Configure PS5 controller settings in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, map DualSense controls, tune sensitivity and fix input conflicts.
To configure a PS5 DualSense controller in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, open Settings, select Controls, choose the DualSense device and create a custom profile. Assign and test the flight axes, camera, throttle, trim and cockpit commands, then save the profile after checking for duplicate bindings and reversed inputs.
Configure the DualSense controller step by step
- Connect the controller before opening the controls screen. On PS5, sign in with the DualSense you intend to use. This reduces the chance of editing a profile associated with another controller or user.
- Open Settings and select Controls. Choose the DualSense controller device tile rather than the keyboard, mouse or another connected peripheral.
- Create a custom controller profile. Keep the factory preset intact and give the new profile a recognisable name. A separate preset is easier to troubleshoot and restore.
- Search for each command individually. If a command is missing, change the filter from assigned controls to all available controls. Command wording can differ slightly between control categories.
- Assign the primary axes first. Bind pitch to the elevator axis and roll to the aileron axis. Move each stick through its full range when the simulator asks for an input.
- Add rudder, throttle and trim. Triggers work well for left and right rudder commands. Because a DualSense has no non-centring throttle lever, use buttons for throttle increase and decrease rather than sacrificing a flight stick.
- Map essential secondary controls. Include wheel brakes, parking brake, flaps, landing gear, camera reset and autopilot disconnect. Also retain a practical way to operate cockpit switches.
- Test and save the profile. Check neutral positions, full control travel and direction before departure. Our guide to mapping and saving custom controller bindings covers profile selection and changes being applied to the wrong device.
A common mistake is binding a stick to digital commands such as elevator up and elevator down. Use the corresponding Axis command wherever an analogue stick is involved; otherwise the control behaves like an on-off button.
How should PS5 flight controls be mapped?
A practical DualSense layout keeps flying controls under the thumbs while leaving the right stick available for looking around.
| Control | Suggested use | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Left stick | Pitch and roll axes | Provides proportional elevator and aileron input. |
| Right stick | Horizontal and vertical camera look | Allows cockpit scanning without releasing the flight controls. |
| L2 and R2 | Left and right rudder | Analogue trigger travel gives better directional control than buttons. |
| D-pad or spare buttons | Elevator trim up and down | Incremental trim is more suitable than assigning trim to a spring-centred stick. |
| Face or shoulder buttons | Throttle, flaps and brakes | Keeps frequently used commands accessible during take-off and landing. |
| Touchpad or spare button | Cockpit interaction or camera mode | Provides access to controls that are not practical to bind individually. |
Treat this as a starting layout, not a mandatory preset. If rudder control matters more than camera movement, for example, you can use a stick for rudder and move camera commands elsewhere. Avoid assigning one input to unrelated flight and camera functions unless a deliberate modifier is involved.
What DualSense sensitivity settings work best?
Begin with a gentle response around the centre, a small dead zone and full output at the end of the stick travel. This reduces over-controlling without preventing the aircraft from reaching full control deflection.
- Pitch and roll: apply a modestly softened centre response if the aircraft feels twitchy.
- Dead zone: add only enough to stop unwanted movement when the stick is released. A large dead zone makes small corrections harder.
- Rudder triggers: soften their initial response if taxi steering or the take-off roll feels abrupt.
- Extremity and output: confirm the controls still reach their full indicated travel.
Change one setting at a time and test it in the same aircraft and weather conditions. More detailed guidance on DualSense sensitivity, dead zones and response curves explains what each adjustment changes.
Why are my PS5 controller bindings not working?
Most failed bindings come from editing the wrong device profile, using the wrong command type or leaving conflicting assignments active.
- No response: confirm that the DualSense device tile and your custom profile are selected.
- Input behaves digitally: replace directional button commands with the appropriate axis binding.
- Aircraft moves by itself: increase the affected dead zone slightly and check for a second device controlling the same axis.
- Pitch or camera direction is reversed: invert only the affected axis rather than reversing the physical button assignments.
- One button performs two actions: search by input and remove the unwanted duplicate command.
- The simulator fights your inputs: check whether assisted piloting, assisted rudder or another automation option is active.
If the aircraft flies normally but switches, knobs or the cockpit cursor do not respond, the issue is usually an interaction or focus binding rather than a flight axis. Use our PS5 cockpit-control troubleshooting steps to check cursor, interaction and profile settings.
Should every aircraft use the same controller profile?
One base profile is enough for basic pitch, roll, rudder, brakes and camera control, but specialised aircraft benefit from separate copies.
Airliners may need easy access to spoilers, reverse thrust and autopilot controls. Piston aircraft can require mixture and propeller commands, while helicopters need collective and anti-torque controls. Duplicate the working base preset, rename it for the aircraft type and change only the specialised bindings.
Do PS5 Pro controller settings work the same way?
Yes. Standard DualSense control mapping works the same way in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on PS5 and PS5 Pro; performance and display settings are separate from controller profiles.
Third-party yokes, throttles and gamepads must explicitly support the PlayStation 5. Our controller compatibility overview for PC, Xbox and PS5 explains why hardware made for another platform may not work directly. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 was never released for PlayStation, so these PS5 instructions apply to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 only.