specifically pointed to devices such as the Xbox Adaptive Controller as part of that thinking.
So if you were hoping this means League is going full console-style overnight, not quite. Riot says it does not currently plan to officially support controllers or joysticks more broadly, even if it is keeping an eye on player feedback.
The controller option is part of a bigger input overhaul, not a standalone feature drop. That same update also brought in more flexible cursor controls and expanded keybinding options. In other words, Riot is modernising how players interact with the game, and controller support seems to be one piece of that wider effort.
For Malaysian and SEA players, this matters for two reasons. First, accessibility is a big win, full stop. More control options means more people can actually get into the game or keep playing it comfortably. Second, even for regular players, it opens up a lot of curiosity around custom setups, especially for casual play, learning sessions, or content creation. Competitive grinders will probably still stick to mouse and keyboard, but you just know somebody in our region is going to try climbing with a controller for the content.
It also adds another layer to the ongoing conversation around how Riot wants League to feel in 2026. WASD movement already shook up long-time expectations. Native controller input, even in this limited form, pushes that even further.
For now, the main takeaway is simple: yes, controller input is in League of Legends now, but it is tied to WASD mode and positioned as an accessibility-focused option, not a full 游戏性 shift for the entire player base.
Source: Dot Esports
