Try disconnecting:
✔ External keyboards, mice, or other controllers.
✔ USB drives, printers, or VR headsets.
Then restart your game and check if the controller is now working.
4. Press ALT + ENTER While In-Game
If your controller stops working mid-game, try pressing ALT + ENTER. This switches the game between fullscreen and windowed mode, refreshing input recognition.
5. Enable Steam’s Big Picture Mode
Steam’s Big Picture Mode improves controller compatibility:
- Open Steam and click on View (top-left corner).
- Select Big Picture Mode and Continue.
- Go to Library > Games > Spider-Man 2.
- Exit Big Picture Mode and relaunch the game.
6. Switch Monitor Refresh Rate to 60Hz
Some high refresh rates (144Hz, 240Hz, etc.) can cause issues with controller input.
- Press Win + I to open Settings.
- Navigate to System > Display.
- Click Advanced Display Settings.
- Set Refresh Rate to 60Hz and restart your game.
7. Launch Spider-Man 2 in Windowed Mode
You can manually force the game to launch in Windowed Mode via the config file.
- Open File Explorer and go to:
- Find and open Config.ini using Notepad.
- Locate [window] mode = no and change it to yes.
- Press Ctrl + S to save changes and restart the game.
8. Enable Steam Overlay for Spider-Man 2
- Open Steam > Go to Library.
- Right-click on Spider-Man 2 and select Properties.
- Under the General section, enable “Use Steam Overlay while in-game”.
- Open Steam > Click on Steam (top-left corner) > Settings.
- Navigate to Controller > General Controller Settings.
- Check the box for your controller type:
✔ PlayStation Configuration Support
✔ Xbox Configuration Support
✔ Generic Gamepad Configuration Support
- Click OK and restart Steam.
- Click on the Start menu > Search for Graphics Settings.
- Click Browse, and select Spider-Man 2.exe from its installed folder.
- Select the game and choose Options > High Performance.
- Click Save and relaunch the game.
11. Disable Controller in Steam Controller Settings
- Open Steam and go to Settings.
- Click Controller > General Controller Settings.
- Uncheck all configuration support options.
- Click OK and restart Steam.
- Right-click on Spider-Man 2 in Steam Library > Select Properties.
- Click Controller > Find the option “Use default settings”.
- Change it to Disable Steam Input.
- Restart the game and check if the issue is resolved.
- If not, re-enable Steam Input and test again.
- Open Steam and go to Big Picture Mode.
- Click Library > Spider-Man 2 > Manage Game.
- Select Controller Options under Steam Input.
- Expand the “Change Steam Input Per-Game Settings” option.
- Choose Forced On > Click OK and restart the game.
- If that doesn’t work, repeat the steps and select Forced Off instead.
14. Use DS4Windows (For PlayStation Controllers)
For PlayStation controllers, DS4Windows helps improve compatibility:
- Download DS4Windows online and install it.
- Run DS4Updater.exe to ensure it’s updated.
- Open DS4Windows and go to Settings.
- Enable “Hide DS4 Controller” to prevent conflicts.
- Restart DS4Windows and check if your controller works.
15. Try a Wired Connection
Wireless Bluetooth controllers (PS5, Xbox, etc.) can sometimes lose connectivity.
✔ Try using a USB cable instead of Bluetooth.
✔ Ensure the cable is functional and data-supported (not just for charging).
Final Thoughts
These methods should help resolve the Spider-Man 2 controller issue on PC. If you’re still facing problems:
✔ Ensure Windows is fully updated.
✔ Check if Spider-Man 2 has pending updates.
✔ Try a different USB port or cable.
✔ Contact Insomniac Games’ support for further assistance.
Hopefully, this guide helped fix your controller not working issue. Let us know in the comments which method worked for you!
