The Xbox 360 Controller Emulator (also known as x360ce) is a popular tool for fixing controller issues in PC games. This emulator allows you to use your Xbox 360 controller or other compatible controllers with Sleeping Dogs.
Outdated graphics drivers can cause issues with your PC controller in Sleeping Dogs. To update your graphics drivers:
If you are playing the GOG version or a non-Steampunk version, the controller code is different. Some updates actually broke controllers.
The Fix:
Before diving into the fixes, it helps to understand the root cause of the problem. Sleeping Dogs was released in an era before Steam Input was robust. The game natively relies on XInput (Microsoft’s standard for Xbox 360 controllers).
Modern controllers—like the PS5 DualSense or even the Xbox One/Series controllers (when used via Bluetooth)—often communicate via DirectInput or different Bluetooth profiles. Sleeping Dogs looks for an old-school Xbox 360 controller signature. If it doesn't see that exact signature, it ignores your device.
The Problem: You launch Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition on PC (Steam, GOG, or Epic), and your controller either does nothing, shows Xbox buttons but doesn’t respond, or has stick drift / inverted axes. sleeping dogs pc controller fix
The Cause: The game originally shipped with XInput (Xbox 360/One) support, but its controller detection is fragile—especially on Windows 10/11 with newer Bluetooth controllers, PlayStation controllers, or Nintendo Switch Pro controllers. The Definitive Edition also conflicts with Steam Input in unpredictable ways.
Below are fixes that work as of 2026, ranked from most likely to most advanced.
Corrupted game files can cause issues with the PC controller in Sleeping Dogs. To verify game files: The Xbox 360 Controller Emulator (also known as
The Problem: The Xbox Wireless Adapter works fine, but Bluetooth causes Sleeping Dogs to see a "Pro Controller" or nothing at all.
The Fix: