So, you decided to play Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with a controller, and likely so! After all, if you play the game for long sessions, a controller setup is way more comfortable than your usual keyboard and mouse playstyle. That said, some players’ controllers are not working properly in the game. So, if you too are encountering the same issue, you might be wondering if there is a fix for this issue. Continue reading to find out.
According to some players reports, after progressing past the first boss, the A button (confirm input) on some controllers stops working properly. When pressing A to select a menu item, the cursor vanishes, and although switching to mouse and keyboard temporarily restores functionality, going back to the controller often leaves players able to move the cursor but unable to confirm selections, breaking the flow of the game. So, here’s what you can do to fix this problem.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Controller Not Working Issue: Is there any fix yet
Unfortunately, this specific controller issue has not been officially addressed by the developers yet, so for now, players will have to rely on a few potential workarounds and see which one clicks for them. Here are those workarounds:
Reboot
One potential workaround you can try is restarting the game multiple times. Several players have shared that after a few reboots, the controller confirmation inputs start working properly again. While you are at it, you can also switch to a wired connection. Finally, launch the game with a wired controller and see if this fixes the issue.
Default graphics
Another workaround players have discovered is resetting the in-game graphics settings back to default. As strange as it sounds, simply reverting all the graphics options to their original default values has helped fix the controller confirmation input issue for some. To do this, open the graphics settings from the in-game menu and set all the settings to default.
Fullscreen Mode
Try to switch the game from Fullscreen mode to Borderless Windowed mode. Some players have reported that changing this setting immediately solved the controller input problem. To do this, head over to Settings > Graphics, find the Display Mode option, and change it from Fullscreen to Borderless Windowed. Apply the changes, and your controller inputs should start working properly again.
DualSense
For PlayStation controller users, use the “DS4Windows” program. Some Game Pass games, including Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, can have trouble properly recognizing PS controllers. By running DS4Windows, the game treats your PS controller like an Xbox controller, making it fully functional. Just note that while your controller will work, the button prompts on screen will still show Xbox symbols instead of PlayStation ones.
Gamepass version?
If you are playing the game via Game Pass with a DualSense controller, without using DS4Windows, there’s a clever workaround using Steam. First, create a game.ini file in your WinGDK config folder (C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Sandfall\Saved\Config\WinGDK) with settings to force PS5 controller prompts. To do this, just create the file, open with Notepad and add the following command:
[CommonInputPlatformSettings_WinGDK CommonInputPlatformSettings]
DefaultGamepadName=PS5
bCanChangeGamepadType=False
Once done, save the changes and make sure to set the file’s attribute to Read Only.
Then, add any random non-Steam program to your Steam library, rename it to the game’s name, and manually point it to the game’s executable file. How? Steps for the same are shared below:
- After adding any program as a Non-Steam game, go to its properties menu and then select the Browse option under Target.
- Next, navigate to the folder where the game is actually installed, then go to Content\Sandfall\Binaries\WinGDK
- Select SandFall-WinGDK-Shipping.exe and right-click on it. After this, select the Copy as Path option. Now, go to the Target section in Steam, delete the path stored and paste the new path there.
- Set the “Start In” directory properly by copy-pasting the same path but excluding the .exe portion.
- The Target and Start In Path should look something like this:
- Target: D:\Games\Clair Obscur- Expedition 33\Content\Sandfall\Binaries\WinGDK\SandFall-WinGDK-Shipping.exe”
- Start In: D:\Games\Clair Obscur- Expedition 33\Content\Sandfall\Binaries\WinGDK\
Note: The path mentioned will vary based on where you installed the game. So, make sure to copy-paste the correct path on your PC and not the given path in this guide.
Once done, enable Steam Input by heading over to the Controller tab, and launch the game through Steam. This way, you get full DualSense functionality with correct button prompts.
Disable or Enable Steam Input
You can also try adjusting Steam Input settings for the game. Open Steam, right-click on the game, select Properties, and go to the Controller tab. Set it to “Disable Steam Input” and launch the game to check if the controller works. If disabling doesn’t help, try setting it back to “Enable Steam Input” and test again.
Update Your Controller Firmware and Disconnect External Devices
Sometimes, outdated controller firmware causes compatibility problems. Install the Xbox Accessories App from the Microsoft Store if you’re using an Xbox controller, or the PlayStation Accessories App from PlayStation’s website for PS controllers. Connect your controller via USB, check for any available updates, and apply them. Also, having multiple peripherals like HOTAS setups, racing wheels, pedals, or even extra controllers connected can confuse the game’s input detection. Disconnect all unnecessary USB devices before launching the game.
And there you have it. Those are all the workarounds we have to share for the controller issues in Clair Obscur Expedition 33. We hope this was helpful. Stay in touch with DigiStatement for more gaming reads like this. Also, click here to find out how to fix fatal error in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
